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Send the Lulu Water Park concept plan back to the drawing board
The Perspectives of Julie McClintock and Gordon Whitaker
Luluwater Park’s latest concept plan is seriously flawed. The proposal, a mix of rental apartments and townhomes in a narrow strip north of Chapel Hill between Interstate 40 and Weaver Dairy Road, arguably addresses many of the problems of past proposals for this unbuildable location. I repeat. We ask Chapel Hill City Council to send the proposal back to the developer blueprints.
Historical background is important. A few years ago, the council asked the town’s chief developer and urban planner to create a master plan for this greenfield property located along Interstate 40 from Old University Station Road to the Carroll Woods Retirement Community. I requested. None of these plans moved forward, mainly due to the serious and costly problems plaguing this large plot. Only about two-thirds of the land is developable due to extensive wetlands, the need for a 100-foot buffer along Interstate 40, and extensive easements for high-voltage power lines. Additionally, significant stormwater management and transportation challenges, as well as noise and pollution from the i-40, hinder habitable high-density development at this property. Further, citing the high cost of property, the cost of moving the existing he OWSA main sewer system, and the cost of building roads and utilities, precludes the inclusion of affordable housing units above the token count in the proposal. Listed by the developer. According to the town’s “Complete Communities” consultant, there are some pieces of land in our town that should not be built on. This is one such land he is.
Planning for this daunting property must meet a head-on test that it can benefit our town, not by marketing, but by actually becoming a “total community.”
traffic. Without major changes to Weaver Daily Road, the proposed Lulu Water Park concept plan faces serious obstacles to the flow of traffic into and out of the development.
Old University Station Road is proposed as the main access street to the west side of Luluwater Park. Former Daigaku Ekimae Street is a one-lane side street. Due to the presence of the median, traffic is dead-end at Weaver Dairy Road where only a right turn (westbound) is allowed. This barrier also prevents the Weaver Dairy’s eastbound traffic from heading north to Lullwater Park. Traffic along that section of the Weaver Dairy Road will need to be significantly redesigned to allow smooth traffic flow into and out of Luluwater Park via the Old University Station. A nearby intersection (for access to Perkins Drive, which provides access to the Timberlyne shopping center to the south and Chapel Hill North shopping center to the north) must have an additional right turn lane and traffic light.
Alternate access to the western end of Lullwater Park is proposed via Adair Drive. This route also has its challenges. Adair Drive is a narrow driveway providing access to the apartments between Chapel Hill North and Lullwater Park. It’s not fair. Additionally, Adare Drive dead-ends at Perkins Drive. Perkins Drive connects Martin Luther King Boulevard and Weaver Dairy Road. The south intersection with Weaver Dairy Road is blocked by the same median as Old University Station Road, and cross-lane turns are prohibited. At the northern end of the MLK, both turns are allowed and there are traffic lights. However, that intersection is very close to the entrance to the Chapel Hill North shopping center and is already heavily congested.
At the eastern end of Lalwater Park, vehicles were to enter and exit via a single proposed street just west of Coventry’s townhouse district. Traffic on Weaver Dairy Road is already congested, especially around school days, at East Chapel Hill High School, less than a mile east of the proposed new street. Traffic lights and turn lanes are essential for this new street, from which cars will be able to enter Weaver Daily Road safely. Without traffic lights, traffic waiting to turn left on Weaver Dairy heading east is likely to back off considerably on the new street, especially during rush hour. However, the traffic light could stop traffic going west on Weaver Dairy and block the intersection near Coventry.
According to the conceptual plan, no bike lanes are planned on any of these roads that provide access to Lulu Water Park, further complicating traffic flow.
transit access. While the development is presented as transit accessible, the reality is more complex and not “transport friendly”. The western portion of the property provides potential access to the existing NS route running along the MLK corridor. However, it is very dangerous and difficult for a pedestrian to safely cross his MLK to the southbound stop. Pedestrian crossings need to be significantly improved to make transportation a viable and safe option for residents west of Luluwater Park. To underscore this point, the Chapel Hill Police Department reported his pedestrian death on Sept. 8.th At MLK.JR. Boulevard. Near Perkins Drive.
The developer says residents will also be able to access the proposed NS BRT route, but the route is still in the planning stages and has been significantly delayed.
Residents in the eastern part of the development, on the other hand, have little meaningful access to public transportation. These residents will have to walk over a mile (depending on unit) to access the current NS route and proposed NS BRT. The T-route nominally serves the terminus of the Weaver Daily Road, but for most of the past few years service has been minimal, with even on a normal schedule he runs one train per hour. Only buses operate. A car is the only practical means of transportation for most people living on the eastern edge of the lot.
stormwater management. I doubt if rainwater can be contained at this site. The concept plan states that “rainwater harvesting will be provided by multiple on-site underground storage systems using best management practices.” The property proposed for development sits on a ridge, with drainage channels oriented primarily to the south. The proposal recognizes a Resource Conservation District (RCD) throughout the property, but would require a stormwater management plan designed to avoid flooding. Otherwise, the RCD and the area below it are likely to experience increased flooding from new buildings and their uphill parking lots. To build an underground rainwater reservoir, he is concerned that the RCD would need to be impeded, especially if a building or paved parking lot is proposed adjacent to the RCD.
Given the high percentage of proposed impermeable surfaces and the expected more frequent and severe storms, on-site stormwater collection would be expected to cause stormwater to run off the site at a high rate of velocity and to the nearby properties at lower elevations. Properties affected include existing multifamily and condominium communities in Coventry, Weatherstone and Kensington Traces.
We are also concerned about where the water will be discharged from these underground facilities, given the fact that all proposed developments are on top of RCD or neighboring properties. The area between Trace and Weatherstone is already located on the designated floodplain. His one of the proposed parking lots on the east side of Lulwater Park is on a steep bank just north of Coventry townhouses, crossing an apparently ephemeral stream. Another parking lot is adjacent to his RCD. Where do underground rainwater harvesting tanks discharge accumulated water without flooding the RCD?
Another flaw in the plan is the strength planned for the narrow strip of land along the new access road that will enter the site from Weaver Dairy Road. Several townhouse backyards in Coventry have already been flooded from heavy rains. If runoff from this narrow strip is not carefully managed, stormwater will flood both the access road and adjacent buildings in Coventry and other areas downstream. Where will the underground rainwater storage tanks in this section release the accumulated water without flowing into the existing area?
A crowded townhouse. The strip of property facing Weaver Dairy Road is only 225 feet wide and the proposed development there would not fit the site. As the topographic map shows, the land there slopes southeast (towards Coventry) from 542 feet in the northwest corner of the Strip to his 510 feet on Weaver Dairy Road. The slope is steep in some places. The proposed site plan does not take into account the slope of the land and tightly packs the development.
Within this narrow strip, the proposed plan will require a surprising amount of construction:
- New access street on the east side north of Weaver Dairy Road,
- The sidewalk on the west side of the new street,
- 24 3 story townhouses with parking downstairs,
- 12 three-story carriages with parking on the lower floor,
- Alleyway between rows of town/carriage houses to access ground level parking.
These town/carriage houses will be surrounded by pavement. Only one small lawn/tree plot is shown for the entire area, with the exception of a buffer on the side of the property. I can not do it. Current forest areas become dense areas with impermeable surfaces, which heat up and run off into existing multi-family housing communities.
I-40 Contamination. Finally, on the north side of the property, a three story town/carriage home is proposed at the end of a 100 foot buffer along I-40. These proposed three-story homes of his will overlook the highway directly. The high-rise apartments are less than 200 feet from Interstate 40. As the highway widens to his 6 lanes, the noise from highway traffic increases. Noise and air pollution from 24-hour interstate traffic pose a health hazard to residents of buildings located very close to I-40.
Bring this concept back to the drawing board.
“Viewpoints” about Chapelboro is a regular opinion column from the community. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author and do not reflect the work or reporting of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com.
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