The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My Public Portal About10.23.2001 Joint Public HearingTown of ills canoe 175 AGENDA JOINT PUBLIC HEARING HILLSBOROUGH TOWN BOARD and PLANNING BOARD Tuesday, October 23, 2001 7:00 PM, Town Barn ITEM #1: Call Town Board public hearing to order. ITEM #2: Proposed annexation of 5.1 acres owned by Housewright Builders (Allen Knight) on the south side of Oakdale Drive, east of Redbird Lane. The parcels are identified as Tax Map 4.44.A.13, 13a, 14. ITEM #3: Call Joint Public Hearing to order. ITEM #4: Request from Housewright Builders to rezone 5.1 acres on the south side of Oakdale Drive from County R-1 to Town Residential -10 (Tax Map 4.44.A.13,13a,14) ITEM #5: Adjourn Cdr — ye/Y-5-o ii ri4 Please call the Clerk or Planning Department if you cannot attend 732-1270 ext. 71 or73 Both lines are connected to voice mail 101 East Orange Street • P.O. Box 429 • Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278 919-732-1270 • Fax 919-644-2390 MINUTES JOINT PUBLIC HEARING October 23, 2001 PRESENT: Mayor Horace Johnson, Ken Chavious, Frances Dancy, Evelyn Lloyd, Brian Lowen, Mark Sheridan, Ed Gill (PB Chair), Jim Boericke, Joel Brinkley, David Daniel, Chris Quinn, Bryant Warren PUBLIC: Al & Kathy Hartkopf, Rodney Clapp, Allen Knight, Joe Phelps, Robin Langford, Rebecca Stephens, David Band, Jo Soulier, Gayane Chambless. STAFF: Eric Peterson, Demetric Potts, and Margaret Hauth ITEM #1: Mayor Johnson called the hearing to order at 7:02 PM. He said that the boards would hold a merged hearing on the annexation and zoning items, since it is difficult to separate to two issues. Mayor Johnson also said the Town Board would meet in closed session immediately following the hearing to discuss a personnel issue. Mayor Johnson passed the gavel to Planning Board Chair Gill. ITEM #2&4: Hauth introduced the annexation and zoning request for Housewright Builders to bring 5.1 acres into the town and zone it R-10. Knight (applicant) spoke on behalf of his request. He noted the parcel is adjacent to the town limits, the utilities are in place and town services will be beneficial to the homeowners. Knight added that the Manager's fiscal impact report showed a benefit from this development to the Town. Knight explained that the R-10 designation was reasonable here. Cornwallis Hills is R-15, but adjacent lots are 8,000 square feet and Magnolia Place is 6,000 square feet. He noted that the rear lots adjacent to Cornwallis Hills are oversized to more closely match the neighbors. He said the density request is not excessive in his opinion. Knight noted that the price range he expects to serve is greatly under served in Orange County. He provided some data from the Multiple Listing Service about prices of new homes in this part of the county. Knight said he met with most of the neighbors to discuss his plans and based on the tenor of that meeting was surprised by the tone of the news article over the weekend. He said that, in his opinion, this is the type of development endorsed by Smart Growth because it is infill and close to current services. Knight said that he is willing to consider a buffer. He passed around a topographical map indicating the small portion of the site that drains to Cornwallis Hills. He said the road would end before the hillcrest, so 100% of the run-off can go north to Oakdale Drive. He added that he expects only two lots to flow toward Cornwallis Hills. He added that the site, in a worst-case scenario would end up about 13% impervious, with each lot having about 2,250 square feet of impervious surface. He added that the County Soil & Erosion Control ordinance would have to be met as well. He thanked the members for their time and consideration. Chavious asked how close the crest of the hill on lot seven is to the rear property line. Knight said it's between 90 and 100 feet from the rear line. Knight said he would accept a 30-40 foot buffer. Gill asked how the site would be developed. Knight said the only clear-cut portion would be for the road. Studies clearly show that trees sell houses and it's not in his interest to copy Magnolia Place's example. Quinn asked what other developments Knight has been involved with. Knight said he has been building custom homes in Governor's Club and New Hope Springs, but has done project similar to this one in Wake County. Daniel asked if there is a way to ensure the affordability of the houses. Knight said the market and surrounding development would determine the price. Hauth confirmed that without oversight and financial participation, the Town likely could not affect the sales prices. S JPH 10/23/01, page 2 A. Hartkopf passed around photos showing the slope of the land and the proximity to his house. He said the neighborhood's concern is stormwater and that a problem already exists due to an existing swale that directs run-off to Cornwallis Hills. He expressed his opinion that any house built on the last two lots cannot be built close enough to the front property line to correct the problem. He asked the boards to impose a buffer. A Hartkopf said that he looked into purchasing the property for limited development, but the utility extension figures quoted by the Town Engineer were too daunting and he considered the lot worthless. He added that he also tried to purchase 100 —150' of land across his back line from Knight, but Knight was not interested in discussing that option. A Hartkopf said that Cornwallis Hills has matured into a stable neighborhood, not full of transients and approving this development in its current format would betray their trust. K Hartkopf said that the neighborhood is not opposed to the development, just the manner in which it is proposed. She said Knight's offer of a buffer is news to here, based on previous discussions. She offered a petition with 135 signatures from the neighborhood and additional email comments from neighbors. Horace Johnson spoke as a citizen. He encouraged the boards to protect established neighborhoods like Cornwallis Hills. He noted that restrictive covenants are one method to protect a buffer or land from development. Rodney Clapp from Hillsborough National Bank spoke in favor of the applicant. He said the bank has a business relationship with the applicant and in his experience his work is of high quality. Joe Phelps spoke. He asked if there was anyway to guarantee the sales price of houses and Hauth confirmed it was very difficult if not impossible. He spoke against clearing the lot, noting that Magnolia Place is not an example to be proud of. He added that there should be a difference between out of town developers and life long residents in what each is allowed to do. Robin Langford said she has lived in two of the houses impacted by the runoff. She said there is a clear problem created by the water. She added her support for affordable housing; she noted her concern is due to the stormwater, not the price of housing. Rebecca Stephens spoke. She said she supported the comments already offered by her neighbors. David Band spoke. He said his concerns are two -fold. He agreed with the discussion of stormwater, noting there is an existing swale. He added the concern for light and noise the development could cause. He noted that 19 or 20 houses could be built. He suggested a 50 foot buffer as going a long way to address both concerns. He said the neighborhood is being asked for approval without knowing much in advance. Jo Soulier, Property Manager for the Homeowners Association spoke. She said every time a new phase has opened in Cornwallis Hills, new roads are impacted with stormwater. She suggested that the last two lots be left as a playground area. That would help with run-off and provide an amenity. JPH 10/23/01, page 3 Mark Sheridan complimented the hearing participants for their reasonableness and courtesy with one another. He said he would like to see additional engineering information about the run-off, the preservation of mature trees, and a buffer before proceeding with annexation. Brian Lowen agreed with Sheridan. Ken Chavious asked if the parties could suggest some guidance on buffer width, in terms of what is acceptable. He added that 30 and 50 have been discussed. Knight said he would accept a number that still allows 16 lots and that he thinks 50 feet is reasonable. Gayane Chambless asked to add her concern for stormwater in the neighborhood. She noted a small child nearly drown in one of the drainageways last year. Gill closed the public hearing and returned the gavel to Mayor Johnson. Mayor Johnson adjourned the meeting at 8:35 PM. Respectfully submitted,