Orange Countys Interest in Carolina North

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Orange Countys Interest in Carolina North
Orange Countys interests in Carolina North,
while often overlooked, are extensive. The
County provides or funds a number of services
that are unique to its purview, including but not
limited to emergency management, Social Services,
erosion control, solid waste management, animal
control, and public education.
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Therefore, while it has not established its own
body to make recommendations regarding Carolina
North, Orange County government has participated
repeatedly in committees established by others to
review plans for the project. Moreover, the
County Commissioners did receive presentations
from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
officials at BOCC meetings on April 17, 2001 and
May 20, 2004. A portion of an Assembly of
Governments meeting on April 29, 2003 also
addressed concerns regarding Carolina North.
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Recent discussions before the Carolina North
Leadership Advisory Committee led the Countys
four representatives Commissioners Valerie
Foushee and Barry Jacobs, and Advisory Board
members Jay Bryan and Bernadette Pelissier
along with Planning Director Craig Benedict and
Economic Development Director Dianne Reid, to
articulate a set of principles that are essential
to the County.
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These are not meant to be all-inclusive or
binding, as are the proposals from the Towns, the
University, and Chamber of Commerce. Rather, the
recommendations reflect points that the County
representatives believe are consistent with
previously articulated County principles and
concerns, and address issues essential to the
long-term sustainability of Carolina North.
These principles and comments were reviewed and
approved by the Orange County Board of
Commissioners on May 25, 2006.
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Principle 1Sustainable Community
Affordable housing and meaningful jobs, as they
were characterized by the Chamber of Commerce,
scratch the surface of the notion of a
sustainable human community. Carolina North
should have sufficient and affordable housing for
all of its workers, students and faculty. The
University should also consider addressing the
shortage of beds on the main campus, and thus the
adverse effect on the local market of off-campus
housing of students, by providing residential
options that would accommodate more than the
population of Carolina North. Workers at
Carolina North should be guaranteed a living wage
and adequate health care. Given crucial
shortages in the community at-large, Carolina
North should provide adequate childcare for its
workers and students. UNC currently contributes
approximately 200,000 annually for childcare
subsidies, but with 75 of its employees requiring
assistance and an average subsidy of 6,000 per
client, this falls far short of addressing the
Universitys current impact on community
resources. The University should consider
providing senior services to its faculty and
workers at Carolina North, as well as sufficient
recreational opportunities, in order to promote
the health of its staff and students.
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Principle 2County-wide Impact
Carolina North is a project whose public service
impacts will be experienced throughout the
County. Stress will be placed on many County
programs and services, as well as on
transportation infrastructure that extends beyond
the Chapel Hill-Carrboro urban area. Primary
emphasis should be placed on servicing Carolina
North via public transportation, with direct,
robust connections to Hillsborough to serve the
central and northern parts of Orange County.
Multi-modal connections should be created with
the main campus of the University.
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Principle 3Integrated into Larger Community
Carolina North should be integrated into the
fabric of the surrounding community physically,
so people may walk, bike, run on and off the
campus, and conceptually. While the focus of
other efforts has rightly focused on protecting
existing neighborhoods, retail, recreational, and
other facilities at Carolina North should also be
accessible to outsiders to the greatest extent
possible.
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Principle 1Sustainable Community

• Work Force Housing and Meaningful Jobs
  (Chamber of Commerce)
• Student Housing
• Accommodation on campus and enhanced
  accommodation of off campus students by other
  housing opportunities and public transportation
  to reduce local housing market effect.
• Impact on Services
• Child Care
• Recreation Services
• Senior Citizen Services
• Solid Waste
• Healthy Community
• In terms of Economic Development
• In terms of people having opportunities to be
  healthy and be part of the larger countywide
  community

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Principle 2County-wide Impact

• Public Service Impacts, such as schools, housing,
  etc. throughout the County
• Stress on County programs
• Transportation Infrastructure beyond Chapel
  Hill/Carrboro urban area
• Primary emphasis on public transportation in
  central Orange County
• Multi-modal connection from Carolina North to
  Main Campus

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Principle 3Integrated into Larger Community

• Integrated into the fabric of the surrounding
  community
• Physically, so people may walk, bike, run on and
  off the campus
• Protection of existing neighborhoods
• Retail, recreational and other facilities at
  Carolina North should also be accessible to the
  County community and beyond.

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• Development Management
• High performance building standards and Smart
  Growth design attributes Crime Prevention
  through Environmental Design (CPTED).
• Fiscal Equity
• - A variety of County impacts must be
  considered in calculating fiscal equity,
  especially sales tax revenues and the cost of a
  wide variety of services, not the least of which
  is the provision of schools.
• Water, Sewer, Stormwater, Energy Infrastructure
  
• - Low water use and high water reuse Cost
  efficient sewer
• design Low Impact stormwater Design
  (LID) Xeriscaping.

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• Technology
• - Distance Learning/Enhanced Access (Less
  Traffic)
• - Teleconferencing
• Public Transportation
• - Strong Link to Campus and Central Orange
  County (Hillsborough)
• Bolin Creek Preservation and Access/
• Botanical Gardens