Minutes 02-17-2025-Joint Meeting w Hillsborough

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25 5. Train Station Update & Hillsborough Station Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Partnership Opportunities (Including Grant Efforts) The Town of Hillsborough (Town) owns approximately 19.6 acres of property between Gold Hill Way and the North Carolina Railroad (NCRR) tracks near the entrance to the Collins Ridge Neighborhood. The entire property is being referred to as "Hillsborough Station", which encompasses the train station and the future development surrounding it. The Town has spent several years in the planning and design process to develop an approximately 8,000 square foot net-zero-ready passenger rail station that would also include Town offices and meeting space. The project has zoning and site plan approval, and is working towards a preliminary engineering agreement with NCRR to submit plans for review. The train station project will require about 4.7 acres of the Town's property. After deductions for streets, sidewalks, landscaping, buffers, stormwater, etc. — there will be a little over 9.5 acres remaining for development. In the Town's Comprehensive Sustainability Plan, a goal was established to set aside one-third of the remaining site for the development of affordable housing. In September 2023, the Town Board of Commissioners received an update on concept-level planning for the remaining site, which is included in the attached presentation. The Town has funded a market study to further develop potential layouts and uses of the site, which will be completed in FY26. At the concept level, the Town has reserved a site near the train station for"civic use" —currently an undefined term. There has been some interest in potential partnerships for that space, including but not limited to a multi-modal transportation center (MMC) and a performing arts venue. Orange County staff has engaged a consultant to work on a RAISE/BUILD grant application, which is being supported by Town staff and also includes coordination with multiple local and regional stakeholders including Piedmont Authority on Regional Transportation (PART), Burlington-Graham Metropolitan Planning Organization, Central Pines Regional Council, Link Transit, Orange County, North Carolina Department of Transportation Division and Integrated Mobility Division and Triangle West Transportation Planning Organization (TWTPO). As the site will already be served by passenger rail and will be adjacent to the new Ridgewalk Greenway, it may make sense to add additional transportation amenities to the Hillsborough Station site. The discussions of potential arts/performing arts uses have been very informal and neither the Town or County boards have expressed official support for either use. The Boards can discuss issues related to this item as necessary, and staff will be available at the meeting. Matt Efird introduced the item.