TITLE:
Title
Discussion of Greene Tract
PURPOSE: The purpose of this agenda item is support a Board discussion of the Greene Tract in preparation the November 17th Assembly of Governments meeting.
Body
DEPARTMENT: Planning
CONTACT INFORMATION: Patricia McGuire - 919-918-7327, pmcguire@townofcarrboro.org <mailto:pmcguire@townofcarrboro.org>
INFORMATION:
The Greene Tract, an approximately 164-acre parcel, was purchased jointly by Orange County and the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro in 1984 for use as a potential future landfill. In 1999, an interlocal agreement was enacted that transferred ownership of approximately 104 acres to joint ownership and left the remaining 60 acres as an asset of the Solid Waste Fund following the decision to pursue other options for solid waste management when the Eubanks Road landfill was closed. The interlocal agreement for solid waste management outlined the manner in which the owners would decide on the disposition of the property held in joint ownership (Attachment A).
Over the past two years, engineering design and outreach activities for the Rogers Road sewer construction project have been ongoing. In addition, planning activities for the area and for the Greene Tract have been underway. A discussion item on the Greene Tract, including mention of the staff technical and environmental scan of the property, and an information item on the recently completed Mapping Our Community’s Future effort (Attachment B), are included on the agenda for the Assembly of Governments meeting (November 17th).
The Board of Aldermen has discussed the disposition of the Greene tract on a number of occasions starting in December 2001. More recently, the Board of Aldermen discussed the property in March 2013 related to the work of the Historic Rogers Road Neighborhood Task Force and adopted an updated resolution; related materials may be reviewed at the following links:
• Agenda materials, including background information - <https://carrboro.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=1306854&GUID=DC9C53FB-B73D-4327-A44C-67CF549C9E38&Options=&Search>=
• Minutes - Attachment C (see pages 8-9)
The Orange County Board of County Commissioners has discussed the Greene Tract on two occasions this fall, September 8th and October 18th:
• September 8 agenda materials, including background information- <http://server3.co.orange.nc.us:8088/weblink8/0/doc/42513/Page1.aspx>
• October 18 agenda materials - <http://server3.co.orange.nc.us:8088/weblink8/0/doc/43264/Page1.aspx>
On October 18th, the Board of County Commissioners adopted a resolution to designate the 60 acres north of the Greene Tract as a ‘headwaters preserve’ (Attachment D) for use as publicly-accessible open space and to specify related actions. During the October 27 meeting of staff working together on the Rogers Road sewer project, Town of Chapel Hill staff noted that the Greene Tract was mentioned during the Chapel Hill Council’s October 19th worksession on housing and community development.
This discussion was scheduled for November 1st and postponed until November 15th due to consideration of other agenda topics. The discussion will allow all members of the Board of Aldermen to review background materials related to the Greene Tract and revise and/or clarify the Town’s wishes related to disposition of the Greene Tract in advance of the November 17th Assembly of Governments meeting.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Any fiscal impact will vary based on specified follow-up actions.
RECOMMENDATION:
The staff recommends that the Board of Aldermen consider and discuss the materials and identify any action and/or comments in relation to upcoming Assembly of Governments meeting.