Minutes 01-22-2019 Regular Meeting

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22 and right now, Glenwood ES does not pay property taxes. He said that base line is continued forward, which is the same for UNC Hospital, Duke Hospital, etc. Commissioner Marcoplos said it is complicated. Patrick McDonough said Glenwood ES is not highlighted as a re-developable area in the Hamilton Station. Commissioner McKee asked if it is known how much new tax revenue would occur naturally without it. Patrick McDonough said when one looks at the net new over the baseline, the baseline presumes the land grows in value. He said a great way to see evidence of that is to look at the Mason Farm Road/UNC Hospital plans, where there is no development imagined, but the property tax revenue does go up. Commissioner Bedford asked if Patrick McDonough removed Eastowne from ED slide. Patrick McDonough said he would need to check, but he would sense that Eastowne is probably in the corridor total of the $1.4-1.9 billion, though it is not in the Gateway Station. He said he will need to double check. Commissioner Marcoplos said it is complicated to think about costs and benefits, because there are many things that cannot be predicted accurately. He said there are a lot of ancillary benefits: jobs will be provided, which leads to lower cost of services; less congestion; less pollution; protecting rural areas from sprawl, etc. He said this is "one possible future," and the final decisions will be a product of many decisions that are made. He said he is excited about a fourth economic development district, and sees potential for collaborative effort between Chapel Hill and Orange County to meet the needs of the County and the Town. He believes the Board is doing what the residents want it to. Commissioner Marcoplos said if, and when, the full funding grant agreement comes through, this is going to happen. He said around 2025 there will start to be serious interest in and around these rail stations. Chair Rich said she is excited about this too, and especially about the possibility of a fourth economic development district. She said people want to live, work and play near public transit, and building Gateway the way they want/need it is a first step. Chair Rich said the Chapel Hill Planning Department worked with GoTriangle throughout this entire process. Patrick McDonough agreed, and said many, many partners worked on this, and the intergovernmental cooperation is special. Chair Rich said one way to continue moving forward is to start having conversations with Chapel Hill. She said this is not just what the elected officials want, but it is also what the public wants, and there is an economic opportunity that cannot be denied. Commissioner Greene congratulated Patrick McDonough and GoTriangle for getting the grant to do this study, and she said GoTriangle has consistently worked closely with the Chapel Hill Town Council. Commissioner Greene referred to affordable housing, and said Chapel Hill has already changed its ordinance to allow accessory housing by reducing the required lot size and reducing the parking requirements. Commissioner Greene said she was interested in purchasing an apartment complex as it was on the downward slope, and a Chapel Hill developer proposed this idea a few years back. She said it did not pan out at that time, but is an idea to hold onto. Commissioner Greene asked if Chapel Hill has talked about land banking. Patrick McDonough said he does not know, but land banking is a strategy in the guidebook. He said the Council of Governments (COG) has led the regional scan of all public lands. Commissioner Greene said voluntary density bonuses are another idea to attract affordable housing.