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HomeMy Public PortalAbout01-28-2008 Workshop Meeting January 28, 2008 Monthly Workshop Approved: March 10, 2008 Page 1 of 14 MINUTES Board of Commissioners Monthly Workshop Monday, January 28, 2008 ? 7:00 p.m. Town Barn PRESENT: Mayor Tom Stevens, Commissioners Frances Dancy, Evelyn Lloyd, Mike Gering, Brian Lowen, and L. Eric Hallman. STAFF: Town Manager Eric Peterson, Planning Director Margaret Hauth, Assistant Town Manager/Public Works Director Nicole Ard, Budget & Management Analyst Emily Bradford, and Town Attorney Bob Hornik. 1.Open the Workshop. Mayor Stevens called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. He clarified that this was a workshop so comments from the public would not be heard. 2.Agenda Changes & Agenda Approval. 7:02:58 PM Town Manager Eric Peterson noted two Closed Sessions items to be added to the end of the agenda: an update on the asphalt plant litigation, and a personnel matter. Commissioner Gering stated he wanted to add a discussion on an economic development opportunity. 7:03:42 PM Upon a motion by Commissioner Dancy, seconded by Commissioner Lowen, the Board moved to approve the agenda as amended by a vote of 5-0. The motion was declared passed. 3.Committee Updates and Reports. 7:03:56 PM Commissioner Hallman stated there had been two Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) meetings since his last update, and indicated that if anyone wanted the maps and charts they were posted on the DCHC website. He said that Elizabeth Brady Road was still scheduled for right-of-way acquisition in 2009, with construction scheduled for 2012. Commissioner Hallman stated that project was only partially funded at this time. 1 January 28, 2008 Monthly Workshop Approved: March 10, 2008 Page 2 of 14 Commissioner Hallman stated that South Churton Street improvements had not yet been funded; the pedestrian access over I-40 to serve Brady Brown and the high school was at the feasibility study stage; the I-85 widening had been delayed two years, with acquisition in 2009 and construction scheduled for 2011-2012; and, they were still looking for some State funding for the Nash Street sidewalk project. Commissioner Hallman stated they were scheduled to have one-on-one meetings with their Division 7 Board member sometime in the next couple of weeks. He said that one of the things Division 5, which was Durham?s division, and Division 7, which was Hillsborough?s division, wanted to carry to the DOT Board was that they would like more local control over how funds were spent and the ability to reprogram when they saw it as necessary. 7:06:20 PM Commissioner Dancy stated the COG would have a presentation from the WRAZ group regarding the high definition roll-over in 2009. She said there was concern that some senior citizens and others may still use antennae and would need to obtain a converter box, which would result in some expense and could place a financial strain on them. Commissioner Dancy said she would be getting more information on that and would keep the Board apprised. 7:07:57 PM Mayor Stevens reported that the Upper Neuse River Basin Association continued to work on the nutrient management system and next year would be looking at getting public input and working on standards. He said he had agreed to serve on the Executive Committee for that work. Mayor Stevens said they had letters that went out to Amtrak, NCDOT, NC Rail and TCJ regarding a rail stop in Hillsborough, and he would keep the Board updated on that. 7:09:14 PM Commissioner Hallman stated that he had previously reported that Town staff, County staff, and DOT would have a discussion of downtown traffic and how that could be addressed. He said they were supposed to meet today to provide some feedback, but the meeting had been postponed. 4.Consider authorizing Eagle Scout project in Kings Highway Park by David Timmel. 7:10:01 PM David Timmel provided the Board with a description of his proposal to construct an overlook area and provide a bench at the confluence of Seven Mile Creek and the Eno River at the Kings Highway Park, as well as some related trail work. He stated he would be using recycled materials that would not harm the environment. 7:10:34 PM Commissioner Gering stated that he had attended a recent Parks and Recreation Board meeting where Mr. Timmel had presented this project, and he had received very enthusiastic and unanimous support from that Board. 7:10:57 PM Commissioner Lowen stated he was impressed with the project and was in full support. 2 January 28, 2008 Monthly Workshop Approved: March 10, 2008 Page 3 of 14 Upon a motion by Commissioner Lowen, seconded by Commissioner Hallman, the Board moved to approve the Eagle Scout project at Kings Highway Park by a vote of 5-0. The motion was declared passed. Mr. Timmel indicated he would begin the project as soon as he received approval from the Boy Scout Council. 5.Discussion with Francis Henry regarding future plans for the Colonial Inn and whether they can be pursued with current development regulations. 7:12:06 PM Mayor Stevens stated the procedure for this issue, as well as for Corbinton Commons, would be to limit each conversation to 30 minutes. He thanked Mr. Henry for coming to the Board to suggest they have this conversation. Mayor Stevens said he believed the way to proceed would be to have Mr. Henry take a few minutes to outline his tentative plans, and then let the Board respond to that. 7:13:35 PM Francis Henry distributed some information to the Board, noting it contained what he hoped to get out of tonight?s meeting. Mayor Stevens stated the document indicated the owner desired zoning and development regulations to permit the following: 1) to make possible a subdivision of the property; and, 2) to make possible uses of the current Inn to include a) a bed and breakfast, b) an Inn, c) a full- service restaurant, d) an event center, and e) residential housing on the upper level, and possible the west wing. He said possible issued to be discussed included condominium ownership, the West Wing Shop or Spencer?s Tavern, regulation of hours, community usage, noise ordinance, and parking. Mayor Stevens said from the Town?s point of view, their primary interest was three things: 1) they wanted to make sure the building was safe, sound and secure as quickly as possible; 2) that it have some use that was compatible with the downtown; and 3) that it would be used as something that was economically viable for the owners. 7:15:40 PM Commissioner Hallman asked Mr. Henry to discuss the need for subdivision of the property. Mr. Henry stated that he wanted to get as much value from the property as possible, but it had been explained to him that the property could not be subdivided as a residential use. He said the charge at the last meeting was to come up with an idea to perhaps direct the Planning Director to see if these things could happen. Mr. Henry said his reasons were primarily economic, noting that if they wanted to host wedding receptions, they needed a building that was either separate or adjoined to the primary building, but that was not easily accomplished. He said a separate building could be used for general events or meetings, such as artists? exhibits, writers? forums, teas, and discussion groups. Mr. Henry said part of the development of the property and the redevelopment of the Inn would be to try to make it inclusive so such groups who needed a place to go would have a setting that was perhaps less formal. 3 January 28, 2008 Monthly Workshop Approved: March 10, 2008 Page 4 of 14 Mr. Henry said having that kind of opportunity included the necessity for parking. He said at this time, the nearby parking deck would make a huge difference to this property. Mr. Henry said he wanted to be able to have the tools necessary for him to make the Inn a Town centerpiece, and to make it economically viable and meet the needs of the community. 7:19:14 PM Commissioner Gering said he liked what Mr. Henry had said, but he did not believe that answered to question as to why he needed the property subdivided. Mr. Henry stated the subdivision would make it possible to provide a separate building for those special events. He stated he could not do that and get the type of financing he needed without it. Mr. Henry stated he also could not attach an additional building to the Inn because of the way the financing was arranged. Commission Gering said he did not understand that reasoning. Mr. Henry replied that a separate building would give him the opportunity to make the Inn his full-time residence or do something else with the Inn, and the two buildings would not necessarily be tied together. He said subdividing the property would allow him to have separate titles to each tract. 7:20:56 PM Commissioner Hallman stated that made it much clearer to him, noting he also liked the uses Mr. Henry had described. Mr. Henry stated that at the end of the last meeting, a Planning staff member had said that the change in zoning would be appropriate to achieve what he wanted to do. Mayor Stevens said one possibility Mr. Henry had mentioned was condominium ownership. Mr. Henry stated he was trying to give himself options, noting that even though he had a design the final usage had not yet been resolved since it depended on what the Town would allow. He said the condominium idea had come up when he had discussed the Inn with a person who worked with historic properties nationally. Mr. Henry stated that condominiums did not necessarily mean separate units; it could be almost like a cooperative that was divided up into shares. He said if he was interested in getting a group of investors together, those people might want to join in with a condominium association that was like a co-op so that the tax credits could be shared. Mr. Henry said someone might even want to buy a wing, although that had not been discussed or considered. Mayor Stevens said he had brought it up because he thought that might be a solution, rather than subdividing the property. Mr. Henry said the one building he had proposed was the maximum he would propose. He said because what he was proposing was in a residential area, such issues as noise, alcoholic beverages, and hours of operation were issues that had to be considered. 7:25:56 PM Commissioner Hallman stated in regards to building another structure on the property, if that were to happen would he do that after removing the addition in the back. Mr. Henry responded that at some point that addition would be removed because it was rotting and had no historic value. He said removing that would reduce the square footage footprint, but a raised porch would be added that ran the entire length of the back of the main building. 4 January 28, 2008 Monthly Workshop Approved: March 10, 2008 Page 5 of 14 7:27:20 PM Commissioner Hallman asked if something like that were approved, what square footage was he contemplating. Mr. Henry stated it would likely be about 16 to 20 feet deep at the maximum, and it would be two rooms wide. He said it would not go back any deeper than the depth of the Inn without the additional 16 feet. 7:28:34 PM Commissioner Lloyd stated her concern was about the original Colonial Inn, and asked what he intended to do with that. She asked why Mr. Henry would have to do the new building first. Mr. Henry stated he did not have to do the new building first. He said the Inn itself was basically a U-shaped building, and in the middle of that was the main dining area with other smaller dining areas that made up the left side of the U. Mr. Henry said in the middle of the U were steps that went down into the area to be demolished, and where those steps were was where they were going to add about 16 feet with a porch that would go across the back side of the building. He said they wanted to take the front left room that was the luncheon room and renovate it into a meeting room or some other use. Mr. Henry said the nearby kitchen would likely be removed to increase the size of that meeting room. Mr. Henry said depending on what happened with the restaurant, he wanted to look at other options for use of the space that would be financially viable. He said he had received several offers from people in the restaurant business to come in and run the restaurant for him. 7:35:22 PM Mayor Stevens said all of the uses Mr. Henry was speaking of were all in the realm of the kinds of things the Board would like to see, and having options made sense. He said as they got closer to the details, then they would also be closer to what options would be available. Mayor Stevens said there were uses the Board likely did not want to see in the Inn, and commercial zoning played a part in that. He asked how the Board could provide Mr. Henry some options and still protect the Town?s interests, and asked would a Conditional Use Permit suffice. Planning Director Margaret Hauth said the CUP process that they had right now that allowed non-residential uses in historic structures was not broad enough to allow what Mr. Henry was proposing. She said that was primarily because the Town?s ordinance in general was not broad enough to allow what Mr. Henry was proposing when you got into the events center. Ms. Hauth stated the Town still did not have a definition anywhere that talked about a conference center or an event center or what one of those might look like and what some of the restrictions on them might be. She said that was the one part that they did not have available to them to make available to Mr. Henry. Ms. Hauth said the easiest way, and the way the Town might be more comfortable with, would be to set up it as an SUP process because they all acknowledged that the Inn was a unique property. She said under the SUP process the Town had the ability to consider the project individually and make special considerations about that project. She said with a CUP, the rules were applied and you met them or you did not. 7:38:18 PM Mayor Stevens said such special conditions would convey with the property. Ms. Hauth stated that was correct, in both circumstances. 5 January 28, 2008 Monthly Workshop Approved: March 10, 2008 Page 6 of 14 7:38:23 PM Town Attorney Bob Hornik said with the SUP process, they would almost have to create a district classification for that property, similar to what was done with the Entranceway Special Use district. He said then the property owner could request that the Board rezone to that classification with certain specified uses or limitations on uses placed on the property. Ms. Hauth said that could even be a district that had a residential base to it, rather than a commercial base. She said obviously such a classification would not be used very often, but the Town did sometimes get such inquiries, and this might open up opportunities for the Town to address such inquiries for unique properties. 7:39:47 PM Mayor Stevens asked if the work this would entail would make sense for staff. Ms. Hauth replied she was sure other jurisdictions had similar classifications that they might use as a template. She said her first question would be was the Board considering doing this now, or as part of the Zoning Ordinance rewrite scheduled to begin shortly. Mayor Stevens said that was a good question, adding the plans for the Inn were very general at this point and they needed to decide at what point they should begin putting forth the effort to develop a classification and get the HDC involved. 7:40:34 PM Mr. Henry stated he was a little concerned that such ?spot zoning? would cause more trouble, such as it had in Chapel Hill and other places. He said he did not want to do something that would cause difficulties years from now. Mr. Hornik stated that was why they would make this a partially legislative decision, where the Board had much more leeway. He said with the type of zoning mechanism they were talking about implementing, there would be no uses of the property permitted except what was specifically allowed under the SUP and the zoning change granted by the Town Board. Mr. Hornik stated it would be very specific to what an applicant wanted to do with the property, and it would be tailored so that every application would be treated differently based on its own merits and based on the uses proposed and the location of the property. 7:42:30 PM Commissioner Gering said all of that sounded like a good framework, but it was important that at the same time that the Board would consider any sort of application of an overlay district that they would have Master Plan approval happen at the same time. He said he would not want to rezone this or any other property of this nature without having some concrete plans in front of them. Mr. Henry stated he was in agreement with what was being discussed, and was willing to accept the restrictions or limitations the Board might place on the property. 7:43:42 PM Commissioner Gering asked what were the more immediate plans for doing some of the maintenance work that had been approved by the HDC. He said he was concerned because he saw almost on a daily basis the deterioration of the Inn, but there was maintenance that was very much needed now. Mr. Henry responded it was not as bad as it looked from the 6 January 28, 2008 Monthly Workshop Approved: March 10, 2008 Page 7 of 14 outside, noting they had planned to add some rooms to the upper floor that would change the roof line, as well as adding some solar panels on the south side. He said that was why they were wanting on performing some of that maintenance, so that they could consider the whole picture rather than doing patchwork repairs. He said they had only one leak to be repaired, and that was on the porch at the front of the property; otherwise, the building itself was structurally sound. Mr. Henry offered to schedule a time when the entire Board could visit the Inn and tour the property inside and out. He said it would be easier to explain the work to be done if the Board were actually present so that it could be pointed out. 7:47:06 PM Mayor Stevens said he understood the economic concerns, but echoed Commissioner Gering?s concern that immediate repairs be done where needed to keep the Inn in good repair. Mr. Henry said there were many different ideas being floated around, including one person who had offered to come in and raise the roof in the middle to two stories. So, he said, all of those ideas depended on what use the Town allowed him to make of the property. Mayor Stevens said this Board and others would have opinions about some of those things, which was part of the due process. He said it sounded as if Mr. Henry already had some plans drawn up. Mr. Henry stated he had not yet made them public. Mayor Stevens said he was thinking of a double path, one of which was either working with this Board, the Planning staff or Planning Board and the HDC who could look at the more specific plans and give Mr. Henry feedback about what kinds of things would be more likely to be approved and what kinds of things would likely be resisted. He said for instance, the use of solar panels would likely cause a lot of discussion. Ms. Hauth said where Mr. Henry had suggested solar panels, they would not be visible from the street so they would likely be acceptable. 7:49:46 PM Mr. Henry said that at the last meeting, he had asked if the Town Board really wanted him to go forward and make the Colonial Inn a centerpiece for the Town, or did they want it to be a residence. He said he could restructure the Inn to fit the usage, and the question was what the Town would permit to be there. 7:50:30 PM Commissioner Hallman stated he would like to take Mr. Henry up on his offer to allow the Board to come and visit the Inn so that they could better envision Mr. Henry?s plans. Mr. Henry stated that Ms. Hauth had said that if the Board visited as a body it would be different than if it were a one-on-one type of situation. 7:51:35 PM Mayor Stevens thanked Mr. Henry for sharing his vision for the Colonial Inn with the Board. Ms. Hauth asked the Board for guidance on what to do with Mr. Henry?s rezoning request. She asked should she hold it in abeyance. 7 January 28, 2008 Monthly Workshop Approved: March 10, 2008 Page 8 of 14 Commissioner Gering said he saw no reason to hold up that rezoning application because anything that came out of this process would not be designated Central Commercial. He said they could deal with that application at their next regular meeting. Commissioner Lowen stated that Mr. Henry might choose to withdraw the application based on tonight?s discussion. Ms. Hauth stated that was an option. 7:53:01 PM Mayor Stevens asked Mr. Henry if he was willing to withdraw his application for the rezoning to Central Commercial. Mr. Henry stated his request for the rezoning was only a means to allow him to build the second building. Mayor Stevens stated the issue for the Board was that they would have to follow the letter of the law on that, and he did not believe the Board was in favor of that rezoning. He said the easiest way to take care of that was to withdraw the application, or, the Board could act on it and it would most likely fail. Mr. Henry stated then he would like to withdraw the rezoning application. 6.Discussion with Ellis Coleman regarding amending the Corbinton Commons Special Use Permit to integrate a Continuing Care Retirement Center into Corbinton Commons. 7:56:02 PM Mayor Stevens called for a five-minute recess to allow the representatives for Corbinton Commons to set up its presentation. 7:59:52 PM Mayor Stevens reconvened the meeting. 8:00:05 PM Ellis Coleman provided the Board with a brief update, noting they had completed all the focus group studies and overall they were very positive, so the decision had been made to go forward with the project. He said the plan was to have office space in Hillsborough and to open that space on April 1. Mr. Coleman said they would hen start the process of pre-selling the units. Mr. Coleman said he wanted everyone to understand the plan and all its components. Using the map provided in the packet, he described how the Corbinton Commons SUP was set up at present. He pointed out the location of the 40-unit multi-story condos, the 5,500 square foot club house with a swimming pool, the townhouse/row houses, the 15,000 square feet of office retail space, the condos, and the MAS facility which was the senior apartments that were 3-story buildings totaling 102 units. Mr. Coleman said what would happen first was to remove 24 single-family homes out of the project; next they would remove the 40-unit condos; then they would remove the club house; then the existing commercial/retail building would be removed; and, the MAS facility would be removed in its entirety. He said all that would be left of the original Corbinton plan was 47 single-family homes. 8 January 28, 2008 Monthly Workshop Approved: March 10, 2008 Page 9 of 14 Mr. Coleman then displayed the new footprint of the CCRC and living units with common area. He then pointed out what would be the health care building. Mr. Coleman stated the building on the corner where the clubhouse used to be would be reconfigured and become the Duke Center for Living facility. He said that facility, which they had not yet gotten Duke?s approval of, might be able to be built earlier. Mr. Coleman said if it were placed on that corner, it would eliminate the existing club house and it was possible it could be built as early as this year. Mr. Coleman stated the cottages removed would come back in the form of a little larger footprint although the number of unit would be the same but they would be rearranged. He said those cottages would belong to the CCRC and would be integrated into the CCRC. Mr. Coleman stated that would still leave 47 homes that were not a part of the CCRC but were very much connected to the neighborhood and had access to the Wellness facility. He said that the Wellness facility would be open to the public in a limited fashion. 8:07:45 PM Mayor Stevens stated the total units would go from 274 to 211. 8:07:54 PM David Segmiller stated he was a Principal at FreemanWhite Architects, an architectural firm, and he headed up the Senior Living Studio. He said all that they did was CCRC?s around the country and in North Carolina. Mr. Segmiller introduced his partner, Steve Chalmick (sp?), who directed design for their Studio and was the lead designer on this project. Mr. Segmiller walked the Board through the designs and talked about their intent for the project. He said the whole formula for the total number of units and the healthcare facility were predicated on the fact that when someone moved into an independent living that eventually some percentage of those people would need care. Mr. Segmiller stated the Duke Center for Living was modeled after the Center at Galloway Ridge, and after initial discussions with Duke they had considered making the facility two stories but would still provide a swimming pool, a workout facility and other wellness facilities. He said this was envisioned to be open not only to the active adult residents but also the whole retirement community that they would be developing, with some memberships offered to the greater Hillsborough area. 8:12:01 PM Mr. Segmiller displayed the initial renderings prepared for the focus groups, but noted they were still very early in their architectural designs. He said they wanted the building to feel like it belonged in Hillsborough and that it fit in, and that was important as they developed the project. Mr. Segmiller stated they were planning to make this a walkable community that was very pedestrian friendly. Mr. Segmiller displayed a sketch of the internal courtyard, noting they had attempted to preserve the 100-foot buffer and the green space that was in the original plan. He said some of the buildings varied in height from 3 stories to 5 stories, but they had kept the higher buildings away from the buffer areas and away from the residential scale, and made the street feel like it was the most walkable part of the site. Mr. Segmiller said by making some of the buildings higher, they were able to make walking distances shorter and enabled them to keep the project within the original boundaries. 9 January 28, 2008 Monthly Workshop Approved: March 10, 2008 Page 10 of 14 Mr. Chalmick said they were also limited by the wetlands, and they were trying to preserve as much green space as possible. He said the complex itself had two internal courtyards; one was for a motor court to get most of the traffic that would be dropping people off and get them out of the street, and the other was more of a green space for outdoor dining or other passive recreation. 8:16:02 PM Mr. Chalmick walked the Board through the floor plans for the health care facility, and provided more details on the amenities that would be provided for the residents. 8:22:02 PM Commissioner Gering stated he recalled there was an option to expand the CCRC in a Phase 2. Mr. Segmiller responded they had looked at the project in two phases initially, but had decided not to pursue that. He said they had decided to look at the facility all as one piece. Mr. Segmiller stated that did increase the risk for the developer, because the financing would be predicted on 70% pre-sales. He said one phase would make it harder to achieve that, but from an economic standpoint it did not make sense to extend it to two phases. 8:23:20 PM Commissioner Hallman asked what would happen it Duke decided not to sign on. Mr. Segmiller stated they would still develop a wellness center there; the question would be how much of the clinical services they would end up with. He said they had already had initial discussions with Duke and they were very excited about this project, noting it was not very far from their campus in Durham. Mr. Segmiller added they had had a tremendous response to the focus groups in Durham, so they had very good anticipation that they would be affiliated with Duke. 8:24:21 PM Commissioner Lloyd asked about the floor plans for the apartments. Mr. Segmiller stated they had a range of one-bedroom, two-bedrooms, two-bedroom dens, and three- bedroom apartments. Mr. Chalmick stated they ranged in size from 1,050 square feet to just under 2,000 square feet. Mayor Stevens asked about the price range for the units. Mr. Segmiller said they started in the mid-$200,000?s and went to the high $300,000?s. He stated the focus groups had indicated they believed the price ranges were reasonable for this area and affordable. He then described the different types of financing models for a CCRC. 8:28:14 PM Commissioner Gering asked if what they were envisioning here was similar to the Galloway model. Mr. Segmiller replied it was very similar, only slightly denser but smaller in area. He added that there was already a market in this area for this project. Commissioner Gering said he believed the Board was asked to decide if this should go to public hearing or not. Mr. Hornik stated the key issue for the Board was what process they felt most comfortable following in terms of treating this modification to the SUP. Mayor Stevens asked for Mr. Hornik?s advice on that. Mr. Hornik said the Board had to consider how much of a departure from what was already approved they considered this to be, in terms of both use and structure. He said they should consider the impact on neighbors of the physical structure on the ground, as 10 January 28, 2008 Monthly Workshop Approved: March 10, 2008 Page 11 of 14 well as a CCRC versus a MAS. He said that was a change in the quality of the facility but not the nature of the facility. Mr. Hornik said the Board also needed to decide if getting the public?s input on those changes was desirable. 8:30:48 PM Commissioner Gering stated he believed this kind of project had a lot of interest in the community, and they had gotten a lot of participation from health care specialists and senior specialists in the County. He said they owed it to their constituency and future residents of this project to have a chance to weigh in. Commissioner Gering said regardless of whether the changes were considered minor modifications or not, he believed it was something that should be put before the community. 8:31:23 PM Mr. Segmiller asked what would be the timetable for that; how long would it take? He said they were in limbo right now, noting it was hard to go forward with marketing when they did not know if any significant changes would have to be made to the project. Mr. Segmiller said because of that financing hurdle, the 70% pre-sales, the ability to begin marketing was critical in the whole development process. He said the sooner they started the better off they would be, and the more likely they would be successful. 8:33:01 PM Mayor Stevens said he believed they would be looking at April. Ms. Hauth stated April was the next regularly scheduled quarterly hearing with the Planning Board, then May for a recommendation from the Planning Board, and a June decision by this Board. She added that the Board could schedule a special hearing earlier than April. Mr. Segmiller stated if it was June that would put them in a six-month limbo on being able to move forward with receiving deposits for pre-sales. He said they would lose momentum, and would almost have to start over by re-contacting those who had shown an interest. He added they were primed to begin the marketing process April 1. Mr. Segmiller said it was hard to market something that might change over several months, noting you could not show people what they would be buying if that could possibly change. 8:34:16 PM Mr. Hornik said as positive as he believed most people would receive this proposal, there may be others who would not. He said the safest course for the Board was to hold a public hearing on it. Mr. Hornik recommended having a public hearing, but the scheduling of that would be up to the Board. Commissioner Lowen asked would the Board be opposed to a special hearing. Commissioner Gering said he would not be opposed to that. Commissioner Lowen said he was not opposed, either. He added that depending on the public hearing outcome, they could ask the Planning Board to offer their recommendation immediately following the public hearing. Commissioner Lowen said with that recommendation, the Board would be able to make a decision at its next regularly scheduled Town Board meeting. He stated he was very impressed with the proposal and believed it was something Hillsborough needed, but agreed that it was important to receive public input on the proposed modifications to the SUP. 11 January 28, 2008 Monthly Workshop Approved: March 10, 2008 Page 12 of 14 8:35:39 PM Commissioner Hallman suggested holding the public hearing on the Planning Board?s regular meeting date. Ms. Hauth stated that would throw the Planning Board?s schedule off. She said it would be easier to schedule a special hearing date. Commissioner Hallman asked if it would take an entire Planning Board meeting night to hold this public hearing. He suggested this issue could take up the first 30 minutes or so of a regularly scheduled Planning Board meeting, then they could continue their meeting agenda. Ms. Hauth stated their Planning Board meeting would be comprised of everything from the January hearing, so they would likely need to schedule a special hearing. She said the special hearing may not be a long meeting, but it would likely be too long to be held during a regularly scheduled Planning Board meeting. 8:36:44 PM Mayor Stevens said he would be inclined to agree to schedule a special public hearing. Commissioner Gering suggested that a neighborhood meeting be scheduled as well to help residents understand what was being proposed, so that when they attended the special hearing the information would not be new to them. Ms. Hauth said if they wanted to take advantage of the current meeting schedule, the February workshop was about the soonest they could schedule it. She said the hearing could be held in lieu of the workshop, and if the Planning Board was able to attend, then the Board would be able to vote on this proposal at its March meeting. Ms. Hauth said she believed that was the most expedient way to go forward and still get notices out and ads in the paper, as well as a complete application packet with scale drawings. She said the workshop was scheduled for February 25, and she could poll the Planning Board to see if she could get a quorum to attend. Mr. Segmiller stated he was not available on February 25, but Mr. Chalmick would be. He said he would be available to participate in the neighborhood meeting to get the information out to residents. Upon a motion by Commissioner Gering, seconded by Commissioner Lloyd, the Board moved to schedule a special public hearing on amending the Corbinton Commons Special Use Permit to integrate a CCRC for February 25 by a vote of 5-0. The motion was declared passed. 7.Consideration of request to construct speed table in Nash and Kollock Streets by the Gateway Center developer. 8:44:33 PM Jim Parker stated that as you drove down Nash and Kollock Streets at about the point where the crosswalk was on the approved plan, they wanted to construct a speed table at that exact location. He said a speed table was not a speed hump, in that it had a longer and flatter raised portion and would identify the location of the crosswalk. Mr. Parker stated the height of the table would be no more than 3 inches above the mean surface of the pavement would have been at that point. 12 January 28, 2008 Monthly Workshop Approved: March 10, 2008 Page 13 of 14 8:45:50 PM Commissioner Lloyd asked was there any way that the underside of a fire truck would get caught on that speed table. Ms. Hauth stated she had spoken to John Forest, and based on the drawing they wanted to reserve the right to run the truck over the speed table before the final pavement was done. She said she had indicated that the drawing showed only a 3-inch rise, and Mr. Forest had indicated 3 inches was not a problem. Ms. Hauth said Mr. Forest was very supportive and she had an email to that effect. Mr. Parker stated the only problem was that the speed table would be cast in concrete, and there would be no opportunity to run over it prior to installation. He said of course, if the fire truck ran over it and it dragged, then the speed table could be taken out. Mr. Parker said he was confident that the fire truck would not drag when passing over the speed table. Upon a motion by Commissioner Dancy, seconded by Commissioner Lloyd, the Board moved to approve the speed table on Nash and Kollock Street by the Gateway Center developer by a vote of 5-0. The motion was declared passed. th 8.Financial Update for Mid-Year FY 08 and Beyond in Preparation for the February 9 Budgetary Goal-Setting Retreat. 8:47:40 PM Mr. Peterson stated at mid-year it was easier to focus on issues rather than numbers. He reminded the Board that in the Financial Plan they had projected decent size property tax increases for the upcoming year and the following year, and usually they had done noticeably better than projected. Mr. Peterson said he would not read the handout, but would provide some commentary on a few issues. Mr. Peterson said Fund Balance was about $107,000 higher than what they had projected. He said at this point it was too early to project property taxes, but three months from now they would have a better picture. Mr. Peterson said the sales tax came in much better than expected last year; how it went this year was yet to be seen. He said the possibility of a recession or the talk of recession may impact those sales tax figures, but they would not know until around August. 8:49:44 PM Mr. Peterson reminded the Board that the new sales tax was allocated based on their population percentage in Orange County, so if the County, Chapel Hill and/or Carrboro grew at a faster rate than Hillsborough, then that would affect the distribution formula. Mr. Peterson stated the dialogue with Orange County about shared meeting space could provide an opportunity for savings. He said last June they had begun receiving funds from Waterstone, noting they had received their first $100,000 payment for fire capital, which could be used for a substation, a ladder truck, or other facilities. He said they would receive the second payment this June. Mr. Peterson said they had also received $35,000 for police capital, and would receive another $35,000 each of the next two years. 8:51:43 PM Mr. Peterson stated that they had begun looking at costs for park maintenance costs, noting that with the addition of Gold Park/Riverwalk and Waterstone it could have a 13 January 28, 2008 Monthly Workshop Approved: March 10, 2008 Page 14 of 14 significant impact on the budget. He said they did not yet know what Orange County would request from Hillsborough for the maintenance costs at the new Fairview Park, noting that would be discussed soon. Mr. Peterson stated that water/sewer revenues were on track as of the end of December. He said as of the audit, the water/sewer fund balance was significantly higher than projected. He added that there was possible grant funding available for a portion of the design costs for the wastewater plant. Mr. Peterson said one question to keep in mind was how the drought might impact revenues this current fiscal year as well as beyond. Regarding the wastewater treatment plant, Mr. Peterson stated that the plant costs were currently estimated at $40 million. He said that debt payments in the $2.0+ million range per year were very possible, adding that the entire water/sewer fund budget was currently at $6.9 million. Mr. Peterson said the Town would have to find a way to fund design costs before debt financing was secured for the entire project. Mr. Peterson said there were no giant red flags of concern other than the drought, and believed the Board now had a good feel for where they stood financially and what things needed to be considered. Mayor Stevens thanked Mr. Peterson for his good management. 9.Closed Session to Discuss Property Acquisition in Multiple Locations. 8:56:40 PM Upon a motion by Commissioner Dancy, seconded by Commissioner Gering, the Board moved to enter into Closed Session by a vote of 5-0. The motion was declared passed. 10.Adjourn Upon returning to Open Session and upon a motion by Commissioner Dancy, seconded by Commissioner Lowen, the Board moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:12 p.m. by a vote of 5-0. The motion was declared passed. Respectfully submitted, Donna F. Armbrister, MMC Town Clerk 14