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HomeMy Public PortalAboutApril 15th Joint Public HearingAGENDA JOINT PUBLIC HEARING HILLSBOROUGH TOWN BOARD and PLANNING BOARD Tuesday, April 15, 2003 7:00 PM, Town Barn ITEM #1: Call public hearing to order. ITEM #2: Rezoning/Special Use Permit request for Corbinton Commons. The EYC Company is requesting 40.13 acres be rezoned from R-20 to Mixed Residential Special Use to develop a retirement community containing 40 assisted living beds, 102 apartments, and 75 single family and duplex units (both attached and detached) with access to US 70 Bypass near Gwenn Road. The parcels are on the south side of US 70 Bypass and are known as TMBL 4.37.A.3c & 3d. (speakers on this item must be sworn in) ITEM #3: Close public hearing and adjourn. 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 4IQ- 7.?9. 1 97/1 . T'..,- 0 1 q_RnA 9?0/1 MINUTES JOINT PUBLIC HEARING April 15, 2003 PRESENT: Mayor Joe Phelps, Ken Chavious, Frances Dancy, Mike Gering, Evelyn Lloyd, Mark Sheridan, David Daniel (PB Chair), Jim Boericke, Joel Brinkley, Cathy Carroll, Kelly Hopper, Paul Newton, Chris Quinn, Bryant Warren PUBLIC: Ellis & Natalie Coleman, Kevin Hamak, Karen Moriarty, Mirah McPherson, Jack Chestnut, Vincent Carrasco, Bill Crowther, Craufurd Goodwin, Tate McKee, Sam Coleman, Aaron Mayer, Andrew Jenkins STAFF: Eric Peterson, Demetric Potts, and Margaret Hauth ITEM #1: Mayor Phelps called the hearing to order and passed the gavel to Planning Board Chair Daniel. Daniel welcomed everyone and briefly described the hearing process and reminded speakers they would have to be sworn in. ITEM 92: Daniel swore in Hauth. She said the packets included the revised plan and the applicants had additional information to present. She noted that the application was still subject to a protest petition and that the review was two part- rezoning, plus special use permit. Daniel swore in Ellis Coleman, applicant. He distributed revised booklets detailing the operation of the center and the control mechanism to ensure it meets the age restriction. He summarized the changes to the plans, including the reduction of units. He said that page 13 of the booklet showed the traffic study results, comparing this development with a regular subdivision under the existing R-20 zoning. Sheridan asked who prepared the traffic study and Coleman said the John R. McAdams Company. Coleman said the booklet includes the budget for the homeowners association. He noted the changes in lot size, so the largest lots and homes are on the perimeter and noted that most homes will be built on the natural grade. Coleman said the 16 townhomes have a Charleston style design. He said the congregate building (apartments) has elevators and the roof height has been lowered to blend better. He noted that the second congregate building is for less independent individuals and contains a dining room and meal service. Coleman said the assisted living building is one story. He provided some base information about property values, noting they were interested in being annexed and the site would carry a value of about $22 million when completed. Coleman said he was offering $110,000 to the town to offset the initial loss of out of town utility customers if annexed and $15,000 toward sidewalks and street lighting to connect to the site. Coleman said he met with the manager on annexation and Peterson had indicated the site would provide a financial benefit to the town. He said the design firm was chosen for their experience, as was the assisted living provider. He said they introduced about 5 firms and based on reputation, license, and financial stability, picked Carillon to be the on-site provider. Daniel swore in Moriarty. Karen Moriarty spoke as the founder and CEO of Carillon, the assisted living provider. She showed photos of existing buildings in other towns. She said the company has an activity focus for the residents and has about 6 activities scheduled each day for residents to choose from. She said the facility is licensed by the State of North Carolina, which requires monthly inspections by both Orange County Department of Social Services and North Carolina Department of Facility Services. Moriarty said because they are licensed, they could accept Medicaid patients and routinely Medicaid recipients occupy 30% to 40% of the beds. She said Carillon is not a CCRC and that not being one allows flexibility to residents. She said Carillon is a JPH 4/15/2003, page 2 fee for service operation. She said the Town could expect that there will be designated employees to help residents get the services they need, they provide concierge services, wellness programs, some healthcare, and will provide short-term rehabilitation space for development residents. Chavious asked if any of the residents drive. Moriarty said no, not once they have moved to assisted living. Warren asked why the facility size had been reduced. Moriarty said 18 rooms were reserved as expansion space and depending on roommate situations, their census would change. Coleman asked to correct an earlier statement. He said he incorrectly indicated the Town Manager said annexing the project would be good for the town when the manager did not give an indication one way or the other as to potential financial impacts of annexation. Daniel swore in Jenkins. Andrew Jenkins from Karnes Research described the survey information they collected for the applicant. He said they placed ads in local newspapers to interview folks and find out what people who were preparing to retire were looking for in terms of types, locations, and services with housing. Daniel asked whether the 26 reported responses were specific to Orange County and Jenkins said they were Triangle residents. Daniel swore in Mirah McPherson. She said the project sounds good, but is it good for Hillsborough. She said the town needs improvements to its infrastructure and this project doesn't seem to offer many. She asked what is this project going to give us? She asked whether they would work with existing service providers. She noted that 26 people area very small sample for a survey. Daniel swore in Jack Chestnut. He said the proj ect needs to reach a wide economic range. He said that he was glad to see Carillon as the committed assisted living operator. He said the project does not meet the lowest income levels. He suggested that the town require a generator for the community building and the assisted living for use during emergencies. Daniel swore in Dr. Vincent Carrasco. He said he is a local physician. He said his personal experience with a CCRC was disappointing. He said from a professional standpoint, he has reviewed the medical model Corbinton plans to follow and it promotes residents staying in their homes. He said he supports the project. Daniel swore in Bill Crowther. He said the project has come a long way from the initial proposal, but not far enough. He noted his continued concern about the natural areas and sensitive drainage corridor across the property. He noted that the density allowed should be no more than double that allowed under R-20. Crowther asked what number of members constituted a quorum of the Planning Board. Daniel said that 5 members are sufficient because a current vacancy leaves the board with nine members. Daniel swore in Craufurd Goodwin. He said his concern is for the greater impact to the town and neighborhood than personal impact to his property. He cited the examples of Carol Woods and the Forest at Duke as desirable retirement centers. He added that they are higher cost developments, but they followed the right process. He added that Corbinton looks like a housing development. JPH 4/15/2003, page 3 He said that Hillsborough needs a retirement center, but not this one. He asked the members to consider the impacts if the development does not succeed. Daniel swore in Tate McKee. He said the plans have been modified to address the concerns noted previously. He said he is the current property owner and supports the project. He said the project would benefit the town. Daniel swore in Aaron Mayer. He reminded the board of his testimony at the last hearing and the petition of support he submitted at that hearing. Warren asked Chestnut whether the Advisory Council has been approached by either development. Chestnut said no, but the Council would welcome a discussion. Warren noted his concern that everyone may be over estimating the number of current Hillsborough residents that may move into a retirement center. Gering asked Moriarty about her timeline. She said they have an exemption from the CON process. In order to keep the approval for beds, the financing for the project must be secured by June 30, 2005 and the footings must be poured on the structure by December 31, 2005. She said they would be the owner and operator of the assisted living center. They will sit on the Corbinton board and advise. She said Carillon currently has 6 sites and she encouraged the members to drop by unannounced at any site. She said the need for licensed assisted living facilities exists. Gering asked if Moriarty is a non-profit enterprise; she said Carillon is a for profit company and pays property tax. She noted that in other communities they generally pay between $40,000 and $45,000 annually in taxes and utilities. Gering asked if she provided Alzheimer's care and Moriarty said 12 beds would be reserved for Alzheimer's care. Mayor Phelps asked Coleman how the age requirement is enforced. Coleman said the restriction would be in the Homeowners Association regulations. Additionally, HUD requires annual reporting on their compliance and requires that all advertising materials indicate the age restriction to 55 +. Coleman added that the town could also monitor their compliance. He added that he has met with Jerry Passmore and is willing to coordinate with his department. Mayor Phelps asked whether the housing would match what is shown in the rendering and Coleman said it would. He asked whether there is a difference in the quality of the attached and detached units and Coleman said there was not, the price difference is from construction cost differences. Sheridan asked about off-site traffic improvements. Daniel swore in Kevin Hamak. He said they would be adding right and left turn lanes at both driveways. Daniel asked about the congregate building and whether the rooms would come off an interior corridor. Coleman said all of the rooms come off an interior corridor; there are no outside entrances to the assisted living units. Gering asked about visitor parking throughout the development. Hamak said visitors are included in the parking requirement for the assisted living center. The plan shows 1.5 to 1.75 spaces per unit, providing 48 spaces for the assisted living center. In the single-family portion, parking will JPH 4/15/2003, page 4 be on the street. Gering asked whether the streets were wide enough to allow on -street parking. Hamak said the plans meet the NCDOT standard for pavement widths of 27-28', which is adequate for neighborhood traffic. Moriarty noted that her staff changes are off-peak, changing at 7 AM. Chair Daniel closed the public hearing and returned the gavel to Mayor Phelps. Mayor Phelps adjourned the meeting at 9:05 PM. Respectfully submitted, Margaret A. Hauth, Secretary