At a work session hosted by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, the group reviewed the latest draft of the ordinance and prepared a list of suggested adjustments.
The main concern of the attendees was altering building height limits and resource conservation requirements to encourage the construction of affordable housing and the protection of the environment, said Virginia Knapp, chamber director of external affairs.
The recommendations, which include suggested language for the amendments, will be discussed at a public hearing Dec. 9. The council is scheduled to vote on the ordinance at its Jan. 6 meeting.
The attendees of Tuesday's meeting examined how the El Rodeo, Photo Quick, Chapel Hill Tire and Sterling Ridge properties would be affected by the ordinance if passed as is, said architect Josh Gurlitz. "I thought by looking at real examples the council would be better able to gauge the effects of the ordinance," he said. "I hope what we did will help eliminate some of the issues they have been having."
Attendees hoped the next adjustments will be the final touches to the ordinance, which is in its fourth draft after nearly two years of discussion.
The diverse group that attended the work session included technicians, architects, real estate agents and former Chapel Hill Mayor Rosemary Waldorf.
"We hoped to basically pull together some people who have a lot of experience dealing with town development issues," Knapp said. "If things needed to be tweaked, we wanted to identify those so we can go to the Town Council."
The resource conservation line running through the El Rodeo and Photo Quick property will be moved by the ordinance, Gurlitz said. "(The new line) would prohibit the owners from improving their property," he said. "That was the main issue, whether or not someone could bring that property up to modern standards under the ordinance."
Attendees discussing the Chapel Hill Tire property decided to suggest allowing builders who set aside more than one-third of the building for residential space to exceed height limits by one floor to encourage builders to include residential space. They said they hoped to make profitable the construction of mixed-use buildings, which include retail, office and residential space.
