STAFF REPORT

Planning and Zoning Board, November 21, 2005

Alston Activity Center Concept Plan – Update and Progress Report (PL06-023)
Update concerning progress made and approach being used by staff to address public hearing comments for the Alston
ACCP (cases 05-AC-005, 05-REZ-19, 05-LPA-17, PL06-008). 

Speaker: Scott F. Ramage, AICP, Principal Planner 

From: Jeffery G. Ulma, AICP, Director, Planning Department
Prepared by:  Scott F. Ramage, Principal Planner
Approved by:  William B. Coleman, Jr., Town Manager
Approved by:  Benjamin T. Shivar, Assistant Town Manager  

Background  

The Alston Activity Center Concept Plan consists of four interrelated cases for Planning Board consideration:  

05-REZ-19 Alston Activity Center Overlay District (ACOD)

05-AC-005 Alston Activity Center Concept Plan (ACCP)

05-LPA-17 Northwest Area Plan Amendments

PL06-008 LDO Round 6 Amendments

Project History 

On December 9, 2004, Town Council directed staff to prepare an Activity Center Concept Plan for the Regional Activity Center located at the future interchange of NC Hwy 55 and the I-540 Outer Wake Expressway (PL05-15b).  The Design Collective of Baltimore, Maryland, was contracted by the Town to develop the Concept Plan, and Kimley Horn Associates was hired to perform long-range buildout traffic modeling for the plan scenarios.

The Design Collective held private meetings with the major landowner and developer stakeholders in December 2004 and January 2005, followed by two nights of community meetings on January 24-25, 2005, at which the community (local landowners, residents, developers, and other Cary citizens) identified their desired vision for the area.  

From Feb. 28 through March 5, 2005, the consultants held a week-long “design charrette” or “design workshop” during which they developed an initial draft of the Concept Plan.   A complete revised draft was delivered to the Town in late March 2005.  During April – June 2005 meetings were held with major stakeholders, other units of state and local government, and the development community (on May 25), to garner feedback on the initial draft.  In response to those public comments, The Design Collective made changes to the plan maps and document, to address the issues that were raised.  

In late August, 2005, a fully revised plan was delivered to Town staff.  This version of the plan was presented to the development community and major landowners at a special focus group meeting in September 2005.  A special community meeting was also held for residents of the Alston Avenue and Petty Farm neighborhoods.  The draft plan was sent for its initial Town Council public hearing on September 22, 2005.  Town Council continued the public hearing to their October 20 meeting.  Town Council held a special work session for the Alston ACCP on October 25, at which time they forwarded the draft plan to the Planning and Zoning Board.  

Project Update and Current Status 

Staff are currently taking the following actions to address public comments raised at the September 22 and October 20 Town Council public hearings (as well as other comments received during the public comment period that began the first week of September): 

  1. Development of Comments Matrix.  All public comments have been summarized and placed in a matrix of public comments, sorted by topic.  The left-hand column of the matrix records the original concern or comment, and the right-hand side notes the recommended response or action to be taken (in terms of a change to the ACCP) in response to the comment.  Staff is still working on developing responses and recommended changes for a number of the most significant comments.
  2.  Reorganization of Concept Plan document (Vision Plan and Design Guidelines).  Staff is working on a comprehensive re-structuring of the plan document and design guidelines, with an aim towards (a) simplifying the plan, (b) improving public understanding of the plan, (c) improving and clarifying how the plan document and design guidelines should be used, (d) removing all unnecessary text or guidelines not critical to the plan.
  3. Changes to the Concept Plan.  Staff has begun work on making the changes to the plan maps and document as currently recommended in the Comments Matrix.   The text changes are being made in a strikeout/underline fashion, to later enable stakeholders and Board members to easily identify the recommended plan changes.
  4. Staff and Major Stakeholder Focus Group Meetings.  Staff has scheduled weekly 2-hour meetings with the major stakeholders over a four-week period, to work on the most significant issues raised at the public hearings and Council work session.  These issues include:  (a) the amount, intensity, and timing of horizontal and vertical mixed uses, (b) interpretation and application of the plan, (c) clarification and streamlining of the design guidelines, and (d) guidelines for big box retailers.
  5. Planning and Zoning Board Work Session.  A second work session will be scheduled in advance of the Board’s December 19 meeting, to review the recommended changes to the Concept Plan, and to seek direction from the Board on key issues.

Fiscal Impact:   To be considered at the December 19 Planning and Zoning Board meeting.  Staff is currently developing tax base and revenue forecasts at buildout of the Alston activity center.  

Staff Recommendation:  Receive this information and hold the Planning and Zoning Board public hearing on the proposed revisions to the Alston ACCP and its associated cases at the December 19, 2005, Planning and Zoning Board meeting.