HomeMy Public PortalAboutJune 3rd Agenda & MinutesAGENDA
PLANNING BOARD
Tuesday, June 3, 2003
7:00 PM, Town Barn
ITEM #1: Consideration of additions to agenda and comments from the Chair.
ITEM #2: Committee reports
ITEM #3: Approval of meeting minutes
ITEM #4: Interview candidates for ETJ vacancy.
ITEM #5: Major subdivision application for Kenion Grove — 62 lot subdivision on 19.78
acres with access to Revere Road.
ITEM #6: Continued discussion with Keith Brown about the development potential for the
Collins property.
ITEM #7: Review of ordinances regulating manufacturing operations involving petroleum
products and discussion of process for amending the zoning ordinance. The
Town Attorney will be present to discuss his research.
ITEM #8: Direction to staff to prepare "housekeeping" amendments to the zoning ordinance
for consideration in July.
ITEM #9: Adjourn
Please call the Planning Department if you cannot attend.
732-1270 extension 73 (this line is connected to voice mail)
101 East Orange Street • P.O. Box 429 • Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278
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MINUTES
PLANNING BOARD
June 3, 2003
PRESENT: David Daniel (Chair), Jim Boericke, Joel Brinkley, Cathy Carroll, Kelly Hopper, Cannie
Lloyd, Paul Newton, Bryant Warren
PUBLIC: Tony Whitaker, Vic Knight, Barrie Wallace, Keith Brown, Rachel Hawkins, Joe Phelps, Bob
Hornik, Margaret Hauth
Daniel called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
ITEM #2: Lloyd reported that the Board of Adjustment approved site plans for Sinclair Station, an
addition at Sport Endeavors, and flex space in Cornerstone Park. Warren encouraged
members to attend Walkable Hillsborough Day and said the park board continues its work on
park projects.
ITEM #3: Carroll asked that the minutes reflect her opposition to connecting roads in Corbinton due to
the impact to the existing neighbors. Brinkley asked that "routes" be changed to "rights-of-
way" for his comment.
MOTION: Warren moved to approve the minutes corrected. Boericke seconded.
VOTE: Unanimous.
ITEM #4: Hauth introduced Barrie Wallace, applicant for the ETJ vacancy on the Planning Board. Hauth
offered the members some background on why they were interviewing another applicant when
they had recommended a volunteer already. The members expressed unease about considering
a second applicant. Newton and Warren both voiced support for the previous practice of
recommending the longer-term resident and encouraging the other applicant to re -apply.
Hauth noted they were not obligated to change their recommendation, just interview the
candidate so the Town aboard could also interview and consider her application. Wallace
came forward, noted she had no wish to turn the process into a competition and described her
interest and relevant training. Warren asked her opinion of growth. Wallace said it is
unavoidable, but the town has the opportunity to decide what it wants. She indicated support
for increasing the tax base while protecting the town's special qualities. Brinkley asked
Wallace her biggest concern about Hillsborough. She said her concern is to maintain the
special features — small town feel, walkability of downtown, green space, and the diversity in
housing stock and population.
MOTION: Warren moved to recommend Hawkins appointment and to encourage Wallace to apply for the
next vacancy. Newton seconded.
VOTE: Unanimous.
ITEM #5: Hauth introduced the Major Subdivision, Kenion Grove. She noted that since the applicants
were seeking development under the current zoning, no public hearing would be held on the
project. Because of that, Hauth said she invited the local papers to attend the meeting so
neighbors might hear about the project before votes were taken. She noted that the open space
was not correctly calculated and more was needed to meet the ordinance requirement.
Whitaker said that this is a unique property that is predominately flat with mature trees. He
noted they are proposing an alternative to sidewalks on both sides of the internal streets by
using a walkway behind those lots in open space to provide a mixture of walk experiences. He
said that only two lots would not have direct access to either a sidewalk or the path. He added
the intent of the perimeter open space is to wrap the development with a protective buffer that
won't allow for tree removal.
PB
6/3/03, page 2
Carroll asked how much of the current plan is open space and Whitaker said about 25%.
Knight said there is a confusing term in the ordinance that lead to the miscalculation of open
space. He said his vision for the project is to be different than a standard subdivision where all
the trees are removed and that is the reason for the perimeter open space which will be owned
by the home owner's association. Whitaker said that providing sidewalks along Revere and
US 70 Bypass was not practical at this time since there was nothing to connect to. He said the
applicant would be willing to provide funds for the town to build the sidewalk at a later date.
Warren said it's the piece -meal installation of sidewalks that helps the town become more
walkable. He also said he would rather see the sidewalks on both sides of the streets because
the backyard path proposed may not be acceptable to homeowners. Knight noted that the
backyard paths are actually safer, because the adjacent neighbors self -police them. Newton
said he agreed with Warren. He added the following comments also: widen the streets to
allow for on -street parking since the lots likely will not accommodate garages, use curb and
gutter rather than swales, provide a community place for neighbors to congregate, and provide
another street access point. Newton asked whether the development would be for affordable
housing, possibly using the land trust model or a standard development. Knight said he
expects the market forces to set the house prices in the low to mid -$200,000, he does intend to
place the development in the land trust, and he expects garages. Carroll asked what size house
he expected to build and Knight said the market would likely demand 1650 to 1700 minimum
square footage.
Warren asked about a second street connection. He asked how a second access would be
unsafe. Whitaker said Old Cedar Grove Road was not built to the standards necessary to
accept any more traffic. He said they looked closely at a connection to US 70 Bypass also. He
said there is no functional reason for 60 lots to have a second access point. He said that the
property is not wide enough to allow a proper alignment with Rainey Avenue. He added that
it would be safer to route the traffic to signalized intersections. He said the intent of the
applicant was to create a neighborhood, not a collection of houses on a collector road. Warren
said a connection to US 70 would provide better access for this neighborhood to active sports
facility in Northern Fairview. He added that US 70 is better equipped to handle additional
traffic. Knight said a connection to US 70 would route too much through traffic into the
neighborhood and destroy the neighborhood feel. Brinkley said the board needs to take
broader view of town rather than the micro view of the applicant. Lloyd expressed concern
about US 70 Bypass access, due to existing traffic volume. Hopper said that its about choices,
having more than one access point allows the driver to decide which route to take depending
on where they want to go and the traffic flows. Daniel suggested removing the backyard
walkway and creating a community park area. He said Hillsborough has a walkable,
interconnected character and this project should take advantage of that. He asked whether the
applicant considered mixed use, to take advantage of the commercial character of US 70.
Knight said they preferred to propose a project under the current zoning. Warren suggested
that lots 22 and 23 be reserved for future right of way. The applicants agreed to bring a
revised plan at the next meeting.
ITEM #6: Keith Brown recapped the members' comments from the previous meeting. The members
discussed nearby examples of true mixed-use development, like Meadowmont. Hopper noted
that, in her experience, that development is truly walkable. Newton asked if that's what the
town wants. The members agreed that a directed forum or charette open to the public and
PB
6/3/2003, page 3
publicized might yield a desirable result. Newton suggested Brown contact Cara Crisler,
Executive Director of the NC Smart Growth Alliance for guidance/assistance. Hauth noted
that current staff would be sufficient or qualified to operate a charette. Brown said he was
willing to bring someone in to run the event, if the town assisted with sponsoring, attending,
and advertising. Everyone agreed that proposal should be workable. Warren asked the fate of
the existing ball fields on the site. Brown said he is trying hard not to make decisions yet
about use locations on the property. Lloyd added that Blowing Rock might provide a good
example of a mixture of uses for the site.
ITEM #7: Daniel asked the members to discuss their preferences for addressing asphalt plants. Hauth
reported that a few North Carolina examples are included in the packet. Hornik said those
examples are common for the ordinances that address the issue in that the use is usually
conditional or special and requires a number of standards to be met. Brinkley said he thought
the scope of the amendment should be broadened to encompass other polluting industries.
Boericke noted that there are concerns both with the standards and the process. Newton asked
whether there was an interest to simply prohibit the use in town. He noted it would be
efficient and represent the will of the population. He also noted that a prohibition more
accurately reflected the town's desire rather than creating standards that could not be met.
Members expressed concern proceeding under that route unless the scope of uses prohibited
was broader. Hauth said that some county staff had suggested that the county look for a place
or places in the county where a plant might be more appropriate. Homik echoed the concern
of a narrowly focused prohibition. The members agreed to consider Newton's suggestion and
other alternatives. Hauth said she would discuss the possibility of permitting plants in the
County's jurisdiction with their staff.
ITEM #8: Daniel asked members to list any minor adjustments to the Zoning Ordinance so Hauth could
prepare text amendments for discussion in July. The following items were mentioned:
sidewalk width, sidewalks to and through parking lots, using drive lanes in parking lots as
roads, and the confusion noted about the open space calculation.
Daniel adjourned the meeting at 9:20 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
AAltragdar—et �AHa�uth, Secretary