Pittsboro Matters Supports Approving Chatham Park Without Delay

Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2014 07:33:45 -0500
From: Pittsboro Matters
Subject: Pittsboro Matters Supports Approving Lawrence Group Recommendations Without Delay

On Monday February 24, planning consultant Craig Lewis of the Lawrence Group, told the Pittsboro Town Board, in presenting his firm’s recommendations, that the revisions to the Chatham Park master plan would be neither difficult for the developer or town to accomplish, nor would they delay approval or implementation of the project.

“All these are very normal parts of the development process anywhere else in the state,” Lewis repeatedly informed the board. “We do not think they are onerous in any particular way.”

Pittsboro Matters and its supporters were key to the lobbying effort that resulted in the town contracting with this nationally recognized planning consulting firm. We have reviewed their report in detail and heard the Lawrence Group’s excellent and straight-forward oral presentation of that report on February 24.

Based on everything we have read and heard, we strongly support all of the recommendations of this excellent expert planning review of Chatham Park. We are asking the Pittsboro Town Board to approve all of the Lawrence Group recommendations without further delay. We are also asking the Town Board to contract with the Lawrence Consulting Group to assist the town during the review process so that there will be no delay in implementing their recommendations.

All citizens and stakeholder groups that desire that Chatham Park live up to its stated promise to develop a community of “exceptional design, character and quality” that preserves “critical environmental resources” should support these recommendations that are designed to help achieve those laudable goals, and write or call the mayor and town board and share your support today. (Their contact information can be found at: http://pittsboromatters.org/news-events/newsletter/)

The Lawrence Group recommendations included the following: Add east/west roadways to connect Chatham Park to downtown businesses; Set aside 30% of the total area as conservation areas and another 10% for active recreation; Use a previously completed environmental assessment and recommendations as a guide; Require a small area site plan and general design guidelines before allowing any construction prior to final approval of all elements of the master plan; Limit building heights to four stores; Designate school and fire station sites; Require detailed design guidelines and a development agreement; do not allow any development without adequate water, sewer and other required infrastructure. The above are part of some 40 specific recommendations. You can read the report and/or our three-page summary at http://pittsboromatters.org/news/consultants-report/.

Pittsboro Matters was not formed to either attempt to stop or unnecessarily delay a well-designed Chatham Park proposal but to make sure the town took the time necessary to properly review the proposal, to obtain outside expertise, and to review and listen to citizen input. We, and many citizens, have pointed out a host of deficiencies with the various versions of the master plan presented by Chatham Park Investors to date. Those concerns were confirmed by the report of the independent expert planning consultants when the Lawrence Group found that there were “significant deficiencies in the PDD Master Plan that would preclude making a well-informed decision about such a significant project.”

Now that we have a set of outside expert recommendations that address those deficiencies there is no reason to delay approving all of them.