Community Design Commission

Town Hall TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Community Design Commission Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Meeting Minutes Susana Dancy, Chair Megan Patnaik Christine Berndt, Vice-Chair Polly Van de Velde Edward Hoskins John Weis Susan Lyons Tuesday, October 27, 2020 6:30 PM Virtual Meeting Virtual Meeting Notification Board members will attend and participate in this meeting remotely, through internet access, and will not physically attend. The Town will not provide a physical location for viewing the meeting. The public is invited to attend the Zoom webinar directly online or by phone. Register for this webinar: URL After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar in listen-only mode. Phone: 301-715-8592, Meeting ID: ###-####-#### Opening Roll Call Council Liaisons Present: CM Hongbin Gu Susan Lyons left/lost connection at 7:27 and returned at 7:36 Present 7 - Chair Susana Dancy, Vice-Chair Christine Berndt, Edward Hoskins, Susan Lyons, Megan Patnaik, Polly Van de Velde, and John Weis Approval of Agenda A motion was made by Weis, seconded by Van de Velde, to approve the agenda. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. Announcements - Staff would like to reschedule the November and December meeting dates, to not occur during holiday weeks. The Commission asked that a poll be sent out to get members' availability for other dates. - A Joint Advisory Board Meeting on Chapter 160D will be held on December 7 at 5:30pm. Staff will be going over some key provisions of the new State law that impact the Special Use Permit review process. Staff will also answer questions and get input from Advisory Board members. Invitation to follow - Concept Plan Improvements: Staff will continue to test out incremental Page 1 of 4 Community Design Commission Meeting Minutes October 27, 2020 improvements, namely the long-range planning report that was provided with the Municipal Services Center Concept Plan will continue to be provided with future submittals. - Vice-Chair Berndt inquired about receiving a new edition of the Project updates from staff, and requested that the Commission continue receiving it on a regular basis. Petitions - For the Downtown Design petition, staff has completed a report which is under review by the Manager's office. - Commissioners expressed interest in having a Status Report on petitions as a standing agenda item. Approval of Minutes 1. September Minutes [20-0714] Commissioner Weis requested that introductions be added to the agenda items in the Minutes, explaining the projects proposed. Chair Dancy proposed deferring action on the Minutes until the next meeing. Members agreed. . Consent Agenda 2. Granville Towers [20-0715] HVAC Screen 1100 Granville Lane Commission is asked to approve detailed building elevation modifications. A motion was made by Weis, seconded by Lyons, that this item be approved. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. A motion was made by Berndt, seconded by Weis, to request that the applicant also voluntarily consider screening for the existing equipment by the dining facility, including side and back views which would not be screened by the new equipment. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: Berndt, Dancy, Hoskins, Lyons, Van de Velde, Weis Nay: Patnaik, who stated as the reason for her Nay vote that this equipment was not in the project scope. Old Business 3. Bridge Point [20-0716] 2214 & 2312 Homestead Road Page 2 of 4 Community Design Commission Meeting Minutes October 27, 2020 Commission is asked to provide a recommendation for Council review. Council review will occur at October 28 meeting. Commission recommendations include approval, approval w/ conditions and denial. Commissioners discussed concerns about the site plan and unit elevations presented. Chair Dancy recommended having the applicant work with the Urban Designer to address concerns, to avoid design by committee. No public comment was received A motion was made by Weis, seconded by Van de Velde, that this project be recommended for approval with the following conditions: - All items listed by applicant as Committed Changes (6) and Changes from Concept Plan (10) be included as conditions of approval - That the Applicant engage with the Town’s Urban Designer to revise the site plan and building elevations to address the following priorities: a. Reduce the amount of impact to the RCD area. b. Reorient the site plan to create an environment that invites more community engagement among residents and to provide clear boundaries between public and private spaces. c. Include landscaping and fencing for back yards that front streets. d. Create a pedestrian-oriented design that reduces the dominance of cars. e. Soften the visual impact of garages on the streetscape and add articulation to the unit entrances and garage doors. - That the Community Design Commission review and approve the building elevations, landscaping, fencing strategies and site plan at the Final Plans stage. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. New Business Commission Size Chair Dancy raised the idea of reducing the Commission's size from 9 members to 7, and asked for feedback from other Commissioners. There were no new candidates recommended after the most recent application round, and the business of the Commission has been going well with fewer members. Commissioners discussed the pros and cons of reducing in size. They agreed to have Chair Dancy report on their discussion to the Mayor. Adjournment Next Meeting - November, TBD Page 3 of 4 Community Design Commission Meeting Minutes October 27, 2020 A motion was made by Weis, seconded by Van de Velde, to adjourn the meeting at 9:05pm. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. Order of Consideration of Agenda Items: 1. Staff Presentation 2. Applicant’s Presentation 3. Public Comment 4. Board Discussion 5. Motion 6. Restatement of Motion by Chair 7. Vote 8. Announcement of Vote by Chair Public Charge: The Advisory Body pledges its respect to the public. The Body asks the public to conduct themselves in a respectful, courteous manner, both with the Body and with fellow members of the public. Should any member of the Body or any member of the public fail to observe this charge at any time, the Chair will ask the offending person to leave the meeting until that individual regains personal control. Should decorum fail to be restored, the Chair will recess the meeting until a genuine commitment to this public charge is observed. Unless otherwise noted, please contact the Planning Department at 919-968-2728; planning@townofchapelhill.org for more information on the above referenced applications. See the Advisory Boards page http://www.townofchapelhill.org/boards for background information on this Board. Page 4 of 4