Planning Board Special Meeting

Minutes PLANNING BOARD Special meeting 6:30 p.m. Jan. 16, 2025 Board Meeting Room of Town Hall Annex, 105 E. Corbin St. Present: Chair Frank Casadonte, Vice Chair Hooper Schultz, and Members Jeanette Benjey, John Giglia, Robert Iglesias, Christian Schmidt, Sherra Lawrence, and Tiffney Marley Staff: Planner II Molly Boyle 1. Call to order and confirmation of quorum Chair Frank Casadonte called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m. Planner II Molly Boyle confirmed the presence of a quorum. 2. Agenda changes and approval There were no changes to the agenda. Motion: Vice Chair Hooper Schultz moved to approve the agenda as presented. Member Christian Schmidt seconded. Vote: 6-0. Motion passed. 3. Minutes review and approval Minutes from regular meeting on Nov. 21, 2024. Motion: Schmidt moved to approve the minutes as presented. Member John Giglia seconded. Vote: 6-0. Motion passed 4. Adopt 2025 Planning Board meeting schedule A. Draft 2025 meeting schedule Boyle shared the updated Town Board of Commissioners’ meeting schedule and confirmed they had approved the new Joint Public Hearing schedule for 2025, with hearings in February, May, August, and November. Casadonte asked if any Planning Board members had conflicts with the proposed schedule. No one indicated any conflicts. Motion: Giglia moved to approve the new Planning Board meeting schedule. Schultz seconded. Vote: 6-0. Motion passed. Members Sherra Lawrence and Tiffney Marley arrived at 6:37 p.m. 5. Adopt changes to Planning Board Rules of Procedure A. Draft changes to Rules of Procedure Boyle explained the updated Joint Public Hearing dates were the only changes to the Rules of Procedures. 101 E. Orange St., PO Box 429, Hillsborough, NC 27278 919-732-1270 | www.hillsboroughnc.gov | @HillsboroughGov PLANNING BOARD MINUTES | 1 of 2  PLANNING BOARD MINUTES | 2 of 2 Motion: Schultz moved to approve the changes to the Rules of Procedure. Giglia seconded. Vote: 8-0. Motion passed. 6. Updates The board and Boyle discussed training opportunities. Possible options included staff-led training sessions, UNC School of Government on-demand training, Government 101 with the town Communications division, and in-person training from the UNC School of Government. Casadonte suggested training on town government and administration, stating clarification on the organizational structure and town website would be helpful. Schmidt requested a physical copy of the Unified Development Ordinance to use during the rewrite process. Member Sherra Lawrence inquired about the Water and Sewer Advisory Committee. Boyle explained Engineering Services Supervisor Bryant Green had suggested disbanding the committee because of a consistent lack of items on their agendas, but the Town Board wanted to keep the committee due to projected town growth. Casadonte inquired about code enforcement. Boyle explained the town contracted with State Code Enforcement Inc. for that purpose. Complaints will be directed to them instead of town staff. Schmidt inquired about the Town Board’s decision on the Paliouras Tract master plan amendment. Boyle said her understanding was that the Town Board’s decision was based largely on their stance that the property should support commercial development, not residential. Schmidt inquired if the Town Board had access to any additional information on the project that the Planning Board had not seen during its review. Boyle said no, both boards had access to the same information. Member Tiffney Marley noted the importance of considering cultural and historical significance, particularly to under-served and marginalized groups, when making recommendations to the Town Board. She felt the Planning Board would benefit from more historical context on places/projects, if available. Schultz said he felt the Planning Board would benefit from an overview of the Hillsborough neighborhoods and discussion about the Comprehensive Sustainability Plan, noting that several members were not on the Planning Board when the Comprehensive Sustainability Plan was adopted. Boyle and the board generally discussed the status of several long-range development projects, including the Hillsborough Train Station and Ridgewalk. 7. Adjournment Motion: Schultz motioned to adjourn the meeting at 7:36 p.m. Giglia seconded. Vote: 8-0. Motion passed. Respectfully submitted, Molly Boyle, Planner II Staff support to the Planning Board Approved: March 20, 2025