T own of C hapel H ill Future Land Use Map Update to Chapel Hill 2020 (Phase 1) A dopted D ecember 9, 2020
Charting Our Future CHAPEL HILL A Land Use Initiative
C harting O ur F uture A Land Use Initiative C ontents
Executive Summary..................................................................................................................... iii 1 | Introduction............................................................................................................................. 1 What is Charting Our Future?................................................................................ 1 Explanation of the Future Land Use Map & Its Components............................... 2 2 | Guiding Statements. ............................................................................................................... 7 3 | Future Land Use Map. ............................................................................................................ 17 Introduction.. .......................................................................................................... 17 Land Use Categories.............................................................................................. 18 Future Land Use Map (2050).................................................................................. 24 4 | Focus Areas............................................................................................................................. 25 Introduction.. .......................................................................................................... 25 Character Types.. ................................................................................................... 27 Universal Principles................................................................................................ 36 North Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard................................................................. 37 South Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard............................................................... 41 North 15-501........................................................................................................... 45 Downtown............................................................................................................... 49 NC 54 Corridor........................................................................................................ 53 South Columbia Gateway....................................................................................... 57 5 | Map Book................................................................................................................................ 61 6 | Conclusion............................................................................................................................... 71
Page intentionally left blank
i
ii
Town of Chapel Hill |
| December 2020
C harting O ur F uture A Land Use Initiative E xecutive S ummary Charting Our Future – Phase I – Update to Chapel Hill 2020
Plan Update Process This update to Chapel Hill 2020 is the result of a multi-phased planning process that engaged residents, business and property owners, local officials, Town staff, and many other community stakeholders. Public engagement included approximately 84 in-person opportunities as well as two separate, online engagement efforts, which had 1,600 unique, digital participants. The scope of this update expanded due to community engagement and included the following phases:
In April of 2017, the Town Council of the Town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina initiated an update to Chapel Hill 2020 , which is the Town’s Comprehensive Plan that was adopted in 2012. Council focused this update on six areas of Town, called Focus Areas, originally identified in Chapel Hill 2020 and refined during this update process. This update serves as the foundation for rewriting the Town’s land development regulations, which will be the next phase of the Charting Our Future Project. As this update was approaching adoption, the nation was struck by COVID-19, which dramatically altered community members’ everyday lives and how they experienced their Town. As a result, serious considerations were given to both the validity of this update and postponing adoption. After careful deliberation, continuing on the path to adoption made sense largely because this update embodies the priorities and flexibility necessary to: Effectively manage any long-term societal changes from COVID-19 that may impact future housing, office, and retail development; Create and/or redesign development review processes that can nimbly respond to future shocks, such as the one we are currently experiencing with COVID-19; Incorporate multi-modal transportation options into future development that both serve to provide an alternative to vehicle dependency and create outdoor recreational opportunities; and, Stress the importance of the public realm to both add life to our Town streets and as a refuge during times of crisis. While it is too soon to truly know how COVID-19 will impact the Town and our Town’s residents in the long term, the flexibility built into this update will serve the Town well as we move into what we all hope will be a post- COVID-19 world. About this Plan Update
Phase 1: Project Initiation. Consisted of coordination meetings with Town staff as well as key stakeholders to scope the update and develop update goals as well as early opportunities for coordination with the Town Council and the Planning Commission. Phase 2: Scenario Testing. Included a launch event to publicize and raise awareness about the Charting Our Future project, a multi-day community engagement event and other drop- in opportunities designed to solicit community concerns and desires for future development. Following these engagement events and an existing conditions analysis, scenarios were developed and tested through an online engagement survey designed to hone the community’s vision for the future of these Focus Areas. Phase 3: Draft Map. Consisted of
1 2
several iterations of draft maps for each Focus Area which community members evaluated at community meetings and numerous drop-in events held all over Town. During this phase, community input resulted in the development of the Guiding Statements and the Map Book. Phase 4. Adoption. Included the development of a final set of Focus Area Maps and refinement of other update components for community review, which included a digital community workshop, a virtual public meeting, and robust submissions of feedback utilizing electronic communications. This phase concluded with a recommendation for adoption from the Planning Commission and subsequent adoption by the Town Council.
3
4
This update and Chapel Hill 2020 outline strategies and goals for future land use and development and will serve as the foundation for decision-making so that the Town’s land use tools are predictable, functional, and intentional. This update and Chapel Hill 2020 , as amended, comprise the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. The individual Focus Area Maps and the Future Land Use Map 2050 in this update replace the Land Use Plan in Chapel Hill 2020 .
The Town’s Comprehensive Plan expresses the vision of Chapel Hill’s future and serves as a road map that guides future decisions about how the Town should evolve over time.
iii
iv
Town of Chapel Hill |
| December 2020
C harting O ur F uture A Land Use Initiative
Elements of this Plan Update This update to Chapel Hill 2020 includes Guiding Statements, a Future Land Use Map (FLUM) for those areas of Town outside of the Focus Areas, individual Focus Area Maps & Principles, and a Map Book that all serve to expand upon the themes and goals found in Chapel Hill 2020 . While the elements of this update are introduced below, greater detail is provided in the complete document. Guiding Statements These statements form the policy foundation for both this update and the future overhaul of the Town’s land development regulations. 1. Demonstrate the Town’s commitment to effectively respond to the threats associated with climate change as well as environmental stewardship and resiliency. 2. Ensure equitable planning and development. 3. Encourage a diversity of housing types. 4. Promote distinctive, safe, and attractive neighborhoods. 5. Cultivate a vibrant and inclusive community. 6. Direct investment along key transportation corridors and promote construction of transit and multimodal transportation options in concert with the Town’s regional transportation partners. 7. Support and facilitate economic development, including the development of varied types of retail and office spaces; job creation; innovation; and entrepreneurship, through redevelopment and infill development, in order to expand and diversify the Town’s tax base to enable the Town’s fiscal resiliency. 8. Provide appropriate transitions between land uses and buildings of different scales. 9. Preserve and maintain Chapel Hill’s appearance and create the quality of design and development the Town desires. 10. Cooperate and collaborate with all of the Town’s regional partners especially the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health. Future Land Use Map (2050) This overall map depicts the desired land use for all parcels in Town outside of the Focus Areas. Each parcel is labeled with a land use that indicates its desired future land use. The desired future land uses include residential, commercial/office, mixed-use, university, and parks/open spaces. In most cases, land use designations shown on the Future Land Use Map (2050) are similar to those shown on the Land Use Plan in Chapel Hill 2020 .
Focus Area Maps and Principles The Focus Areas reflect six areas of opportunity and represent the portions of Chapel Hill most likely to change in the future due to the existence of vacant land; underdeveloped sites; and their locations along transportation and transit corridors. Each Focus Area is mapped separately and includes a vision for the area, a matrix of the preferred and discouraged land uses (described as Character Types) and desirable building heights, a broad description of the desired, future form of development, and a set of Focus Area Principles tailored to the unique circumstances of the area. The Focus Areas are:
North Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard South Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard
North 15-501 Corridor
Downtown
NC 54 Corridor
South Columbia Gateway Each Focus Area is broken down into Sub-Areas with the primary, secondary, and discouraged Character Types for each Sub-Area provided in a Character Types and Height matrix. Map Book This update includes a series of maps that reflect some of the Town’s concerns regarding flooding and extreme heat. These maps will provide guidance as land use decisions are made, development applications are evaluated, and the Land Use Management Ordinance is rewritten.
Acknowledgements Many Town staff members, board and commission members, and community stakeholders worked to complete this update. However, special acknowledgement goes to current and former Town Council members who worked tirelessly over 2.5 years to Chart Chapel Hill’s Future. Current Town Council: Former Town Council Members:
Pam Hemminger, Mayor
Donna Bell
Michael Parker, Mayor Pro Tem
George Cianciolo
Jessica Anderson
Sally Greene Ed Harrison
Allen Buansi Hongbin Gu Tai Huynh Amy Ryan
Maria T. Palmer Nancy E. Oates
Karen Stegman
v
vi
Town of Chapel Hill |
| December 2020
C harting O ur F uture A Land Use Initiative
1 | I ntroduction
population, aging housing stock, a global pandemic, continued growth of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), and technology changes. Because it is anticipated that change will continue to be a constant in Chapel Hill’s future, reviewing and potentially updating this FLUM and Chapel Hill 2020 may be necessary periodically. Explanation of the Future Land Use Map & Its Components Future Land Use Map Considerations Purpose The Town’s FLUM is a tool to generally and flexibly direct future growth, implement the community vision, and create a sense of place and community for those who live, work, and visit Chapel Hill. The FLUM provides strategies and approaches for land use and development in Chapel Hill and will serve as a foundation for decision-making for elected and appointed officials as well as a guide for all community members be they businesses, property owners, developers or other concerned stakeholders to better understand the community’s vision for Chapel Hill’s future. The following considerations provide context for the Chapel Hill FLUM. Relationship to the Comprehensive Plan Chapel Hill 2020 is the community’s comprehensive plan that sets a vision and a path for Chapel Hill’s future. On June 25, 2012, the Town Council unanimously adopted the Chapel Hill 2020 comprehensive plan. The Chapel Hill 2020 comprehensive plan reflects the values, aspirations, and ideas of the community. The participants in the Chapel Hill 2020 process envisioned a town that is accessible, affordable, and sustainable; asserted the importance of protecting the community’s natural resources; and emphasized the importance of a vibrant downtown and active neighborhoods. Typically, FLUMs are components of comprehensive plans, and Chapel Hill 2020 includes a Land Use Plan. This revised FLUM replaces the Land Use Plan and will help to implement the vision of Chapel Hill 2020, including all subsequent amendments. Relationship to the Land Use Management Ordinance and Zoning Atlas The Future Land Use Map depicts a snapshot into the future of the Town’s preferred future mix of land uses. In other words, the Future Land Use Map will generally guide the Town as to where shopping, houses, apartments, townhomes, offices, and parks should be located to the year 2050. The Zoning Atlas is a regulatory map showing what the Town has already decided to allow today. The Zoning Atlas implements the Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO). The FLUM and the Zoning Atlas are like a leader and a follower. The FLUM is the leading document that recommends and advises, while the Zoning Atlas is the follower map that authorizes and entitles. The Focus Area Maps and Principles in Section 4 portray a vision for the Town in the year 2050. In many instances, changes to the Town’s development ordinances, standards, policies, and regulations as well as construction of additional facilities and infrastructure may be required to implement this vision. Given the future- oriented nature of the Focus Area Maps and Principles, such changes may not happen in the near term. Instead, this Future Land Use Map will provide guidance only and help to clarify expectations for future development. As the Town works to update its land use tools, such as the Land Use Management Ordinance, near term priorities that implement this FLUM may be specified. However, the Focus Area Maps and Principles are not intended to depict that the Town is ready, in every instance, to approve applications and/or change existing zoning to support the vision depicted in the FLUM. Instead, individual development applications will be evaluated based on applicable development regulations, context, and circumstances with the understanding that the Town is looking for creative solutions to move toward 2050. The FLUM provides general guidance on how land can be
What is Charting Our Future? Charting Our Future is a two-phased project designed to chart the next course for the Town of Chapel Hill to the year 2050 and to make the Town’s Land Use Tools more predictable, functional, and intentional. The first phase, revising the Future Land Use Map (FLUM) and amending Chapel Hill 2020 , focuses on the Town’s key gateways, corridors, and activity nodes. The future land use for most of the Town, including much of the Town’s single-family neighborhoods, remains unchanged. The second phase of the Project is rewriting the Town’s Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO), which is the Town’s “rule book” that specifies where uses, be they commercial; residential; mixed-use; open space etc., are allowed in Town. The LUMO also regulates where a building may be placed on a lot, the height of buildings, and a myriad of other details. Making the LUMO more predictable, functional, and intentional is one of the primary reasons the Town Council decided to Chart Chapel Hill’s Future. Charting Our Future by Looking to the Past As part of the first phase of the Charting Our Future Project, Town staff and consultants undertook a thorough review of previous planning efforts. A common theme in these plans is the community’s understanding that the physical environment of Chapel Hill—its neighborhoods, streets, utilities, and natural resources—deeply affect how people experience life in their Town. These past planning efforts include the creation of the Rural Buffer and the Urban Services Boundary. These forward-thinking efforts sought to limit the Town’s ability to sprawl and to maintain the semi-rural landscape that surrounded the Town at the time. Thirty years later, maintaining these sprawl control efforts, which help to create a more sustainable and climate resilient future for the Town, translates into an opportunity for the Town to mature within its existing boundaries thereby taking advantage of existing infrastructure, transit investments, the benefits of being the home of UNC-Chapel Hill, and the cultural enrichment that accompanies diverse communities living in close proximity to each other. Why does Chapel Hill need to Chart Its Future? In 2012, the Town adopted its current Comprehensive Plan entitled “ Chapel Hill 2020 .” Chapel Hill 2020 established this Vision for the Town: “Chapel Hill will be a multicultural university town where each day celebrates connections and choice; where a dynamic downtown and networked community inspire connections among people, ideas, the region, and the world; where innovation, technology, discovery, learning, and the arts continually animate a town alive with choices, options, and opportunities to live, work, play, and prosper.” This Vision and Chapel Hill 2020 continue to guide the Town. Nonetheless, the Town has changed since 2012 and responding to forces of change, many outside the control of the Town, make it necessary to amend Chapel Hill 2020 to include this Future Land Use Map and all of its components. These forces include climate change, population growth in both Chapel Hill and the Triangle Region, increasing urbanization, an aging population, the increasing cost of living and housing which may decrease socioeconomic diversity, an increasingly diverse
1
2
Town of Chapel Hill |
| December 2020
C harting O ur F uture A Land Use Initiative
Land Use Categories For most areas of Town, the FLUM reflects a broad range of land uses, including residential; commercial; mixed use; industrial; and open space. These uses are depicted as a set of Land Use Categories. The Land Use Categories are adapted from the Chapel Hill 2020 Land Use Plan. Theses Land Use Categories are as follows:
used within the Town, but it is the Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO) and the Zoning Atlas that legally establishes those permitted land uses and regulations for development. Future Land Use Map Components Guiding Statements The Guiding Statements provide broad direction for the future of Chapel Hill as a whole and provide guidance for both the revisions to the Future Land Use Map as well as the Land Use Management Ordinance Rewrite. Future Land Use Map (FLUM) The FLUM is organized into two interconnected components: 1. An overall map, the Future Land Use Map (2050), that includes Land Use Categories for most areas of Town; and, 2. Individual Focus Area Maps for designated Focus Areas with accompanying Focus Area Principles. (Please see below for more information on the Land Use Categories, Focus Areas, and Focus Area Principles.) Map Book The FLUM is supported by a series of maps that reflect some of the Town’s concerns that may influence land use decisions and regulations in the LUMO. The Town Council adopted some of these maps as components of other long range planning efforts. Others were created as part of the FLUM refinement effort to provide additional insight and guidance as land use decisions are considered and as the LUMO is rewritten. Maps included as part of the Book are as follows: Resiliency Assessments and supporting maps for Extreme Heat and Flooding Existing Habitat & Potential Connections Map Long Term Network Facilities Map (Chapel Hill Mobility & Connectivity Plan adopted 2017and amended in 2020)
Land Use Categories
Residential
Non-Residential
Mixed-Use
Rural Residential, 1 unit/5 acres Rural Residential, 1 unit/acre Very Low Residential, 1 unit/acre Low Residential, generally 1 to 4 units/acre Medium Residential, generally 4 to 8 units/acre High Residential, generally 8 to 15+ units/acre
Commercial/Office
Mixed Use
Institutional University
Village Center
Traditional University Supportive Uses
Parks/Open Space
Focus Areas The Focus Areas reflect six areas of opportunity selected based on areas identified in Chapel Hill 2020 . These areas needed more detailed recommendations and guidance in order to properly plan for the year 2050. The Focus Areas represent the portions of Chapel Hill most likely to change in the future due to the existence of vacant land; underdeveloped sites; and their locations along transportation and transit corridors. Each Focus Area is mapped separately and includes a vision for the area, a matrix of the preferred and discouraged land uses (described as Character Types) and desirable building heights, a description of the desired form of development, and a set of Focus Area Principles tailored to the unique circumstances of the area. To give additional guidance about the desired character of each Focus Area, images are provided to reflect preferred design concepts. The Focus Areas are:
North Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard South Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard
North 15-501 Corridor
Downtown
NC 54 Corridor
South Columbia Gateway Each Focus Area is broken down into Sub-Areas, and the primary, secondary, and discouraged Character Types for each Sub-Area are provided in a Character Types and Height matrix. The heights listed in this matrix are for guidance only and are not meant as an absolute prohibition against buildings of greater height. In particular, the Typical, Activated Street Frontage and Transitional Area Heights are contextual. Meaning that while the listed heights provide high level guidance on the height that may be appropriate in each sub-area, the surrounding built and natural environment as well as the Town’s vision for the future must be taken into consideration when designing individual buildings and sites.
3
4
Town of Chapel Hill |
| December 2020
C harting O ur F uture A Land Use Initiative
Focus Area Map
Character Types For the Focus Areas only, the Future Lane Use Map (FLUM) makes use of “character types” that broadly describe the shape, character, intensity, and form of future development intended for each Focus Area. The character types do not apply in locations outside of these Focus Areas. The Land Use Categories, discussed above, delineate the future land uses for the other areas of Town.
Character Types
¨§¦ 40
Residential
Non-Residential
Mixed-Use
Multi-family Residential Townhomes & Residences
Commercial/Office Light Industrial Parks & Green/Gathering Spaces Institutional/Civic
Multi-family, Shops, and Offices
Future Land Use Map Interpretation The Future Land Use Map, including both the town-wide map and the individual maps for each Focus Area, the Land Use Categories, and the Character Types were developed to provide guidance for specific areas throughout the Town. Special care was taken to ensure that the FLUM is generally accurate in interpreting the vision for the Town. However, the Future Land Use Map is not intended to provide site level guidance with precision. For sites located on the boundaries between Land Use Categories on the Future Lane Use Map (2050) or Sub-Areas on the Focus Area Maps, the mapped edges are not intended to be interpreted as a rigid boundary but should be interpreted in light of Chapel Hill 2020 , Town policies relevant to the site, and the particular site circumstances. Map Amendments The Future Land Use Map was constructed to provide flexibility and to reduce the need for FLUM amendments. However, there may be instances in the future that will require amendments to the FLUM. Such FLUM amendments should take place only in situations when the proposed amendment is: 1. Consistent with the goals and policies in the Chapel Hill 2020 comprehensive plan; and, 2. Addressing significantly changed circumstances since the Future Land Use Map-Update to Chapel Hill 2020 was adopted and/or amended.
H
e s D r
R
WWeaver St
¨§¦ 40
Focus Areas
a
North MLK South MLK 15-501 North D wntown NC-54 South Columbia Gateway Corporate_Limits
Urban Service Area Jurisdictional Limits
[
0
0.75
1.5
Miles
5
6
Town of Chapel Hill |
| December 2020
C harting O ur F uture A Land Use Initiative
2 | Guiding Statements
Chapel Hill 2020 including all of its amendments, these Guiding Statements, and the revised Future Land Use Map and all of its components constitute a long-range land use and public infrastructure plan to guide future growth, to identify areas and resources to be preserved, and to shape the Town’s physical development. This guidance is necessary as land use decisions, proposed developments, and capital improvements are considered. (A land use decision is one that has a substantial impact on present or future land uses, such as zoning decisions.) The Guiding Statements include a wide variety of topics, but they are all for the purpose of informing and guiding decision making. When applying these Guiding Statements to particular situations, such as specific development proposals, some of these Guiding Statements may compete or conflict. While the goal is to be consistent with every Guiding Statement to the extent possible, each proposal must attempt to satisfy these Guiding Statements on balance to achieve the overall intent given the context and constraint specific to that proposal. This approach recognizes that there are tradeoffs and compromises, and allows flexibility while still guiding land use and capital decisions. These Guiding Statements provide an anchor or reference point to consider when making tradeoffs and compromises. The Guiding Statements are as follows: 1. Demonstrate the Town’s commitment to effectively respond to the threats associated with climate change as well as environmental stewardship and resiliency. The Town should emphasize sustainable urban design principles that minimize impacts to Chapel Hill’s sensitive natural areas and respond to the threat of climate change by: A. Creating compact walkable, mixed-use communities, in targeted locations, where activities are located closer to one another requiring less time and energy to access the daily needs of life including work, school, commerce, and recreation rather than permitting low-density, auto-dominated developments and corridors;
Purpose of the Guiding Statements While updating the Town’s Future Land Use Map primarily focuses on a small portion of the Town, rewriting the Town’s Land Use Management (LUMO) could potentially have Town wide impacts. Therefore, it is imperative to define a set of Guiding Statements that serve as the foundation for both phases of this Project as well as provide the rationale for making the changes necessary to: Effectively address, adapt, and mitigate the challenges of climate change; Foster land use decisions that recognize, integrate, and sustain the Town’s unique natural environment; Support the Town’s economic development strategies, including job creation; Ensure the Town’s fiscal well-being by diversifying and increasing its tax base; Sustain and create a sense of place that is distinctive to Chapel Hill;
Balance development/redevelopment while protecting and preserving the Town’s natural environment and resources; Collaborate with the Town’s regional partners, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the UNC Health Care System on lifelong learning, innovation, and entrepreneurship; Invest in the infrastructure necessary to create a vibrant, equitable, economically sustainable, resilient future for Chapel Hill; Create, in strategic locations, compact, well-designed mixed use communities focused on transit and multimodal transportation systems that effectively respond to the need to reduce vehicular traffic and the Town’s carbon footprint given the desirability of such locations for both households and employers that prefer sites that are walkable and located within vibrant, connected communities and the desire for an equitable community where all community members have access to jobs, transit, and places to reside.
B. Densifying at strategic locations and mixing land uses. By building up, the Town can absorb development in a more compact manner, support a lively mix of activities, protect open spaces, integrate public spaces into developments, conserve landscaped areas, preserve tree canopy, and create nodes that make transit more viable. Permitting a mix of activities along streets shortens trips, reduces car dependency, enlivens the public realm, and makes possible the day and night usage of shared parking;
The Public Realm belongs to everyone. It includes the streets, squares, parks, green spaces and other outdoor places that require no key to access and are available to everyone.
7
8
Town of Chapel Hill |
| December 2020
C harting O ur F uture A Land Use Initiative
C. Creating a meaningful Climate Action Plan and promote patterns and styles of development that are climate responsive, including energy efficient buildings and sites that utilize existing infrastructure and support local, renewable energy production like rooftop solar. Climate responsive design helps to mitigate stormwater and flooding problems. It also supports habitat corridors and often includes green infrastructure and living landscapes that provide for tree canopy and other vegetative surfaces which mitigate the urban heat island effect and create more shaded and walkable streets throughout the Town. This style of development accommodates alternative and low
2. Ensure equitable planning and development. Equitable planning and development is a strategy that ensures all current and future community members participate in and benefit from development and economic growth and activity in the Town – especially low-income residents, communities of color, immigrants, and others who have been historically excluded and are at risk of future marginalization. Equitable planning and development entails an intentional focus on eliminating inequities and barriers and making accountable and meaningful investments to assure that community members:
Live in healthy, safe, and opportunity-rich neighborhoods; Connect to economic and ownership opportunities; and, Have voice and influence in the decisions that shape their neighborhoods.
carbon forms of transportation, such as biking, walking, transit and the increased adoption of electric vehicles. Reduced parking requirements, when accompanied by the necessary supportive infrastructure, help to support these alternative forms of transportation and encourages the development of sustainable communities; D. Continuing to support transit, transit connections and integrated transit options. Such connections can integrate and knit together all parts of the Town, reduce vehicle miles traveled, and support additional housing units and more intense land uses, like office and retail uses, so that community members may shop and work in their community thereby potentially reducing the carbon footprint attributable to the Town. Transit supports the establishment of a prosperous and equitable community that is easily accessible by all; E. Establishing a “Connected Community” that includes a tight network of streets and multi-modal paths that are convenient everyday choices. Creating highly integrated multi-modal connections allows for a variety of mobility options that make trips more direct and reduces vehicular trips. To that end, the Town should continue to promote an active and interconnected community that supports initiatives like Vision
Equitable Development is achievable by: A. Advancing economic opportunity. Promote local economic development and entrepreneurial opportunities, enhance community-serving establishments, and increase quality living wage jobs for all community members; B. Mitigating displacement. Develop plans, policies, and programs that mitigate residential displacement as development and redevelopment occurs in the Town and discourage the displacement of viable small businesses that serve community needs;
C. Providing affordable housing options. Create healthy, safe, readily available, and affordable housing for all family sizes and incomes in all neighborhoods;
D. Understanding and responding to local context. Respect local community character, small, local businesses, cultural diversity, and values. Preserve and strengthen intact neighborhoods, building upon their local assets and resources; E. Promoting broader mobility and connectivity. Prioritize an effective and affordable public transportation and multi-modal network that supports transit-dependent communities and provides equitable access to core services and amenities, including employment, education, and health and social services; F. Practicing meaningful community engagement. Ensure local community participation and leadership in decision-making reflects a diversity of voices, including targeted strategies to engage historically marginalized communities. Structure planning processes to be clear, accessible, and engaging; G. Developing healthy and safe communities. Create built environments that enhance community health through public amenities (schools, parks, open spaces, walkable neighborhoods, multi-modal paths, health care, and other services), access to affordable healthy food, improved air quality, and safe and inviting environments;
Zero and provides safe routes to work and school, walkable neighborhoods, complete bicycle networks, and other multi-modal transportation alternatives such as greenways and sidewalks; and,
Resilience, according to Triangle Regional Resilience Partnership Resilience Assessment, is the capacity of a community, business, or natural system to prevent, withstand, respond to, and recover from a disruption.
F. Establishing resiliency measures to mitigate flooding concerns within the Town including utilizing “Green Stormwater Infrastructure” techniques that utilize natural and constructed landscape features that capture, absorb, and store rainwater; preserving existing open space; and where possible, developing new open space; improving tree canopy; daylighting creeks and other covered waterways; and creating “Green Infrastructure” connections such as habitat corridors between the natural areas of the Town.
H. Promoting environmental justice. Eliminate disproportionate environmental burdens and ensure an equitable share of environmental benefits for existing communities; and,
I. Creating full accessibility. Ensure that the built environment is accessible and welcoming to people of all ages, physical conditions, and languages.
9
10
Town of Chapel Hill |
| December 2020
C harting O ur F uture A Land Use Initiative
3. Encourage a diversity of housing types. The Town will encourage additional housing options that are both affordable and desirable for households and individuals with a range of income levels. Accordingly, the Town seeks to facilitate both the development of traditional single-family homes as well as to address the “Missing Middle” of housing units, which includes a variety of housing types between single-family homes and large apartment buildings. In addition, this diversity of housing types should include provisions for student housing. Creation of these diverse housing types is constrained by the Town’s limited ability to annex property outside of its borders and its desire to create housing units without contributing to sprawl. The intent of this statement is to enable:
4. Promote distinctive, safe, and attractive neighborhoods. The Town should preserve and enhance established neighborhoods by directing dense growth to multimodal and key transportation corridors facilitating connections to those corridors in order to promote a multi- modal network thereby potentially reducing vehicular trips and increasing mobility options. Such connections should be done with care to minimize through traffic on residential streets. The intent of this guiding statement is also to: A. Protect and preserve the Town’s historic neighborhoods as well as its Neighborhood Conservation Districts;
B. Preserve and enhance the varied and distinct residential character of existing residential neighborhoods;
A. The development of duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and accessory dwelling units with an approval process and requirements similar to that of single-family detached dwellings. These small scale multi-family uses could fit within the fabric of some existing single family neighborhoods, as long as they are carefully integrated into the existing neighborhoods and provide additional housing units for the Town;
C. Protect neighborhoods from potential adverse impacts associated with adjacent non-residential uses by proper mitigation measures that address scale, massing, traffic, noise, appearance, lighting, drainage, and stormwater; and,
B. The development of townhouses, at the edge of established neighborhoods, to act as a transitional use and provide for additional housing options;
D. Safeguard existing neighborhoods as students move into established neighborhoods.
5. Cultivate a vibrant and inclusive community. The Town should encourage new opportunities, through the built environment, that promote a sense of place and community for those who live, work, and visit Chapel Hill. This encouragement includes the creation of “third places,” meaning those places close to home or work where unintentional social connections happen routinely. These unintentional connections may happen on the sidewalk, in pocket parks, and at plazas. To facilitate these opportunities for unintentional connections, the Town will consider: A. Intentionally designing the public spaces of the Town including the interface between private properties and the public environment, which most often is the street;
C. The continued construction of single-family detached dwelling units;
D. Small lot single-family subdivisions, where appropriate, that utilize the principles of traditional residential neighborhood design to create compact, livable, and accessible neighborhoods; and, E. Purposefully built off-campus student housing in appropriate locations within proximity to alternative transportation such as transit and pedestrian/bike facilities as well as access to shopping and convenience to campus. .
Placemaking is the process of creating quality places that people want to live, work, play, and learn in. They are interesting, visually attractive, and often encourage a wide variety of activities.
B. Methods to weave public space, including plazas and pocket parks, into private projects through public- private partnerships, regulatory incentives, and other creative means;
C. Requiring a mixture of land uses, residential; retail; office; civic, adjacent to each other or stacked vertically in certain strategic locations to invigorate certain streets;
D. Enabling the creation of publicly accessible spaces that contain seating, access to food, Internet connectivity and landscape elements, particularly near transit locations; and,
E. Proactively planning for the location of publicly accessible spaces in each Focus Area.
11
12
Town of Chapel Hill |
| December 2020
C harting O ur F uture A Land Use Initiative
A. Form Transitions – Varying the form of a building to provide for a change in building bulk, height, scale as well as the orientation of exterior spaces away from adjacent residential neighborhoods. This change in form could include “stepping back or down” in bulk or height in order to prevent negative impacts on adjacent neighborhoods or streets. B. Use Transitions – Designating a transitional use between uses or developments of different intensities, such as: i. Multi-family residential or townhouses, between an office or retail use and a single family neighborhood, ii. Permitting homes on the edge of an established neighborhood to be used for small-scale non- residential uses, such as small offices C. Architectural Transitions – Utilizing the architectural elements of a new or renovated development to ensure compatibility with the adjacent neighborhood in terms of building materials and architectural design elements.
6. Direct investment along key transportation corridors and promote construction of transit and multi- modal transportation options in concert with the Town’s regional transportation partners. The Town will encourage density and intensity in a mixture of uses along key transportation corridors and at established activity nodes or centers with particular emphasis at future transit stations and areas with multi-modal and alternative forms of transportation including bicycle and pedestrian facilities. The intent of this guiding statement is to concentrate the siting of higher-density housing, mid-rise office, and more intense mixed use development at targeted locations in order to achieve highly functional, walkable destinations that are not car dependent.This type of development supports a more sustainable, low-carbon lifestyle for residents. 7. Support and facilitate economic development, including the development of flexible and varied types of retail and office spaces; job creation; innovation; and entrepreneurship, through redevelopment and infill development, in order to expand and diversify the Town’s tax base to enable the Town’s fiscal resiliency. To support economic development policies, Chapel Hill will support and facilitate redevelopment and infill development, and where necessary, investigate the usage of public/private partnerships. The intent of this policy is to proactively address the fact that future economic development will need to occur, most often, on infill and/or redevelopment sites. Accordingly, this policy is intimately tied to Chapel Hill’s future economic health and the Town’s ability to accommodate employment centers. Any redevelopment or infill projects should be designed in a manner to complement surrounding properties and to efficiently utilize and capitalize on existing public infrastructure, such as roads, water, sewer, and transit and when necessary, supplement such infrastructure. 8. Provide appropriate transitions between land uses and buildings of different scales. Support the provision of appropriate transitions between sites and/or uses having significantly different types or intensities of land uses as well as built forms. The intent of this guiding statement is to provide for harmonious transitions between different types and intensities of land uses as well as built forms to help mitigate any negative impacts that a development may have on adjacent sites or uses. Providing for appropriate transitions is especially important between the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and surrounding areas. Appropriate transitions between developments and adjacent uses can be achieved by many different techniques, utilized either singly or in combination. Determining the most appropriate design approach for managing transitions between developments and/or uses will depend on the objectives for the transitional space, which will vary by location. The most appropriate transition between sites and/or uses may also depend on the topography of the affected sites, such as differences in elevations, which must be considered whenever transitions are necessary. Techniques for achieving transitions include, but are not limited to the following:
D. Landscape Transitions – Preserving and/or installing vegetative landscape material of varying width, height, plant selections, and density to provide for the appropriate level of transition between uses.
9. Preserve and maintain Chapel Hill’s appearance and create the quality of design and development the Town desires. The Town should preserve and maintain Chapel Hill’s unique appearance and create the quality of design and development the Town desires, with particular attention to the Town’s gateways and the appearance of – and views from – the public realm, including streets; parks; multi-modal paths; and plazas. The Town encourages high quality development understanding that different areas of Town will have different characters and defining characteristics. Views from the public streets and public spaces should not be defined by parking facilities, and the public-facing portions of buildings should be designed for people, not cars.
The intent of this guiding statement is to create and maintain the pleasing qualities of our community because activated, desirable, comfortable, and appealing public streets and spaces help to create vibrant civic areas where community members want to walk, shop, bike, and spend time. This guiding statement encourages high-quality development that embraces exceptional site design, architecture, and construction. This statement is concerned with the appearance of two different aspects of the community: A. Public Areas (owned, designed, and maintained by the public sector). Accordingly, this guiding statement emphasizes the design and appearance of roadways and gateways; public landscaping and streetscape design elements along roadways; public parks and greenways; and public buildings and properties, such as parks and recreation facilities, Town Hall, schools, and libraries; and,
13
14
Town of Chapel Hill |
| December 2020
C harting O ur F uture A Land Use Initiative
B. Public Views (refers to the appearance and views of private development as seen from public areas). Accordingly, this guiding statement emphasizes high-quality appearance and design for private development, particularly at gateways into the Town– including buildings, landscaping, signage, and art features – that can be seen from public roadways, or from other public spaces such as greenways, multi-use paths, parks, etc. Implementation of this guiding statement may require: A. The development of design guidelines or regulations as well as streetscape plans and improvements tailored to each Focus Area or to particular portions of a Focus Area in order to create a unique sense of place within each Focus Area as well as a visual continuity of streetscapes. These design guidelines and/or regulations should include guidance on building massing, scale, shape, and orientation; transparency; fenestration; and facade details as well as stress the importance of building and site context and the relationship of buildings to the street, sidewalk, and other public rights-of-way; and, B. The establishment of Pedestrian-Oriented Districts, which include site and design elements necessary to create the type and quality of development that the Town desires including specifications regarding the preferred location and scale of parking facilities. 10. Cooperate and collaborate with all of the Town’s regional partners especially the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health. Pursue a harmonious relationship where there is a strong emphasis on the pursuit of mutually beneficial goals with respect for the sometimes differing objectives of these partners and the Town. As it states in Chapel Hill 2020 , “The richness of the University—its history; its physical beauty; its intellectual, entrepreneurial and artistic capital; its world class health care enterprise; the dynamic idealism of students and faculty—is part of the [Town’s] vision.” The Town of Chapel Hill’s identity is based, in large part, on the presence of UNC. Chapel Hill is a college town. However, the relationship between the two institutions is much deeper than identity. The destinies of the Town and the University are inextricably linked, and strengthening the strategic alignment on issues of economic development; transportation; housing; student housing; recreational, open space, and cultural amenities; and other quality of life issues are essential to the Town and UNC’s sustainability and resiliency. To that end, the Town should continue to: “Aspire to use the intellectual and financial capital of the University and the UNC Health Care System to help the Town flourish,” as stated in Chapel Hill 2020 ; Work with UNC to develop economic strategies, including strategies related to research and development as well as entrepreneurship; Enhance the relationship between students and permanent residents; Coordinate transportation initiatives; Recognize the importance of UNC’s cultural and natural resources including Carolina North, Ackland Art Museum, and Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and work with the UNC to utilize these resources to the benefit of both the Town and the University; Work with UNC to help mitigate the impact of student rental housing in established single-family neighborhoods and to provide safe and sanitary off-campus housing for students; and, Proactively collaborate and work with UNC regarding policies concerning both on and off-campus housing for University students.
Page intentionally left blank
15
16
Town of Chapel Hill |
| December 2020
Page 1 Page 2-3 Page 4-5 Page 6-7 Page 8-9 Page 10-11 Page 12-13 Page 14-15 Page 16-17 Page 18-19 Page 20-21 Page 22-23 Page 24-25 Page 26-27 Page 28-29 Page 30-31 Page 32-33 Page 34-35 Page 36-37 Page 38-39 Page 40-41 Page 42-43 Page 44-45 Page 46-47 Page 48-49 Page 50-51 Page 52-53 Page 54-55 Page 56-57 Page 58-59 Page 60-61 Page 62-63 Page 64-65 Page 66-67 Page 68-69 Page 70-71 Page 72-73 Page 74-75 Page 76-77 Page 78Made with FlippingBook Proposal Creator