TO THE EDITOR:
I have been reading the accounts of the proposal to build a new development, Obey Creek, along (U.S.) 15-501 south of town.
My understanding is that this proposal calls for the construction of a project that would be more than twice as dense as Southern Village. The land upon which this development is proposed was zoned for one-acre lots as part of the Southern Area Plan, adopted by the Town Council in 1992.
Until about 25 years ago, Chapel Hill had a fairly laissez-faire approach to development whereby developers proposed projects, town staff reviewed them to ensure that they met fairly relaxed standards and the Town Council then — generally — approved the development with some tweaking.
In the early 1980s, the community recognized that this haphazard approach to growth had stressed neighborhood infrastructures and, in some cases, exceeded the carrying capacities of properties upon which developments were built.
As a result, a newly elected Town Council strengthened the development process to one in which the town took the initiative by developing an updated comprehensive plan, zoned the undeveloped portion of the town to reflect the Comprehensive Plan, and strengthened development and building requirements. The Southern Area Plan and other small area plans were later incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan.
I was chagrined to read comments, as reported by The Chapel Hill News, by the mayor and council members in response to the Obey Creek proposal such as, “Maybe this is kind of a plug in the bottom of the tub that stops a leak,” and others that asked the developer to make modifications to the proposal or to establish a “development agreement.”
The council’s responsibility is to be proactive in guiding the growth of the community — not reacting to developers’ proposals.
What appears to be happening is that the council is ignoring the Southern Area Plan, adopted in response to many hours of community input, staff analysis, and council deliberations. By reacting rather than taking a leadership position, the council is allowing a development proposal to override the Comprehensive Plan.
