TITLE: Title
Work session on Preliminary Draft of Carrboro Connects Comprehensive Plan
PURPOSE: The purpose of this agenda item is to provide the Town Council with a time to review and discuss the preliminary draft plan.
body
DEPARTMENT: Planning
CONTACT INFORMATION: Patricia McGuire, Planning Director, 919-918-7327; pmcguire@townofcarrboro.org
INFORMATION: Carrboro Connects, the Town’s Comprehensive Planning process underway since June 2020, continues to move forward with plan development and community engagement. A public hearing on a draft plan has been set for Tuesday, November 16, 2021.
The preliminary draft incorporates the bulk of the plan’s substantive chapters, maps, and illustrations. The plan is available for review at <https://www.carrboroconnects.org/prelim-draft-plan>. A Virtual Community Open House was held on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, with 49 residents, task force members, Town Council, staff and consultant team in attendance. Participants in the meeting were able to join breakout discussion groups on all the plan’s focus areas, including Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Resources, Public Services, Economic Sustainability, Affordable Housing, Land Use, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Climate and the Environment.
It is currently anticipated that the Town Council may be ready to adopt the plan in the spring of 2022. Per North Carolina State Law, 2019-111, Section 2.9(c), action on a plan that accords with North Carolina General Statutes 160D 501 is needed before July 1, 2022 in order for the Town to continue to exercise its zoning authority.
Proposed discussion questions for the work session are:
1. How does the draft advance the following foundations and values of Carrboro as expressed through community engagement?
- Race and Equity
- Climate Change
- Expanding Access
- Building Community
2. The Task Force has developed a preliminary list of priority projects to advance in the next five years. Any thoughts on this preliminary set of strategies and projects? See Attachment A.
3. Who are possible partners who could help lead these projects?
4. In the next stage of engagement, are there additional organizations or constituencies that need to be consulted?
An interactive project website with full functionality for accessing project information and engagement opportunities is available at CarrboroConnects.org <https://www.carrboroconnects.org/>. Other background information on the project is available at <http://www.townofcarrboro.org/2389/Town-of-Carrboro-Comprehensive-Plan>.
FISCAL & STAFF IMPACT: None noted with the Town Council holding a work session.
RECOMMENDATION:r The staff recommends that the Town Council review and discuss the preliminary draft and provide feedback for incorporation into the public hearing draft document.