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Staff Update on the Petition for Long-Range Planning for Future Growth Consistent with Town Values
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Staff:
Department:
Colleen Willger, Director
Planning
Judy Johnson, Assistant Director
Corey Liles, Interim Planning Manager
Overview: On September 22, 2021, Mayor Hemminger and Council Members Ryan, Huynh, Anderson, Gu, Stegman, and Parker submitted a petition for staff to initiate a planning process addressing future growth in a way that is consistent with Town values of diversity, sustainability, and vibrancy. This item provides an initial response to the petition.
Recommendation(s):
That the Council receive this update on the Long-Range Planning Petition submitted on September 22, 2021.
Initial Response
The petition includes a request for a more robust data system. Planning staff are developing a recommendation for data tracking and analysis in response. This will involve a review of the Town's existing data inventory, along with consideration of how to introduce summary statistics.
Planning staff have identified several Town projects, already programmed or underway, that intersect with long-range planning interests outlined in the petition. Examples include the LUMO Rewrite, Downtown Together, and implementation of the Climate Action Plan. Staff plans to:
* Review those project scopes to see where they are already responding to the petition.
* Identify blind spots and/or simple adjustments to project scopes that would make them more responsive to the petition - in lieu of initiating a new project that generally focuses on long-range planning.
In addition, Planning staff is working with our partners to see what needs may exist for an expanded focus on housing policy for Chapel Hill. This includes:
* Coordination with Affordable Housing and Community Connections staff to understand the planning efforts in their Work Plan.
* Coordination with Rod Stevens on the scope of the Phase II Housing Study.
* Consideration of how to address a broader...
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