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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Chapel Hill Town Council Meeting – April 9, 2025

Meeting Portal — Wednesday, April 9, 2025

BodyChapel Hill, North Carolina

SessionMeeting Portal

DateWednesday, April 9, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:19:49

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

2:52

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the April 9th meeting of the Chapel Hill Town Council.

2:58

We are so pleased to have you join us.

3:00

Um, this evening we have four items on our agenda for discussion.

3:04

First up, council will consider adoption of the town's public housing program annual plan.

3:10

That will be followed by a public forum on the twenty twenty-five-twenty-six community development block grant action or CDBG and twenty twenty-five to twenty twenty-nine five year plans.

3:23

Um, our third item is to close the public hearing and consider a conditional zoning application for two hundred South Elliott Road.

3:31

And our final item is to discuss upcoming work session agenda topics.

3:36

Um, before we get underway, I want to give a special welcome to the Daisy Scouts in the audience and invite them to join me up front to help with a special proclamation.

4:21

Um, Daisy Scouts, thank you for joining the members of the town council.

4:27

Together, we are going to announce National Library Week.

4:31

Um, when we're done, council members were joining us for a photo, and we have some goodies for each of you from the library and from our visitor center.

4:39

As we all know, libraries and librarians play a very special role for our community.

4:46

Libraries spark creativity, fuel imagination, and inspire lifelong learning by offering a space where individuals of all ages can explore new ideas and be drawn to new possibilities.

5:01

For our youngest residents and future leaders, libraries foster curiosity and a love for learning through story times, steam programs, summer reading challenges, and much much more.

5:16

Here in Chapel Hill, thanks to our amazing librarians and library team, our public library is one of the busiest and most beloved places in town.

5:27

And so tonight, in recognition of how important and special our library and all libraries are, we broke reproclaim April April 6th to 12th to be National Library Week in the town of Chapel Hill and encourage everyone to visit the library.

5:51

This week and all year round.

5:53

Council members, would you please join us for a photo?

6:16

Would you like to make the point together?

6:24

There we go.

6:27

Everybody, if everybody can turn around and face the camera.

6:30

That would be great.

6:32

Perfection.

6:37

Yeah, there we go.

6:39

There we go.

6:40

Can we see your face too, ma'am?

6:41

Where are you going?

6:47

Okay.

6:48

Everybody ready?

6:49

Look right here.

6:49

One, two, three, say library.

6:52

Say it again loud so we can hear you.

6:57

Thank you.

6:58

All right.

7:01

Good job.

7:19

Thank you again to our daisies.

7:22

You are our future leaders, and it's so it's so awesome to have you here learning about local government.

7:29

We would love you to stay for our whole meeting, but we will not be offended if maybe you have run your course on attention or other things.

7:37

So I'm gonna leave it to you, but we will have you here all night if you want.

7:41

Um before I'm just giving you the option.

7:47

Um before I move on from this proclamation, I do want to encourage everyone who loves libraries and museums to reach out to members of Congress asking them to restore and support funding for libraries across the country.

8:02

Uh we learned yesterday that cuts to federal funding extends to libraries and museums.

8:07

Uh as we all know, libraries serve many functions and meet many needs.

8:13

Um, as a council, we sent a letter to our senators and congresswoman Fushi several weeks ago about how federal funds support town infrastructure programs and services.

8:23

So if you're so inclined, we encourage you to do the same.

8:30

Up next, announcements.

8:33

Um, we have a couple of calendar announcements to share for this week.

8:38

Tomorrow from 6 to 8 p.m.

8:40

at the library.

8:42

Umbers of the public are invited to an open house about the proposed West Cameron Road bike improvements project.

8:49

Then looking past the weekend to the next week on Monday, April 14th at 5 15 p.m., there will be a virtual public meeting regarding proposed multifamily housing at 115 Chapel Point Road.

9:01

Then on Wednesday evening, April 16th at 6 p.m., town council will be holding a work session at the Chapel Hill Public Library.

9:09

During our work session, there will be a presentation from Orange County about the recent property revaluation, followed by discussions of next year's budget.

9:18

Information on these and other upcoming meetings is available on the calendar page of the town website.

9:24

Uh, council members, other announcements.

9:27

Uh Councilmember McCullough.

9:30

Uh I just wanted to point out that this past decade is the hottest decade on record.

9:36

That's uh pretty darn significant, and that there's a lot that can be done by individuals and local governments about that, and I just wanted to bring that to everyone's attention.

9:48

Thank you.

9:48

Councilmember Stegman.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Affordable Housing███████████████████████████████████████████43%

Procedural███████████████15%

Public Housing█████████9%

Land Use Management███████7%

Public Engagement█████5%

Environmental Protection███3%

Economic Development███3%

Stormwater Management███3%

Transportation Safety███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Chapel Hill Town Council Meeting – April 9, 2025

The Chapel Hill Town Council met on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at 6:02 PM in the Council Chamber at Town Hall. The meeting included a proclamation, announcements, a public petition, a consent agenda, discussion of the Public Housing Annual Plan, a public forum on CDBG plans, a conditional zoning application for 200 South Elliott Road, and planning for future work session topics. The meeting adjourned at 8:20 PM.

Proclamation and Announcements

Mayor Anderson proclaimed April 6–12, 2025, as National Library Week in Chapel Hill, and urged residents to support federal library funding.
Council Member McCullough noted that the past decade was the hottest on record.
Council Member Stegman celebrated her 20th wedding anniversary and emphasized the importance of defending human rights.
Upcoming meetings: April 10 open house on West Cameron Road bike improvements, April 14 virtual meeting on 115 Chapel Point Road housing, and April 16 work session on property revaluation and FY2026 budget.

Public Comments & Testimony

John de Figueiredo presented a petition signed by 51 residents requesting more community engagement and transparency on traffic-calming measures on Honeysuckle Road. He described unintended consequences of a traffic circle and bollards, including hazards for pedestrians, trucks, and school buses. The petition sought to pause installations and involve neighbors. The Council voted unanimously to receive and refer the petition to the Town Manager.

Consent Calendar

The Council adopted the consent agenda (R-1) unanimously, approving the following items:
- Miscellaneous Budget Ordinance Amendment to adjust various fund budgets for FY 2024-25.
- Like-kind transfer of firefighter turnout gear with Carolina Beach Fire Department.
- Award of bid to Daniels Inc. for street patching, milling, resurfacing, and re-striping on town-maintained streets.
- Dedication of a private sewer easement on Merritt’s Pasture Park for 416 Morgan Creek Road.
- Call for a legislative hearing on a Land Use Management Ordinance text amendment regarding Boards and Commissions rules (May 21, 2025).
- Designation of a voting delegate to the NC League of Municipalities Annual Conference.
- Adoption of minutes from October 9, 23, November 13, 20, and December 2, 2024, and January 15, 2025.

Discussion Items

Public Housing Annual Plan and Five-Year Plan (Item 10): Public Housing Manager Felts Lewis presented the FY2026 Annual Plan, Five-Year Plan, and Five-Year Capital Fund Action Plan, required by HUD. The town currently has a “troubled” HUD score of 52, but staff are working to improve it to 90+. The plan allocates an estimated $937,504 from HUD for major renovations, including flooring, ceilings, plumbing, and electrical work. The Council expressed support and approved the plan unanimously (R-8).
CDBG Public Forum (Item 11): Funding Programs Coordinator Melissa Peters presented the draft 2025-26 CDBG Annual Action Plan and 2025-29 Five-Year Consolidated Plan. The town received 12 funding requests totaling $1,842,927, with $718,099 available. Staff recommended funding seven partner projects, two town programs, and administration. The priorities include increasing affordable rental housing, preserving affordable housing, and supporting permanent supportive housing. The public forum was opened and closed with no comments; a 30-day comment period ends April 30.
Conditional Zoning for 200 South Elliott Road (Item 12): Planner Josh Mayo presented the application for a mixed-use development (315–350 units, ground-floor retail). The applicant, Rockwood Development Group, proposed changes since the January 2025 meeting: reduced retail minimum (from 11,000 to 4,000 sq ft), increased unit range, and revised affordable housing options (either 5% at 65% AMI or a $1.125 million payment-in-lieu). Council members expressed concerns about affordability, parking, road connectivity, tree canopy, and loading zones. Business owner Bill Darragh (The Casual Pint) highlighted traffic and loading issues. After discussion, the applicant offered a $2 million payment for affordable housing. The Council closed the hearing and approved the rezoning (Resolution A and Ordinance A as amended) by a 7-2 vote (Council Members Berry and Searing dissenting). The payment is not “in lieu” but a direct contribution to the town’s affordable housing fund.
Upcoming Work Session Topics (Item 13): Interim Town Manager Mary Jane Nirdlinger outlined the schedule through June 2025. Council members suggested topics including tenant protections (e.g., rent withholding for uninhabitable units), review of Housing Choice Amendment dimensional standards, homelessness and affordable housing innovations, stormwater and Jordan Lake Rules, WASMPBA, development financing and streamlined processes, Parking Lot 2 updates, economic development, urban redevelopment best practices, and hosting the Incremental Development Alliance. Staff will compile a list with priority checkboxes for Council members to indicate interest.

Key Outcomes

Petition referred to Town Manager (unanimous).
Consent agenda approved (unanimous).
Public Housing Annual Plan and Five-Year Plan approved (unanimous, R-8).
CDBG public forum held; no comments received; 30-day comment period open.
Conditional zoning for 200 South Elliott Road approved (7-2) with a $2 million affordable housing payment (no alternative).
Upcoming work session topics to be prioritized via staff spreadsheet; Council will indicate interest levels.
Special meetings called for April 14 and 24, 2025, at 6:00 PM for closed session on Town Manager hiring (unanimous).

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the April 9th meeting of the Chapel Hill Town Council. We are so pleased to have you join us. Um, this evening we have four items on our agenda for discussion. First up, council will consider adoption of the town's public housing program annual plan. That will be followed by a public forum on the twenty twenty-five-twenty-six community development block grant action or CDBG and twenty twenty-five to twenty twenty-nine five year plans. Um, our third item is to close the public hearing and consider a conditional zoning application for two hundred South Elliott Road. And our final item is to discuss upcoming work session agenda topics. Um, before we get underway, I want to give a special welcome to the Daisy Scouts in the audience and invite them to join me up front to help with a special proclamation. Um, Daisy Scouts, thank you for joining the members of the town council. Together, we are going to announce National Library Week. Um, when we're done, council members were joining us for a photo, and we have some goodies for each of you from the library and from our visitor center. As we all know, libraries and librarians play a very special role for our community. Libraries spark creativity, fuel imagination, and inspire lifelong learning by offering a space where individuals of all ages can explore new ideas and be drawn to new possibilities. For our youngest residents and future leaders, libraries foster curiosity and a love for learning through story times, steam programs, summer reading challenges, and much much more. Here in Chapel Hill, thanks to our amazing librarians and library team, our public library is one of the busiest and most beloved places in town. And so tonight, in recognition of how important and special our library and all libraries are, we broke reproclaim April April 6th to 12th to be National Library Week in the town of Chapel Hill and encourage everyone to visit the library. This week and all year round. Council members, would you please join us for a photo? Would you like to make the point together? There we go. Everybody, if everybody can turn around and face the camera. That would be great. Perfection. Yeah, there we go. There we go. Can we see your face too, ma'am? Where are you going? Okay. Everybody ready? Look right here. One, two, three, say library. Say it again loud so we can hear you. Thank you. All right. Good job. Thank you again to our daisies. You are our future leaders, and it's so it's so awesome to have you here learning about local government. We would love you to stay for our whole meeting, but we will not be offended if maybe you have run your course on attention or other things. So I'm gonna leave it to you, but we will have you here all night if you want. Um before I'm just giving you the option. Um before I move on from this proclamation, I do want to encourage everyone who loves libraries and museums to reach out to members of Congress asking them to restore and support funding for libraries across the country. Uh we learned yesterday that cuts to federal funding extends to libraries and museums. Uh as we all know, libraries serve many functions and meet many needs. Um, as a council, we sent a letter to our senators and congresswoman Fushi several weeks ago about how federal funds support town infrastructure programs and services. So if you're so inclined, we encourage you to do the same. Up next, announcements. Um, we have a couple of calendar announcements to share for this week. Tomorrow from 6 to 8 p.m. at the library. Umbers of the public are invited to an open house about the proposed West Cameron Road bike improvements project.

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