Loren HINTZ - candidate

Dear Loren,

Sorry, but I don’t think I communicated my point.

I have lived in Southern Village for 14 years and know both much of the history and am familiar with many of the details of Obey Creek, including conversations with at least one previous attempted developer.

You have recited the developer’s rationale for HIS proposal. If I want to build a 13 story building on our property here in Southern Village so I can sell tickets to allow people to marvel at the sight of downtown Chapel Hill, I can give you that and more of a rationale.

That’s not my point.

No representative entity has agreed to the Development Agreement approach, or the Compass Committee and given a clear rationale for doing so. And I know of no one – not a single person – who felt, prior to the PERRY’s proposal on behalf of his Baltimore owners who felt that a change in current zoning for Obey Creek ought even to be considered.

All of the developer’s points you make below go to why we ought to be happy that the developer is not doing something worse. That’s no way to run a town.

There is one small exception and that is the open space, but I am not convinced that one acre home lots would not preserve about the same number of trees in the end.

So, are you saying – taking out the developer’s rationale related to HIS proposal – that we should be doing what the Compass Committee is doing and the Town Council may do in advancing the Development Agreement process…..that the reason is that this change would preserve more green space? If that is so, then where is the document from the Council, the Compass Committee or anyone else that compares likely environmental impact of current zoning to what, theoretically only, the developer is waving in front of many people with pretty pictures? We should have seen that document as the one on which the very initial decision was based to start down this road.

I ask my question again – why have we embarked on this path? Just because the developer asked?

From your answer, alas, I fear you would fit right in with the rest of the Council if elected.

Good luck nonetheless,

Terry

From: Loren Hintz [mailto:hintzforcouncil@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, October 25, 2013 4:59 PM
To: Terry MAGUIRE
Subject: Re: Obey Creek

Terry Maguire · Founder at Mediterranean Media Center

I think the point made here is a good one, except I worry about all of the wasted time for everyone involved that delay would likely mean. So much time has been wasted by so many already.
What I continue to think is needed more than anything else is a clear statement of rationale as to WHY "we" should consider ANY change in the existing zoning regulations that apply to Obey Creek. What is the REASON for doing so? Because some developer asks? Because someone has dreams of vast tax revenues? Because there are services, facilities, buildings needed in this part of Chapel Hill that are not there? If we do not get serious about deciding why any change should be considered, we will allow all of us to slip onto the developer's turf of arguing about street lighting and parking places. We should STOP, articulate a proposed rationale, get it generally accepted and ONLY THEN proceed to any next step of any kind.

Dear Terry, Thank you for contacting me. I have attended several Obey creek compass meetings and live nearby. (I live on KIngs MIll Rd.) I was here when Southern Village was planned and then built. My general bias is to support the status quo with very low density for the area across from Southern Village. When the town created the Chapel Hill Plan 2020 they decided to revisit plans for several areas including this one and a developer (Roger Perry) wanted to develop an area to a much higher density than it was zoned. His proposal had been rejected and he came to an agreement with some citizens to form a new approach to looking at development in the area. That became the Obey Creek Compass Committee. The advantage of allowing higher density is that the community would gain a few items: 2/3 of the land would remain undeveloped rather than single family homes, there would be bike and pedestrian improvements along 15-501 and there would be a pedestrian bridge across 15-501. In terms of environmental impact, concentrating development in a smaller area would be positive. However the total amount of impervious surface (I think) would be much greater. Current rules require large developmental storm water to be controlled ( there are fewer rules for individual homes) but if the engineering would really work is an unknown. In terms of commercial development, the developer claims less than 1.6 million square feet is not economically viable for a commercial development in this area. Like I said, my bias is to keep the current zoning but I tried to describe the rationale for the proposal.

Loren Hintz

On Mon, Oct 21, 2013 at 2:31 PM, Terry MAGUIRE <tmaguire@newspaper.com> wrote:

Dear Loren,

I don’t believe we’ve met but let me start out by wishing you success in the upcoming election!

On your site, I find this line “ I agree that we need to reduce our dependence on residential property tax for our budget and that in some areas of town we should encourage commercial development.”

As a 14 year resident of Southern Village, you are right to assume that I am thinking Obey Creek when I read this.

If so, you are right.

I agree with you, but feel very strongly that the Council should not proceed with any more work on Obey Creek until all of us are presented with a fully allocated costs and revenues analysis of what the potential tax benefits might be. When I say “fully allocated”, I mean everything from the costs of the many town employees who seem to be engaged already in the potential project, any costs incurred for roadwork, sewers, etc. – by any entity of government, and then the projected net results for Chapel Hill taxes.

No one has produced this as far as I know.

I’d like to see you go on record supporting that point.

And I would urge a second as well. I have articulated it in a comment on this piece in the Chapel Hill News http://www.chapelhillnews.com/2013/10/18/3289696/obey-creek-committee-needs-more.html

I hope you will support the need for a clear analysis of needs in advance of any more work. We need to know what we want, why we want it, think about both, and THEN decide what to do next.

Thanks for listening and good luck, once again,

Terry

Terry MAGUIRE