Central West Study Area

Meet the Draft Central West Small Area Plan: Midday Session

From the Town's press release:

"Meet the Draft Central West Small Area Plan!" meetings will be held from noon to 1 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21, in Meeting Room B at the Chapel Hill Public Library, 100 Library Drive, Chapel Hill. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. Both meetings will be identical in format.

During the "Meet the Draft Central West Small Area Plan" meetings, Town of Chapel Hill staff will provide an overview of the contents of the draft Central West Small Area Plan. After the overview presentation, there will be time for questions and answers.

The Draft Central West Small Area Plan is an 80-page planning guide that provides a vision for the Central West Area in words, maps, and diagrams for future development of the area. The Small Area Plan is the result of community input received in over 10 community sessions and over 30 Steering Committee meetings that have taken place since the Town Council established a steering committee to create a small area plan for the area.

The draft Central West Small Area Plan includes principles and objectives that are to guide development in the area, recommendations for bicycle and pedestrian amenities, and a Concept Plan that outlines various uses and heights for the area.

The Town Council will have an opportunity to review and receive public comment at a public hearing about the Draft Central West Small Area Plan at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21, at Southern Human Services Center Complex, 2501 Homestead Road. For more information about the Public Hearing, click here: http://www.townofchapelhill.org/index.aspx?page=15&recordid=4715

The Central West Focus Area is located near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Estes Drive and extends from Carrboro to the west, Franklin Street to the east, Homestead Road to the north, and Maple Drive to the south.

The Central West Focus Area was identified as a "future focus area" during the Chapel Hill 2020 comprehensive planning process due to the known development pressures in the area. The Chapel Hill 2020 comprehensive plan states that this area needs continued community conversation about its future and the appropriate uses (such as residential, commercial, office, mixed-use, etc.) for the area.

For more information about the Central West Focus Area process and to view the draft plan, please visit www.townofchapelhill.org/centralwest

For questions, please contact Megan Wooley, housing and neighborhood services planner, at compplan@townofchapellhill.org or 919-969-5059.

Date:

Monday, October 21, 2013 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Location:

Meeting Room B, Chapel Hill Public Library, 100 Library Drive

Growth & Development

Central West Study Area

Central West Steering Commitee Meeting

Agenda includes discussion of:

Draft Stormwater Language
Draft Street Character Language and Matrix
Draft Vision Language
Draft Recommendations

This should be a great opportunity to see the vocal minority in action.

Date:

Thursday, October 3, 2013 - 6:00pm to 9:00pm

Location:

Training Room at the Transit Building, 6900 Millhouse Road, Chapel Hill

More Information:

http://townofchapelhill.org/centralwest

Growth & Development

Central West, Density, and the Vocal Minority

The Central West draft plan was presented to the Planning Board last night. Given the issues the Central West steering committee had coming to an agreement on a plan, and how the committee ended up costing much more than was expected, I had low expectations for the output of the steering committee. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the draft plan. The plan is mostly multifamily residential, and not particularly tall (3-4 stories, with one 5-8 story area that is completely separate from all the other areas on the map by open space). It makes ample use of trail connectors and other infrastructure to increase bike and pedestrian safety, which will be a welcome improvement to the area. I personally think the buildings at the corner of Estes and MLK could be a bit taller, but credit should be given to steering committee co-chairs Amy Ryan and Michael Parker for putting together a plan that tried to acknowledge and address the wide range of issues and viewpoints of those that participated in the process.

Hey look, it's another survey! This one is about the Central West Focus Area, which is supposed to create a Small Area Plan.