Community Design Commission

Town Hall TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Community Design Commission Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Meeting Minutes John Weis, Chair Edward Hoskins Susan Lyons, Vice Chair Scott Levitan Susana Dancy Megan Patnaik Tuesday, June 28, 2022 6:30 PM Virtual Meeting Language Access Statement 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 Present 6 - Chair John Weis, Vice-Chair Susan Lyons, Susana Dancy, Edward Hoskins, Scott Levitan, and Megan Patnaik Approval of Agenda A motion was made by Vice-Chair Lyons, seconded by Hoskins, that an item be added to the end of the agenda for Discussion of Chapel Hill character. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. A motion was made by Vice-Chair Lyons, seconded by Hoskins, that item 3 (Retreat Page 1 of 5 Community Design Commission Meeting Minutes June 28, 2022 Follow-Up) be moved to after new business and before the added agenda item. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. Announcements Commission member Dancy shared observations from her site visit to the Fenton project in Cary. Corey Liles, Town staff, noted that there would be no July meeting for the Commission. Petitions Approval of Minutes 1. May Minutes [22-0572] Commission is asked to consider and approve May minutes report. Including the attached concept plan comments. A motion was made by Hoskins, seconded by Levitan, that the May Minutes be approved with the additional language on landscape concerns, previously sent to staff. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. Commission/Staff Discussions 2. Transportation Initiative [22-0573] Review Pedestrian & Bicycle Wayfinding Plan The Commission received a presentation on development of the Town's Wayfinding Strategy, and members provided feedback on options for the style and content of different sign types. No action was taken. 4. CDC Minor Works Review [22-0575] Staff Approval Discussion Staff would like to share some thoughts about how to open up the CDC agenda for special projects/planning initiatives by discussing minor review authority modifications. This is a similar path to how the HDC operates. We'll share thoughts and ask for your feedback and guidance on how we move forward. Staff shared initial ideas for a Minor Works program that would delegate some approvals to staff. Members provided feedback on their interests for this program, and reactions to suggested project types that would qualify. Staff and the Commission agreed to revisit the discussion at a future meeting. No action was taken. New Business Page 2 of 5 Community Design Commission Meeting Minutes June 28, 2022 5. 1200 MLK [22-0576] Final Plans Review Commission is asked to review and consider action on final plans review of Building Elevations and Site Lighting. Action include approval, approval w/ conditions and deferral to address comments related to voluntary compliance requests. Commission members expressed concerns about the orientation of the convenience store, facade treatment facing MLK Jr Blvd, intensity and color temperature of lighting, visual impacts on adjacent residents, and other design concerns. A motion was made by Vice-Chair Lyons, seconded by Hoskins, that the item be deferred for continued discussion at a future meeting, with suggestion that the applicant modify the lighting color temperature and meet with the Town's Urban Designer to discuss how to address the other concerns. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. 6. Rosemary Hotel [22-0577] Final Plans Review Commission is asked to review and consider action on final plans review of Building Elevation, Site Lighting & Alt. Buffers. Action include approval, approval w/ conditions and deferral to address comments related to voluntary compliance requests. Commission members and the applicant discussed the parking facade closest to Columbia St, the design challenges created by grade change, and solutions for making it more of an amenity or walkable area. A motion was made by Hoskins, seconded by Dancy, that the item be deferred for further discussion at a future meeting. The motion failed by the following vote: AYE: Dancy, Hoskins NAY: Chair Weis, Vice-Chair Lyons, Levitan, Patnaik A motion was made by Levitan, seconded by Patnaik, that the building elevations, lighting plan, and alternate buffer be approved. The motion failed by the following vote: AYE: Levitan, Patnaik Page 3 of 5 Community Design Commission Meeting Minutes June 28, 2022 NAY: Chair Weis, Vice-Chair Lyons, Dancy, Hoskins A motion was made by Levitan, seconded by Vice-Chair Lyons, that the building elevations, lighting plan, and alternate buffer be approved, with the condition that the applicant consider other solutions for the ground floor parking facade that could offer shade relief to pedestrians. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 5 - Chair John Weis, Vice-Chair Susan Lyons, Susana Dancy, Scott Levitan, and Megan Patnaik Abstain: 1 - Edward Hoskins Commission/Staff Discussions 3. Director of Planning-Retreat Follow Up [22-0574] Review the Following Topics- 1. CDC Authority 2. Studies and Plan Prep for Special Districts 3. Comments to Council 4. Member Recruitment Colleen Willger, Planning Director, provided information on the topics noted in the agenda. Commission members provided feedback and there was discussion of how to work with staff and Council to facilitate the Commission's role in the development review process. This included a potential update to application requirements, keeping Petition updates as a standing agenda item as the Commission explores opportunities to initiate studies, and receiving regular reports on development project status. No action was taken. Discussion of Chapel Hill Character Commission members discussed opportunities to refine the document drafted by Hoskins. This included how to reflect the differing contexts of various parts of town, how to focus on areas susceptible to change, and how to be aspirational when defining context. Commission member Hoskins agreed to update the document based on input received. The Commission determined they would then share the document with the Town's Urban Designer and Planning staff for further feedback. No action was taken. Adjournment **NO JULY MEETING** Page 4 of 5 Community Design Commission Meeting Minutes June 28, 2022 Next Meeting - August 23 Commission members thanked Susana Dancy for her service on the Commission, as her term comes to an end. A motion was made by Dancy, seconded by Patnaik, that the meeting be adjourned at 10:45PM. 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 5 of 5