Chapel Hill to revise stormwater laws

Chapel Hill is planning to revise its stormwater ordinance on Nov. 12 — but that date cannot come fast enough for Shannon Taylor.

Taylor, a Chapel Hill native, is building a new home for himself and his pregnant wife, a house he hoped would be completed by Oct. 1.

But under the current stormwater ordinance, Taylor said he would have to pay almost $30,000 to finish his house — which he doesn’t want to pay if the ordinance changes in November.

The stormwater ordinance requires new single family homes with more than 5,000 square feet of affected property have their stormwater impact analyzed.

The analysis often results in the need for a Stormwater Best Management Practice, or BMP — a device that helps reduce runoff and removes pollutants in stormwater, said Chris Jensen, a stormwater engineer for Chapel Hill.

“BMPs are constructed to reduce the total suspended solids in stormwater,” he said. “It allows the project to retain the pre-construction rate of stormwater flow.”

Taylor’s new home would require a stormwater analysis of the property and the BMP, he said.

Taylor wanted to move into the house by October so his wife would have a stress-free environment, but cannot without paying the $30,000.

“I’m seeing it on a local, small scale,” he said.

He said he thinks the overwhelming cost is unfair.

“It upsets me when a neighbor does not have it and I have it,” he said. “It is like I am treating the stormwater for them.”

At the Chapel Hill Town Council meeting Sept. 12, Taylor asked the council to move the ordinance’s revision date to October, which would allow him to move into his new home when he originally planned to.

Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said he hopes changes to the ordinance will help soften the current financial costs.

Kleinschmidt said he wanted to incorporate all homes into the stormwater cost, instead of just newly-built ones.

“We are considering a change to not have the stormwater requirements on every household,” he said.

“And just have a flat-rate charge that every household would pay.”

Kleinschmidt said he thinks the changes to the ordinance should come soon.

“We are working with staff to get to the point so that we can save him money and get him into his home,” he said.

And Taylor said he was pleased with the way the town has been moving forward on the issue.

“It’s taking form as it should be,” he said.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.