April 17, 2019
Dear Mayor Hemminger and Town Council Members:
We write regarding the proposed development at 1000 MLK Jr Blvd a strong recommendation to reject this concept plan. The owner proposes a concept plan with 269 multifamily dwelling units with minor amounts of retail and office, and two 6-story parking garages. While the MLK/Estes intersection is clearly an appropriate site for multi-use development at some point, the proposed 1000 MLK project is the wrong development at the wrong time.
No transportation infrastructure to support this proposal.
The 1000 MLK project would add hundreds of additional vehicles, thus compounding the poor traffic situation at a busy intersection and along Estes Drive. In particular, substantially increased traffic on Estes is likely to impact the two nearby schools, causing delays and possibly unsafe conditions for children. We don’t believe that the anticipated complete street improvements will significantly reduce congestion at the Estes/MLK intersection.
The Estes/MLK intersection is already near gridlock during rush hours. This intersection was well studied during the Central West discussions. Part of the Central West Small Area Plan stipulated the need for traffic remediation at Somerset Drive. Either a traffic circle or a stoplight must be included as part of any proposal for the 1000 MLK development. Without either a traffic circle or traffic light at Estes and Somerset, this development will become landlocked due to traffic added by this project and to additional development underway. Residents using Somerset to exit their residences will be unable to access Estes Drive for large periods of time during AM and PM peak traffic periods, as well as during the school pick-up and drop-off times. The Central West Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) demonstrated this fact.
Impervious surfaces up to 70% will increase downstream flooding.
Until recently, this site was woodland that absorbed rainwater, filtered it, and mitigated runoff. In the proposed project, buildings, parking lots and other structures will cover much of the surface, thus drastically increasing runoff. Chapel Hill already has major flooding problems downstream from this site. Are there well-thought-out plans to mitigate the additional flooding caused by the 1000 MLK project? Delaying development for this site would help a first succession growing forest to capture carbon and would allow the land to retain far more rainwater onsite than would impervious surfaces.
Concept fails to yield a positive cash flow in cost-benefit analysis.
Because of the attractiveness to investors of rental apartments, Chapel Hill has seen a huge jump in the numbers of units recently built and we have an oversupply. A rezoning should be reserved for uses that the Town wishes to encourage. It is well known and documented by the Town’s former budget director that residential growth approvals strain our town budget because the cost of service is several times greater that the increased value of taxes brought in by a higher tax base.
Concept fails the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) test.
The concept calls for 269 units of rental housing. A transit-oriented development would limit parking instead of providing two parking decks and extensive parking facilities. A primary goal of TOD is to build developments that will encourage public transit. We believe this project is a classic example of development getting ahead of infrastructure. Consideration of any zoning change for this site should be delayed until plans for traffic mitigation and runoff mitigation are in place and those plans are fully funded.
Finally, under North Carolina General Statute 160A-458.5 the Town can refuse to approve a proposed project for a period of three years after timber removal. The 1000 MLK project would seem to be the perfect situation in which to use that provision.
Signed by Neighbors and Users of Estes Drive and MLK Jr. Blvd,
Viviane Ackali
Lance Ashdown
Rebecca and Needham Atkins
Janet Barbaritz
Randy Barrow
Lorilei Beer
Deborah Bender
Judy Bergman
Charles Berlin
Dr. Watson A. Bowes
Mark E. Borsuk, Ph.D
Chris Brannon
Bill and Ann Brashear
Maria Brecher
Linda K. Brown
Margie and Peter Butler
Holly Cartner
Kari Castlebury
Jianghao Jessica Chan
Etsuyo Choi
Elizabeth Christensen
Anne Clements
Silvia Clements
Roy Cook
Amy Corneli
Allison Crawford
James Ian Cundiff
Maria de Bruyn
Holly Cartner
Taylor Dansby
Robert Devlin
Kimon Divaris
Mary Dooley
Sandy Douglass
P. Edwards
Glen H. Elder, Jr.
Carmen Elliott
Debra Fagan
Lola Fayanju
Arthur and Deborah Finn
Charles Fiore
Bronwyn de Figueiredo
Pat Fischer
Megan Foureman
Vivian Foushee
Jason Foureman
Elise Fradin
Dmitry Fridman
Lindsay Garrison
Amy Susanne Gladfelter
Debra and Avram Gold
Lana Golden
Laurel Goldman
Rachel Gray
Ian S. Grimm
Jarrett Grimm-Vavlitis
Joan Guilkey
Lynda and Robert Haake
Rob Hagan
Daniel Halperin
John Hamilton
Ralph Hardy
Richard Harper
Cora Harrison
Tom Henkel
Bruce Henschel
Craig Hollingworth
Devlin and Cara Hudson
Charles Humble
W Insinger
Rudy Juliano
Ravi and Anu Kadiyala
Mary K. Kaiser
Lisa Kaylie
Kathy Kollim
Katherine Kollins
Moira Killoram
Anu Kumar
Amanda Kyser
Kimberly Kyser
Fred Lampe
Natalie Lakas
Julie Lawrence
Karen Lazarus
Deb Levin
Nadia Libbus
Heather Lindenman
Ro Mason
Steve May
Julie McClintock
Molly McConnell
Maurice McDonald
Jennifer Mersereau
Amey Miller
Firoz Mistry
John Mitchell
John Morris
Cynthia Murashima
Susan Nassau
Kevin S O’Donnell
Beena OUapally
Max and Ceara Owre
Amy Leigh Paul
Sally and Bruce Persing
Stephen Piskor
Tim Platts-Mills, MD, MSc
Lillian Pierce
Diantha Pinner and Mike Gabriel
Mark Pozefsky
Jeff Prather
Baker Pratt
Theresa Raphael-Grimm
Will Raymond
Ellie Reinhold
Suzie Roth
Mara Sarkin
George Scialoia
Uli Schempp
Maria Shatz
Mike Schaefer
Lisa Slatt
Dan Sissors
Alan N. Snavely
Mickey Jo Sorrel
George and Helen Tauchen
Laura Villa Torres
Sandy Turbeville
David Tuttle
Terry and Robert Vance
Dr. Stephen O. Vaughan
Kathe Vaughan
Sandy Viswanathan
Jeanne Wagner
Susan and Steven Zeizel
Cathy Walker
Tim Wamsly
Elizabeth Waugh-Duford and Tom Duford
William D. White
Anna T. White
Neva Whybark
James Williams
Floyd and Victoria Wike
Tim Williams
Diane Willis
Russell Yeager