[Durham INC] Draft January minutes

[Pat Carstensen]

Please let me know about additions or corrections.  Thanks, pat


January Delegate Meeting of the InterNeighborhood Council of Durham

Golden Belt

January 28, 2020



Attending the meeting were:
Neighborhoods

Argonne Hills – Arienne Cheek, Christine Benson

Braggtown – Vannessa Mason Evans

Cross Counties – Pat Carstensen

Falconbridge – Dick Ford

Forest Hills – Matt McDowell

Golden Belt – DeDreana Freeman

Northgate Park – Debra Hawkins

Old North Durham – Peter Katz, John Martin

Trinity Park – Philip Azar

Trappers Creek / Greymoss – Will Wilson

Tuscaloosa-Lakewood – Susan Sewell

Watts Hospital Hillandale – Tom Miller



Visitors

Annette Smith – DPR and Durham Parks Foundation

Kyle Whitaker – Northwood Retail (NWR)

Jonathan Stewart – NWR

Jeff Furman – NWR

Lynwood Best – NIS

Aaron Thomas – WRAL News

Lake Notestine – WRAL News

Blandy Fisher

Sean Egan – City of Durham Transportation







President Will Wilson welcomed those present and reminded folks that since it is a new year, dues are due; folks introduced themselves.  There were no adjustments to the agenda.



Sean Egan, Director of Durham’s Transportation Department, talked about bus rapid transit (BRT) and the “go-forward” transit plan (https://goforwardnc.org/county/durham-county/the-plan/), which is being done with the Engage Durham process and is fortunately being done at the same time as the Comprehensive Plan.  Following the equitable engagement ideas, they are trying to meet at different times and places to better include vulnerable communities, offering child care and Spanish translation, learning from past outreach efforts (e.g. from 2017 Transit Plan), using ambassadors, and refining how to reach out to targeted communities after analyzing what communities aren’t represented in initial meetings.  Some themes in the work are improved frequency (trying for 15-minute intervals during day and 30-minute intervals on weekends on key routes, but finding these targets aren’t always being achieved), more environmentally friendly transportation (getting grants for more electric buses, trading off start-up costs and subsequent savings and environmental benefits), regional needs / integration, bus stop infrastructure (sidewalks and shelters to keep riders out of the rain), transit affordability, communication and public information (when is the next bus), and learning from other bus systems (accommodating strollers without collapsing them is being done in DC, although such riders need to give up the spot for someone in a wheelchair).  The ideal is accommodating all kinds of riders; for example, paratransit needs to get riders to appointment on time. Major transit centers with high numbers of boardings need more facilities to make them comfortable.  The update to transit plan that would more of a series of initiatives to improve transit (not a one-shot thing), such as bus rapid transit corridors, ways to fit with regional network for frequency and reliability, and analyzing where buses get delayed (for example, due to cars parked to make turn impossible).  Bus rapid transit takes less time to plan than light rail, but still entails major infrastructure investment; it may be possible to do some movement in that direction incrementally when are doing other road changes. We are studying commuter rail to Raleigh. Over the next year, we will be identifying choices to improve local and regional service, asking public about a menu of choices and developing ways to measure how “good” different investments would be. It also may be possible to use some of the ideas from BRT that can be done without tearing up any streets, to be used along high use ridership routes, making transit attractive and competitive and to get to arterial rapid transit.



Jeff Furman of Northwood Retail (NWR) talked about the Northgate Mall conversion.  NWR first bought Sears, then the rest of mall, then the shops at the side.  They don’t yet have a plan and are in the process of talking to the community about the property. They hope to have mixed use, a place to shop and gather and do family things.  It is a long process. Retail is changing, so the old way of looking for a retail anchor is not necessarily the way to go. Entertainment options are also pretty tough to develop right now.  Duke has the Macy’s and NWR will be working with them.



INC will not have a county commissioner candidate forum, but links to announcements about other forums are or will be on website.



On EHC accountability, the committee asked Planning about times to talk, and Planning set a letter about how there would be a first update to JCCPC on Feb. 5 at 9:30 AM.  10 permits have been submitted (7 approved, 3 under review) that fit under EHC, but Planning did not include information about detailed maps or any information about demolitions (we admit that identifying “EHC caused” demolitions can be sort of dicey).



Black Meadow Ridge is just south of West Point of the Eno, north of Argonne Hills and Horton Hills.  There is a proposed development with 379 units of housing on the site, which is only getting an administrative review by Planning.   The developers propose to level the ridge and the plan submitted will result in mostly impervious surface. They are getting away with just an administrative  review because of the a rough draft plan submitted in 1972. There was some kind of lost plan about 2008 and an effort to acquire the property for the park.  If they do get more of a review, they will want our support more.  More information is at https://www.blackmeadowridge.org<https://www.blackmeadowridge.org/>.



Carver Street Assemblage is development around the new street that extends into the corner where Catsburg Store is. It has 130 acres, about 700 houses, and minimal information about it.  We know they are moving rare plants.



The General Assembly has cut off citizens’ ability to initiate re-zonings on property they don’t own, which means that the NPO petition process no longer complies with the law, so Planning is re-working the process, trying to get their initial proposal simpler.  The General Assembly also re-wrote the enabling rules for zoning, with lots of bad substantive changes in it; we will have to re-write the code by January 2021 to comply.



Rhonda Parker is retiring as director of Parks and Rec.  We hope to have some kind of celebration. Susan moved that we do a thank you resolution, seconded by Debra, and this passed.





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