The Town Council should approve the adoption of form-based code to simplify and speed up the development process in Chapel Hill.
With this new system, the town would set specific parameters such as building height and setback from the road. Developers would have to conform to these guidelines but would then be free to build according to their own discretion.
This would streamline the process developers must currently go through, which includes obtaining a special use permit and presenting to several advisory boards. Thus, form-based code will save time and money for all involved.
Some have complained that the adoption of form-based code would stifle the voice of town residents in the development process, as it does away with public hearings and other events that welcome input from the community.
The council must render these concerns obsolete by ensuring that the code is as specific as possible and represents the interests of a majority of residents. Form-based codes in other cities have been so explicit as to define what color schemes can be used in a historic area, for example.
By communicating with residents and definitively outlining the town’s desires to developers, the council can keep public input an integral part of this process.
If approved, form-based code will be used to redevelop the shopping centers around the Ephesus-Fordham Boulevard intersection. With a quick and cost-effective development process, the new pedestrian-friendly development would soon begin attracting visitors and expanding Chapel Hill’s tax base.
Such a tax base expansion would allow the council to fix infrastructural problems in town, as well as pay for the basic services that local governments often struggle to finance.
Adopting a simpler, more time-efficient development process will be good for the town’s long-term success.
