Orange County NC Website
12 <br /> 1 Chair Rich said to include Commission for the Environment as well. <br /> 2 Lydia Wegman said this is absolutely happening, and its omission was a mistake. <br /> 3 Craig Benedict said the 2030 Comprehensive Plan includes a sustainability chapter, <br /> 4 which connects environment, economy and social equity. He said the goal in planning is to <br /> 5 push these circles as close together as possible, to create a sweet spot, in order to address all <br /> 6 the goals at the same time. <br /> 7 Craig Benedict said they will provide an information item on the history of the 2030 <br /> 8 Comprehensive Plan. <br /> 9 <br /> 10 2. Durham-Orange Light Rail Project Update <br /> 11 John Talmadge, GoTriangle, presented this item. <br /> 12 <br /> 13 PURPOSE: <br /> 14 To receive an update from GoTriangle on recent developments with the Durham- Orange Light <br /> 15 Rail Project. The update will not include proposed changes to the Interlocal Cost Sharing <br /> 16 Agreement or the Orange County Transit Plan as project financing and feasibility conditions <br /> 17 evolve. Any proposed changes will be presented and considered by the Board at future <br /> 18 meetings. <br /> 19 <br /> 20 BACKGROUND: <br /> 21 On April 27, 2017, the Board of Orange County Commissioners adopted the Interlocal Cost <br /> 22 Sharing Agreement for the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project as well as the Orange <br /> 23 County Transit Plan. These agreements allowed GoTriangle to provide updated financial <br /> 24 information to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in support of GoTriangle's application to <br /> 25 enter the engineering phase of the Durham-Orange Light Rail Project. On July 28, 2017, <br /> 26 GoTriangle received approval from the FTA to enter the New Starts Engineering phase of the <br /> 27 Capital Investment Grant Program. <br /> 28 <br /> 29 Since the adoption of these agreements, several new developments will require changes to the <br /> 30 Interlocal Cost Sharing Agreement between Orange County, Durham County, and GoTriangle <br /> 31 as well as to the Orange County Transit Plan. This presentation is intended to describe the <br /> 32 changes that have occurred. Any proposed amendments to the Interlocal Cost Sharing <br /> 33 Agreement and/or the Orange County Transit Plan will be presented and considered at future <br /> 34 meetings of the Board of Orange County Commissioners. The presentation from GoTriangle <br /> 35 will offer the most recent information regarding: <br /> 36 • Negotiations with Duke University to participate in a Cooperative Agreement and <br /> 37 contribute land to accommodate the light rail alignment; <br /> 38 • Negotiations with the North Carolina Railroad on a lease agreement and other <br /> 39 considerations to accommodate the light rail alignment; <br /> 40 • Financial requirements resulting from the Federal Transit Administration's Risk <br /> 41 Assessment Report; <br /> 42 . Environmental analysis requirements for the engineering changes in downtown Durham; <br /> 43 and <br /> 44 . Schedule for future consideration of any proposed changes to the Interlocal Cost <br /> 45 Sharing Agreement and the Orange County Transit Plan. <br /> 46 <br /> 47 FINANCIAL IMPACT: A new financial plan for the project has not been finalized. However, <br /> 48 Orange County's contribution to the project is capped at $149.5 million. <br /> 49 <br /> 50 John Talmadge made the following PowerPoint presentation: <br />