Public Meeting – Past, Present and Future of Southern Chapel Hill – April 25, 2019
Comments made by Alice Gordon
Note: The text below captures the essence of my comments at the meeting.
However, my remarks were made from an outline of talking points and many of my comments were extemporaneous. Therefore the text below and the comments made at the meeting are not necessarily identical.
Good Evening.
My name is Alice Gordon, and I live in the area south of Chapel Hill. I was an Orange County Commissioner from 1990 to 2014, and also served on the Orange County Planning Board before that. So I have had experience as a participant in the planning process for this area for almost the entire time period that you have outlined on this handout, “History of Chapel Hill’s Southern ETJ.”
What I wish to do tonight is describe three guidelines I believe you should follow when you are planning what to do in the southern area of Chapel Hill.
1. Good Planning
Respect and adhere to the Joint Planning Agreement and Joint Planning Area Land Use Plan, and preserve the Rural Buffer. Keep the Urban Services Boundary lines in place. The Rural Buffer has worked well, and it demonstrates good planning which helps to prevent urban sprawl.
Also remember that when the land for Southern Village was up-zoned, the neighboring area was planned to be low density. The reason was to direct dense development to the areas where it was most suited. However, not long ago the Obey Creek development was approved, so there is already more dense development planned for this area than was originally planned a couple of decades ago.
2. Environmental Protection
Consider the environmental impacts of any further development. We all need clean air, clean water, green space and tree cover. Global warming or climate change (whichever term you want to use) is here. We all need to take that fact into serious consideration when planning for this area south of Chapel Hill.
Therefore you should keep environmental protection and global warming in mind whenever considering any changes to the land use plan for this area. Anything you can do to ameliorate the effects of climate change should be done.
3. Effective Transportation Corridors
Consider the transportation impacts of any further development at the very beginning of your planning. I was on the MPO Board which does regional transportation planning for the western part of the Triangle, serving on that board for 24 years and chairing it twice. So I can tell you that considering the transportation impacts of any development is crucial. Traffic is already almost unmanageable at times on Mt. Carmel Church Road and 15-501 right now. Think what it will be like when Obey Creek is built and just imagine the traffic congestion then.
Summary
My vision of the southern part of Chapel Hill is that we should value the unique character of this area and preserve that character. To help achieve that vision, the planning process for this area should include three guidelines.
1. Good Planning: Preserve the Rural Buffer and respect and adhere to the Joint Planning Land Use Plan and Urban Services Boundary.
2. Environmental Protection: Remember that climate change is here right now, so plan accordingly to help mitigate its effects, and protect our environmental resources.
3. Effective Transportation Corridors: Traffic is already slow and congested in this area, so analyze transportation impacts carefully before you consider more dense development than is now planned.
I am appreciative that Chapel Hill is hosting this community meeting to help reach consensus on what should be done in the southern area of Chapel Hill.
Thank you very much for allowing me to speak.
