Tue 27 Oct 2009
Engage Now in the NC54 Planning Process
Posted by WillR under ChapelHill , Development , durham , EconomicDevelopment , environment , Government , OrangeCounty , sustainability , Transportation , UNC[2] Comments
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I know this is silly, but I also miss the big blue tarheel feet prints leading the way into town.
Not silly, it was a nice distinctive touch.
East54 does have some merit irrespective of what I think of its look and feel, the way it has changed the dynamic at our eastern gate. Even if Council lopped 1/3 of the affordable housing component off of Phase II to take in lieu monies, that its Gold LEED (which it still doesn’t guarantee energy efficient), that it might eventually serve as a transit-based development, there are some valuable lessons to learn here.
First, we need to improve community-outreach significantly. As you might recall, I’ve been pushing Council to invite folks not just within 1000 feet of these large developments into the process. That invite can’t be a simple notice to attend a meeting at Town Hall. For East54, the Planning Dept. should’ve taken the presentation on the road – met the public in places and times convenient to their lives – used technology to help visualize the mass of development within its context – engage frequently as possible.
We are making some progress. The tracking system the TB talked about and using the Town’s website to publish specifics is helping (if you know where to look, that is!).
Second, there continues to be a disconnect between neighborhood protections – like NCDs – and the approval of these projects. Part of the problem is we don’t have a cohesive vision of what Town should look like. Part of the problem is Council didn’t stick to our touted principles or consider the negative impacts beyond the property line when they wanted to satisfy the urge for mixed-use, high density, transit-oriented LUXURY condo projects. Where is the balance in that?
There are a number of reforms and improvements we can make as a consequence of the lessons of East54 and Greenbridge. We need to do it soon so that we can apply them to University Square’s redevelopment and the eventual buildout of Carolina North.
My hope is the Visioning Task Force will supply some suggestions for doing so – we’ll have to see if that really happens.