Planning & Zoning Board Recommendation:

Staff Recommendation:

Staff recommends approval of the plan with the following conditions:

1. Chapel Hill Road shall be constructed and additional right-of-way dedicated to meet the Town’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan dimensional requirements.
2. Off-site sidewalk along W. Johnson Street shall be constructed to provide a continuous pedestrian connection to Northwoods Elementary School.

PROPOSED SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS

PLANNING & ZONING BOARD:

June 17, 2002

TOWN COUNCIL:

July 11, 2002

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The plan proposes four two-story buildings containing a total of 21 condominiums. The site would be accessed by one drive from West Johnson Street. The plan also includes a passive and active recreation area in the northeastern portion of the site. The recreation area would include a volleyball court, a tot lot with a play structure and a picnic area, including a picnic table and outdoor grill.

PARCEL INFORMATION

Parcel #

Realid #

Area

0764.14-23-9637

0039892

2.23

ZONING AND LAND USE PLAN COMPLIANCE

Current Zoning: R-MF-12 CU

Overlay District: N/A

Land Use Compliance: Mixed Residential

The plan complies with all zoning and conditional use requirements.

WAKE COUNTY SCHOOL CAPACITY IMPACTS:

Current Enrollment

Area Schools

Building Capacity

Percent occupied

Projected Number of Additional Students

Elementary

15,868

13,364

118.8%

4

Middle

7,596

6,789

117.9%

2

High

7,376

6,420

114.9%

3

Total for all Area Schools

30,840

26,663

116.1%

9

4

LANDSCAPE

The plan complies with all buffer and landscape requirements.

BUILDING ELEVATION

Building Height: 23.5'

Building Size: 1,300 square feet.

Building Materials: Vinyl siding, vinyl shakes, asphalt shingles, and brick veneer.

Building Color: Vinyl siding and shakes may be colonial white, desert tan, natural clay, light maple or sterling gray. All trim would be colonial white and all doors and shutters would be black.

ROADWAY DESIGN

Per the Town’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan, Chapel Hill Road is designated to have an ultimate 76’ back-to-back cross section (2 lanes in each direction with a center landscaped median) centered within a 98’ right-of-way. Per Town Ordinance, the developer is responsible for widening to ½ this ultimate section, from the centerline of the existing road, for the length of the property frontage. The additional right-of-way must also be dedicated as part of site development. Chapel Hill Road along this property is approximately 25’ wide (1 lane each direction) centered within a 60’ right-of-way. The applicant is requesting to make a payment-in-lieu of road widening due to the short length of frontage (approximately 325 feet) and a concern on how to design storm drainage associated with the widening. Town Engineering Staff would prefer to see the widening done as part of the initial development in order to establish the ultimate curb location, sidewalk and streetscape. Widening this portion of Chapel Hill Road has been listed in the Town’s CIP for FY2007.

Engineering Staff has also had many discussions with the applicant regarding a second point of access to the project by requesting that a right-in/right-out driveway connection be made to Chapel Hill Road to meet connectivity requirements. The applicant did not wish to make this connection for marketability reasons and safety concerns, therefore, Engineering Staff contacted other departments within the Town that would be affected by the connection – we contacted the Fire Department for emergency access concerns and the Public Works Department for solid waste collection concerns. Both departments felt that the townhomes could be adequately served as currently designed with the only access being off of W. Johnson Street. Because of this, the Engineering Staff can support the project as designed with the only access being off of W. Johnson Street. One other alternative to provide a possible future connection would be to stub an easement to the adjacent single family home site to the east of the Summer Ridge project, which is likely to redevelop. The applicant has agreed to show this easement on the plan to allow for the possibility of a future interconnection.

Staff has also asked the applicant to construct off-site sidewalk along W. Johnson Street to provide a continuous pedestrian connection to Northwoods Elementary School. The applicant does not wish to do this for financial reasons, but Staff feels that it is important due to the nature of the development and the proximity to the school. Approximately 230’ of sidewalk would need to be constructed in order to provide the connection.

Staff Contact: Tammy Spivey, 462-3933, Email: tspivey@ci.cary.nc.us

STORMWATER

The project meets all of the requirements of the Town of Cary stormwater program.

Staff Contact: Tom Horstman, 469-4347, Email: thorstma@ci.cary.nc.us

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

This development proposal was submitted in last year's Town of Cary/Wake County affordable housing request for proposals and was selected for funding. Wake County is providing funding to help offset land acquisition and road improvement costs. The Town of Cary is not providing any funds. These units will provide additional homeownership opportunities in the town center area, consistent with the Town Center Area Plan.

Staff Contact: Shawn McNamara, 469-4086, Email: smcnamar@ci.cary.nc.us

PROPERTY OWNER NOTIFICATION AND CONCERNS

Summary: Adjoining property owners were notified during staff's first review of the site plan. The notice provided adjoining property owners with an overview of the proposed plan. Staff received no inquiries from adjoining property owners regarding this development plan.