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Discuss the Future Use of the American Legion Property, 1714 Legion Road.
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Staff: |
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Ross Tompkins, Assistant to the Town Manager |
Town’s Manager’s Office |
Overview: The Town purchased the 36.2-acre parcel located along Legion road from American Legion Post 6 in March 2017. The property includes the 8,400 square-foot Post building, a small dance studio, and a 3.1-acre pond. A stream running north to south through the property, and its associated buffer, make up about 8.6 acres.
As a condition of the sale, the Town agreed to lease a portion of the property (including both buildings) back to the Post for three years. The lease continues on a month-to-month basis at the end of the term until terminated by either party. Per the lease agreement, the Post sublets the dance studio to the current operator and that sublease is allowed to continue for the length of the lease. The Town expects the Post to have moved off of the property and for the lease to end by Summer 2020.
After the Town purchased the American Legion property, the Council appointed the American Legion Task Force (ALTF) to develop future land use recommendations for the property. The ALTF recommended a set of Development Principles to the Council in June 2017, as well as a list of Evaluation Criteria and Prioritized Uses in November 2017. The Council then asked the Town Manager to review the report, identify next steps, and propose an implementation process.
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Recommendation(s): |
That the Council receive information regarding possible future uses on the American Legion property and provide feedback to staff.
Decision Points:
• Consider a combination of uses on the property, including a community park, affordable housing, and/or a private use.
Key Issues:
• The Town has not allocated any funding to the future use of this property in its five-year capital plan. (Revenue from selling a portion of the property is unlikely to offset the full purchase cost and construction costs for future uses.)
• The existing pond and dam need significant investment and are unlikely to align with any future development of the property.
Fiscal Impact/Resources:
Expenses
• Purchase of property (2017-2019): $7.9 million
• Estimate of pond removal: $0.5 million
Revenues
• Estimate for land sale, based on March 2018 appraisal, depends on intended use:
o $160,000/acre for low-density residential zoning (R-2)
o $400,000-$500,000/acre if rezoned to Blue Hill for commercial use (WX-5)
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Attachments: |
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• Draft Staff Presentation |
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• Council Guiding Principles for Future Development of the American Legion Property |
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• ALTF Development Principles |
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• ALTF Evaluation Criteria |
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• ALTF Prioritized Recreational Uses |
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• Town Properties Task Force Guiding Principles for Evaluating Town-Owned Properties |
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• Town of Chapel Hill American Legion Web Page <http://www.townofchapelhill.org/americanlegion> |
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• Town of Chapel Hill Comprehensive Parks Plan Web Page <https://www.townofchapelhill.org/town-hall/departments-services/parks-and-recreation/planning-and-development/comprehensive-parks-plan-adopted-may-29-2013> |
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The Agenda will reflect the text below and/or the motion text will be used during the meeting. |
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PRESENTER: Ross Tompkins, Assistant to the Town Manager
The purpose of this item is for Council to receive information regarding possible future uses on the American Legion property and provide feedback to staff.