Town reviews Master Plan

It's hard to walk through campus anymore without seeing at least one construction project underway — a clear indication that the University is growing.

As campus growth continues, University officials are ready to update the document that guides that development: the 2001 campus Master Plan.

But before the update moves forward, they are trying to find out what the town thinks.

“The town and the University are so closely linked in so many ways,” said Jonathan Howes, the UNC director of the Master Plan and former mayor of Chapel Hill.

Howes said the town was deeply involved in the creation of the Master Plan in 2001.

The University is continuing to solicit this involvement as it begins the revision process.

Several meetings have been held to garner feedback — most recently a community meeting last Thursday in Murphey Hall.

The audience, composed of about 20 University faculty members and town residents, heard reports on current and future projects as well as the principles outlined in the plan.

Director of Facilities Planning Anna Wu told the group the revision was in part an attempt to confirm that the University was staying true to its Master Plan.

“This being an update, it’s not of the same magnitude as when we did the original Master Plan,” said Linda Convissor, director of local relations for the University.

Convissor said that the effect University development has on the town is greatly dependent upon what the project is, its location and the amount of traffic it will generate.

“Even adding a new building isn’t going to generate traffic if we’re not going to have parking associated with it,” she said.

Traffic on the main campus was one of several key points Chapel Hill Town Council member Mark Kleinschmidt said he thought affected the town. That list also included the impact on the transit system and storm water management.

“There are a lot of issues concerning development on the main campus,” he said.

While development anywhere on the University likely will have some impact on the greater community, Kleinschmidt said construction on the outskirts of campus will have a larger influence on town residents.

“Issues that arise on the periphery have to be dealt with very carefully,” he said.

Jill Coleman, landscape architect and project manager for the update, echoed that sentiment, saying the University responds differently to the community depending on the location of the project.

She compared the effect to dropping a rock in a lake because the greatest effect is felt closest to the site of impact.

Coleman also pointed out that the University’s Development Plan guides interactions with the town.

“We have a very specific agreement with the town of Chapel Hill through the Development Plan,” she said.

That plan, which was approved by town council in July 2001, sets regulations to direct implementation of the Master Plan considering the interests of the University, UNC Health Care Systems and the town.

Coleman said the Master Plan revisions are slated to go to the Board of Trustees for approval in the fall after more information is collected.

Information about the proposed changes soon will be made available online. The 2001 Master Plan can be viewed at http://www.fpc.unc.edu/CampusMasterPlan.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.