The Board of Aldermen is being advised to open the public hearing Tuesday on Elementary School No. 10 (which we can only hope has a new name someday soon). According to the agenda items, the design of the school and the site plan have not gotten rave reviews from the town’s Transportation Advisory Board and the Environmental Advisory Board at their recent meetings.
In addition, the Planning Board is asking the town to kick in for a full-size gym as Chapel Hill did with Rashkis Elementary, which is the protype for the new school. The Planning Board also suggests future high density development within a quarter mile of the site.
(Links to these items and the school’s application are on the Jan.9 , 2007 agenda.)
Following are the recommendations from the town planning staff:
REVIEW OF CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR THE CHAPEL HILL – CARRBORO CITY SCHOOL’S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL #10
PURPOSE STATEMENT
Chapel Hill – Carrboro City Schools has submitted an application for construction of a 89,800 sf (30 classroom) elementary school on the parcel located at 215 Eubanks Road (Attachment C&D). The Conditional Use Permit, if approved, would allow the construction of the school, along with associated recreational facilities and infrastructure.Site Design Summary
The school will be accessed by a new segment of collector road which proceeds north to intersect with Eubanks road by way of a roundabout (Attachment B). School buses, commuter traffic, service and utility vehicles will rely mainly on Eubanks Road to access the facility. Once on the site, the plan provides a circulation system designed to segregate drop-off traffic from bus and commuter traffic.INFORMATION
The subject property is zoned RR, Rural Residential, contains 19.035 acres (829,164.6 sf) and is listed on the Orange County Tax Map as numbers 7.23.C.1. The existing site is vacant and wooded sloping predominantly to the south where two intermittent streams combine and drain into Jones Creek. (Attachment B). The proposed school building itself is a unified, single story, building with an attached gymnasium. A playfield, outdoor basketball court and, a play structure, are located south of the building. Parking is divided into two lots to the northeast of the building. The large footprint of these facilities and their supporting infrastructure requires substantial site grading.RECOMMENDATION
Town staff recommends that the Board of Aldermen open the Elementary School #10 Conditional Use Permit public hearing. However, at the time of this report deadline, the stormwater engineering has not yet been approved by the Town Engineer. For this reason, staff cannot consider the project “complete†and therefore cannot recommend approval of the project.
However, if Sungate approval is obtained by the time of the public hearing, Town staff recommends approval of the project. If this is the case, the Board is directed to first complete the attached conditional use permit worksheet (Attachment M). Upon completing the worksheet, staff recommends that the Board consider the Conditional Use Permit for the CHCCS Elementary School #10, located off of Eubanks Road, subject to the conditions below:1. That prior to construction plan approval the applicant provide a copy of an issued
NCDENR land disturbing activity permit and formally invite Orange County Erosion Control to voluntarily inspect the site during construction via a letter that is copied to the NC Land Quality Section Regional Engineer, Raleigh Regional Office;
2. That the applicant adjust the planting plan as requested by the Town Engineer and Environmental Planner prior to construction plan approval to ensure compliance with the stormwater and vehicle accommodation area shading requirements of the LUO;
3. That prior to construction plan approval, the applicant receive a driveway permit from NCDOT in accordance with any conditions imposed by such agency including but not limited to encroachment / maintenance agreements for lighting and sidewalks;
4. That subject to NCDOT approval, the applicant shall provide 6-feet of extra pavement on both sides of Eubanks Road where improvements are required. The 6-foot sections shall serve as bike lanes;
5. That, prior to construction plan approval, the bike lane arrangements in the vicinity of the roundabout and within the proposed collector street shall be designed to comply with their related specifications as identified in the Federal Highway Administration’s Roundabouts: An Informational Guide, and the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices;
(20 more recommendations after the break)6. That prior to construction plan approval the applicant obtain all necessary approvals and permits from OWASA for the school’s proposed on- and off-site water and sewer improvements to serve the school. Further, that all such work be completed in accordance with any conditions imposed by such agency, and that all such lines be operable prior to occupancy of the school;
7. That prior to construction plan approval, the applicant receive any necessary off-site easements for installation of water and sewer lines;
8. That fire flow calculations and building-sprinkler design (as required) must be submitted and approved by the Town Engineer and Town Fire Department prior to construction plan approval;
9. That the applicant provide to Orange County Solid Waste Department a solid waste management plan prior to construction plan approval. Further, that the construction plans include Orange County Solid Waste in the list of agencies participating in the preconstruction meeting for the project;
10. That the developer shall include a detailed stormwater system maintenance plan. This maintenance plan shall specify the entity responsible for performance of all elements of this maintenance plan, shall indicate how that entity will fund said maintenance, and shall clearly indicate that the Town of Carrboro is not responsible for these activities. The maintenance plan
shall include scheduled maintenance activities for each stormwater best management practice (BMP) in the development, (including but not limited to cisterns, bio-retention areas, swales, constructed wetlands, level spreaders, energy dissipaters, and buffers), performance evaluation protocol for each BMP, and frequency of self-inspection and self-reporting requirements (including a proposed inspection/reporting template clearly indicating how often reports will be submitted to the Town of Carrboro) for maintenance and performance of each BMP. The maintenance plan and supporting documentation shall be submitted to the Town Engineer and Environmental Planner for approval prior to construction plan approval. Upon approval, the maintenance plan and supporting documentation shall be included in the construction drawings and school system’s documentation to ensure the long-term maintenance of the BMPs;
11. That the applicant provide a written statement from the electrical utility stating that electric service can be provided to all locations shown on the construction plans prior to the approval of the construction plans and that the applicant submit letters from all applicable utility companies certifying that the project can be served via the existing infrastructure;
12. That the applicant include light fixture details, and additional details on the lighting plan as requested by the Public Works Department and Environmental Planner prior to construction plan approval, in order for Public Works to determine compliance with the Town’s street lighting policy and for the Environmental Planner to determine compliance with Section 242 & 243 of the LUO. Further, that all proposed street and site lights be full cutoff fixtures;
13. That prior to construction plan approval, general information about the typical hours of operation for the light fixtures be included on the plans. This information should disclose whether the lights will be manually-controlled or placed on automatic timers;
14. That the applicant submit an application for annexation of the school property to the Town, prior to occupancy of the school;
15. That prior to the construction plan approval layout details for the basketball court and specific playground equipment details be shown on the plans;
16. That prior to issuance of the certificate of occupancy, the school district work with Town Police and Fire staff to develop a traffic management plan to be put in place during peak use events at the school;
17. That the Board accepts the applicant’s justification for exceeding the presumptive parking standards of Section 15-291 by providing 102 spaces. As represented in the applicant’s letter, this deviation is justified because of the school district’s experience with Rashkis elementary school (which is the prototype for Elementary School #10) and because better serves the parking needs of elementary school programs which include substantial parental participation;
18. That the sidewalk / greenway trail beginning at the southern property line and terminating at the bus drop-off area exhibit compliance on the construction plans with the greenway facilities specifications identified in the AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities and in the Town of Carrboro Comprehensive Master Plan for Recreation and Parks;
19. That prior to construction plan approval the applicant must provide staff with a copy of written correspondence with appropriate agencies acknowledging that any disturbances are included in the total wetlands impacts information provided for the project, including the proposed sanitary sewer extension;
20. That the planting plans not include any of the invasive species listed in Appendix 3 of the Land Use Ordinance and that the planting plan for the stormwater devices and the “constructed drainage†be further reviewed for plant species suitability for the intended function of the device and that the approved construction plans include planting plans indicating the precise breakdown
21. That prior to construction plan approval, the tree planting detail be replaced with the Town of Chapel Hill, December 2006 Tree Planting Detail;
22. That prior to approval of the construction plans, the applicant further modify the step-by-step, narrative erosion control construction sequence such that the Environmental Planner can determine that erosion and sedimentation risks to downstream water bodies have been minimized through careful planning and staging of the construction of the enhanced drainage way, removal of the large sediment basin, and construction of the southern retaining wall;
23. That all of the project’s state and federal notification, permit, and flood hazard area mapping requirements be satisfied prior to construction plan authorization;
24. That the sidewalk that passes in front of the dumpster area adjacent to the bus loading area be extended out to the connector road along the southern edge of the bus loading area and driveway.
25. That prior to construction plan approval, any easement associated with a cross-pipe located under a public right-of-way be labeled “Publicâ€.