You can find Chapel Hill Town Council agendas, minutes, and videos on the Town of Chapel Hill Legistar page, which you can access here.

If your divorce was processed in Orange County, you may obtain a copy from the Orange County Clerk of Court's Office, located in the Orange County Courthouse.  Please contact them at (919) 644-4500 with any questions.

For a fee you may pick up a copy from the Records Division located at 828 Martin Luther King Blvd. Many reports are also available for free on our Police2Citizen website at http://p2c.chpd.us.  Additional data can be found on our Chapel Hill Open Data Platform.  If you have any questions or need to contact the Chapel Hill Police Department please call 919-968-2760.

Our Information Services Divisions completes the criminal background checks.  You can contact them at 919-968-2760, or email at Records-Police@townofchapelhill.org.

The Register of Deeds office is the official steward of birth records for Orange County.  For more information, please go here, or contact the Register of Deeds at (919) 245-2700 or (919) 245-2701.

You may obtain a copy of a certificate of occupancy by contacting our Building Inspections Division at 919-968-2718.

You may view the Manager's Recommended Budget here.  Additional budgetary development information is available here.

If your child cannot attend a session of camp, please let us know as soon as possible so that a child on the waitlist may attend.  You may notify the camp Site Supervisor by using the email address below, or use this form and drop it off at one of our facilities, or mail it to our Administrative office:

• Community Center Camp 120 S. Estes Dr. lburrill@townofchapelhill.org  919-968-2790
• Hargraves Center Camp 216 N. Roberson St. rjjones@townofchapelhill.org  919-968-2794
• Teen Camp 179 E. Franklin St. dsmith3@townofchapelhill.org  919-968-2841
• Administrative Office (Read to Achieve Afternoon Camp and others) 200 Plant Road parksrec@townofchapelhill.org  919-968-2784

Please notify us at least 14 days before the first day of the camp session to receive a refund, less a $10 processing fee, per child, per session.

Families who receive a Fee Reduction are expected to follow this cancellation procedure to remain in good standing and to continue to receive their discount.  Families whose children do not attend a session, and who have not followed this procedure, may forfeit their Fee Reduction discount.

To qualify for a refund, less a $10 processing fee, you’ll need to cancel at least 14 days before the first day of camp by notifying us in writing.  You can email us at parksrec@townofchapelhill.org, or provide written notice to us at one of our facilities.

If you’re getting a refund and you originally paid with a credit card, please contact the Parks and Recreation Administrative Office at (919) 968-2784 with your credit card number – we don’t keep your card number on file so we’ll need the card number to issue your refund.  If you paid with cash or check you’ll receive a check from the Town, usually within a couple of weeks. Even if you don’t qualify for a refund, please let us know if your child cannot attend camp.  We typically have long waitlists of children who would like to attend.

Please let us know!  If your child is enrolled in camp and cannot attend a day, please contact the camp and let them know as soon as possible.  This will allow us to better plan our day’s activities.

• Community Center Camp   lburrill@townofchapelhill.org
• Hargraves Center camp     rjjones@townofchapelhill.org
• Teen Camp                         dsmith3@townofchapelhill.org

If your child cannot attend a session of camp, please let us know as soon as possible so that a child on the waitlist may attend.  You may notify the camp director by using the email address below, or use this form and drop it off at one of our facilities, or mail it to our Administrative office:

• Community Center Camp120 S. Estes Dr.      lburrill@townofchapelhill.org
• Hargraves Center Camp216 N. Roberson St. rjjones@townofchapelhill.org
• Teen Camp179 E. Franklin St.                        dsmith3@townofchapelhill.org
• Administrative Office200 Plant Road               parksrec@townofchapelhill.org
  
  

Please notify us at least 14 days before the first day of the camp session to receive a refund, less a $10 processing fee, per child, per session.

Families who receive a Fee Reduction are expected to follow this cancellation procedure to remain in good standing and to continue to receive their discount.  Families whose children do not attend a session, and who have not followed this procedure, may forfeit their Fee Reduction discount.

To qualify for a refund, less a $10 processing fee, you’ll need to cancel at least 14 days before the first day of camp, and notify us in writing. 

You can email the Camp Director, or our administrative office.

• Community Center Camp120 S. Estes Dr.      lburrill@townofchapelhill.org
• Hargraves Center Camp216 N. Roberson St. rjjones@townofchapelhill.org
• Teen Camp179 E. Franklin St.                         dsmith3@townofchapelhill.org
• Administrative Office200 Plant Road               parksrec@townofchapelhill.org (Read to Achieve Afternoon Camp)

If you’re getting a refund and you originally paid with a credit card, please contact the Parks and Recreation Administrative Office at (919) 968-2784 with your credit card number – we don’t keep your card number on file so we’ll need the card number to issue your refund.  If you paid with cash or check you’ll receive a check from the Town, usually within a couple of weeks. 

Even if you don’t qualify for a refund, please let us know if your child cannot attend camp.  We typically have long wait-lists of children who would like to attend.

Please notify the Camp Director where you child is enrolled and let them know.  You’ll also need to contract your child’s school to find out if they have a bus to bring your child to camp once summer school is over for the day.

When you register for camp or place your child on a waitlist, please let us know if your child has a developmental disability or mental illness that might require extra support while in camp.

Our Adapted Recreation Coordinator, Marian Kaslovsky, would like to talk with your child’s school before summer to get some ideas and strategies for their support.  Please complete and return the permission form, giving us permission to talk to school and teachers.

Please note that we do not provide an extra support person for every child with a diagnosis nor do we use a label in a disability label in a negative way.

If you have questions, please contact Marian Kaslovsky, Adapted Recreation Coordinator for Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation at 919-968-2813 or mkaslovsky@townofchapelhill.org.

If you cannot afford the full fee, you may qualify for a discount through Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation’s Fee Reduction program.  This program gives qualified residents who have demonstrated financial need, a discount on program fees.  Once approved, families receive a discount of either 25, 50 or 90% of the program fee for one year. 

A Fee Reduction is a discount in program fees given to qualified Chapel Hill and Orange County residents who have demonstrated a financial need. (We’re sorry but non-residents are not eligible for a Fee Reduction).  Once approved, a family would receive a discount of either 25, 50 or 90% of the program fee for one year.  Please note that not all programs are eligible for a Fee Reduction. 

To apply for a Fee Reduction complete the Fee Reduction Application, provide the required documentation and submit to the Parks and Recreation Administrative office, 200 Plant Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. 

Verification and approval of applications may take several weeks depending on method of verification.  Applications are accepted throughout the year, however submitting your Fee Reduction Application by February 7 is required for our Day Camps to allow for adequate processing time prior to camp registration.

• Day Camps: A $10 minimum payment (per child, per session) is required for day camp registration. The minimum payment may be made with online, walk-in or by mail-in registration.
• All other camps require payment in full at time of registration.

Day Camps are the only camps that allow a minimum payment.  All other camps require full payment at the time of enrollment.

Day Camp Balances:  Sessions A-D balances have been postponed.  We will let you know when they are due.  Session E-I balance are due June 19, 2020

Camp fee balances must be paid in full by the due date or your child will be removed from the roster and waitlist enrollment will begin.

Residents (those living with the town limits of Chapel Hill or within Orange County) may register beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 10; non-residents may register starting on Tuesday, March 17, at 8:30 a.m.  You may register online, in person or by mail. Payment is due at the time of registration.

Search and enroll by Age (Your child's age as of August 31, 2019.). We are registering by age and not grade for DAY CAMPS. Community Center & Hargraves are ages 5 – 11 years old, and Teen Camp* is ages 12-13 years old. *There is an exception that youth currently in 6th grade and 11 years old, will be permitted to enroll in Teen Camp.

• Online Registration: Register using Webtrac at www.chapelhillparks.org. Visa, MasterCard, and Amex are accepted.  We strongly encourage you request your new account or account logon information several days in advance of registration.
  
  
  1. To create a WebTrac account visit www.chapelhillparks.org and click “Registration Programs-Register Online” then “Create an account”. Complete the information and submit. We’ll email your user name and password usually within 24 hours.
  2. If you already have an account but need your logon information, give us a call at 919-968-2784 and we’ll assist you. 

      

• Walk-in Registration - See Locations below
  • Interpretation will be available March 10 during camp registration from 8 a.m.–12 p.m. in Burmese, Mandarin Chinese, Karen and Spanish. 

1. Northside Gym at Hargraves Community Center, 216 N. Roberson Street
   (Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 1-8 p.m.)
   
   
2. Chapel Hill Community Center, 120 S. Estes Drive
   (Mon-Fri 5:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Sat.8:30 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-8 p.m.)
   
   
3. Homestead Aquatic Center, 300 Aquatic Drive
   (Mon-Fri. 5:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Sun. 12:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.)

• On March 10 walk-in registration will NOT be available at our Administrative Offices.
• Beginning on Wednesday, March 11, registration will also be available at our Administration Offices at 200 Plant Road. (Mon.-Fri. 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.)
  
  

• Mail-in Registration: Complete a registration form (pick one up at any of our facilities or print one from our website) and mail it with payment to Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation, 200 Plant Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Make checks payable to Town of Chapel Hill. Registrations received by 8:30 a.m. on March 10 will be registered in the order received. Please note that many camps fill up early on the first day.

Summer Camp Registration Forms

• Camp Registration Form
• Forma Recreación campamento

Parent Packet with required forms

A parent packet must be completed and turned in prior to the start of camp.

• Day Camp Parent Packet
• Campamento Verano - Informacion Padres

If all the spaces for a camp are filled, you may put your child’s name on the waitlist.  When your child is on the waitlist they do NOT have a spot in camp. 

If a child cancels from a camp session, we will contact the first person on the waitlist and ask if they would like the space.  If they are no longer interested we move to the next person on the list, and so on, until the space is taken.  If a space becomes available, and you are offered and accept it, payment is immediately due.

Please note that we do NOT allow “Dual Enrollment”.  So, if your child is enrolled in one day camp, say Chapel Hill Community Center, Session A, you cannot place your child on the waitlist for the same session of other day camp, Hargraves Center, Session A. 

Please have your physician complete the Administration of Medication Request and Consent Form and return it to us prior to camp.

Print the form from our website, or call the Camp Director to request it.

Medication must be in the original bottle with physician’s instructions.Most pharmacies will give you an extra prescription bottle with the physician’s instructions at no extra charge. That way you can have a bottle for home and a bottle for camp.

• 2 healthy snacks
• Non-perishable lunch*
• Drinks/water bottle (please write their name on it)
• Swim suit, towel and a bag for the wet suit
  
  

Please LEAVE THE FOLLOWING ITEMS AT HOME:  toys, phones, electronics, and large sums of money.

*Day Camps and Lunch:  Please have your child bring a non-perishable lunch with them to camp.  Day camps may qualify for the subsidized lunch program, in which case we will notify you.  If your child has dietary restrictions, please contact the Camp Coordinator for the required meal modification forms.  We’re sorry but we cannot accommodate dietary restrictions without the completed forms.

For more information, contact:

Deaver Smith, Teen Center Supervisor/Youth Council Adviser: dsmith3@townofchapelhill.org    919-968-2732

LEARN MORE AND APPLY HERE

Activities/Duties: 

Advocating youth views and opinions; influencing local decision making; serve as liaison to local teens; and developing community-oriented service projects and social activities. Minimum two monthly meetings (required) plus regular service projects. Involvement in CHYC also gives youth the opportunity to apply for youth liaison positions with Town boards and commissions.

Qualification Requirements:

1.  Ages 14-19 years. 

2.  Live in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area.

3.  Must provide own transportation.

When:

1^st and 3^rd Mondays for monthly meetings (required) from 6 p.m.-7 p.m.  Optional monthly projects within Orange County.

Where:

The Corner Teen Center, 179 East Franklin Street (below downtown Post Office).

Commitment:

Current school year, Sept.-early June. Volunteers accepted on a rolling basis. 

For more information, contact:

Deaver Smith, Teen Center Supervisor/Youth Council Adviser: dsmith3@townofchapelhill.org   919-968-2732 

APPLY HERE

Activities/Duties: 

Assist with program and/or events support at The Corner Teen Center such as academic tutoring, special teen events, field trips.

Qualification Requirements:

1.   Ages 16 years or older. 

2.   Experience working with adolescent/teens preferred.

3.   Good customer service; positive, enthusiastic attitude.

4.   Due to the nature of this program, a background check is required.

When:

Generally 4 p.m.-7 p.m., Mon-Fri. 

-Volunteer groups welcomed.

Where:

The Corner Teen Center, 179 East Franklin Street (below downtown Post Office).

Commitment:

Usually during the school year (Sept.-early June) depending on programs being offered. 

Basketball, Softball, Baseball, Flag & Tackle Football

For more information, contact:

Mike Troutman, Recreation Specialist: mtroutman@townofchapelhill.org    919-968-2736

APPLY HERE

Baseball / Softball Coach

Basketball Coach

Activities/Duties: 

Provide team supervision/ sports instruction at practices and games for kids ages 7-18 yrs; communicate with parents/participants regarding game and practice schedules; liaison to program supervisors. Drills/practices/game strategy resources/equipment available.

Qualification Requirements:

1.   Ages 16 years or older. 

2.   Some knowledge of the sport helpful but not required.

3.   Good customer service; positive, enthusiastic attitude.

4.   Due to the nature of this program, a background check is required.

When/ Where:

1. Basketball: (Rashkiis, Lincoln, Hargraves, Community Center); Nov.-Feb.

2. Softball and Baseball: (Cedar Falls, Hargraves); March-early June.

3. Flag & Tackle Football: (Cedar Falls); Aug.- Nov.  Some out-of-town travel required for games (only) in surrounding Chatham, Orange, Alamance, and Randolph counties.

-Volunteer groups welcomed.

Commitment:

Generally 8-12 weeks per sport.  

For more information, contact:

Spring Break Tournament and Family Fun Day: Andre Boynton, Assistant Recreation Supervisor: aboynton@townofchapelhill.org   919-969-2057

Other Events: Robbin Justice-Jones, Recreation Specialist: rjjones@townofchapelhill.org   919-969-6961

APPLY HERE

Activities/Duties: 

Help with participant supervision; set-up decorations/tables/chairs; clean-up; food serving; help facilitate activities. Training provided on day of the event prior to the activity.

Qualification Requirements:

1.   Ages 16 years or older. 

2.   Follows instructions.

3.   Good customer service; positive, enthusiastic attitude.

When/ Where:

All events held at the Hargraves Community Center, 216 North Roberson Street (off East Rosemary Street).

1. Black History program: February

2. Spring Break for Youth: March/April

3. Senior Citizen May Day program: May

4. Back-to-School Book Pack Program: August

5. Family Fun Day: August

6. Senior Citizens Fall Carnival: October

7. Halloween Carnival: October

8. Senior Citizen Holiday Luncheon: December

-Volunteer groups welcomed.

Commitment:

Duration of the assigned event.

For more information, contact:

Andre Boynton, Assistant Recreation Supervisor:   aboynton@townofchapelhill.org   919-969-2057

APPLY HERE

Activities/Duties: 

Help students with homework assignments and school projects. Assist staff with student free-play activities, field trips, and special projects.

Qualification Requirements:

1.   Ages 18 years or older.

2.   Willing to help students 1:1 with reading, computer and/or social skills.

3.   Good customer service; positive, enthusiastic attitude.

4.   Due to the nature of this program, a background check is required.

When:

Two sessions-- end of Aug. through mid-Jan.; mid-Jan. through mid-June.  Mon-Fri during the school year, 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Closed during public school holidays.

Where:

Hargraves Community Center, 216 North Roberson Street (off East Rosemary Street).

Commitment:

At least 1 session.

For more information, contact:     

Marian Kaslovsky, Coordinator of Adapted Recreation:  mkaslovsky@townofchapelhill.org    919-968-2813

Volunteer Agreement

Activities/Duties:

Examples include: refreshment preparations; table set-up and clean-up; assisting with gym activities, arts, and crafts. Help facilitate participants in activities and initiate interaction with their peers. 

Qualification Requirements:

1.   Ages 18 years or older. 

2.   Show enthusiasm; ability to engage individuals in a variety of activities.

3.   Due to the nature of this program, a background check is required.

When:

Generally the first Friday of each month, 5:45 p.m.-8:45 p.m.

-Volunteer groups welcomed.

Where:

Chapel Hill Community Center

120 South Estes Drive (across from the Main Post Office).

Commitment:

One monthly event or more.

For more information, contact:     

Marian Kaslovsky, Coordinator of Adapted Recreation: mkaslovsky@townofchapelhill.org   919-968-2813

Volunteer Agreement

Activities/Duties:

1. Egg-ceptional Egg Hunt:  Distribute eggs and candy. Assist children with disabilities and their siblings with egg collecting and other outdoor games/activities.

2. Autism Awareness Month Event(s):  Help prepare a community event reception with refreshments, and any related activities. Able to set-up tables and chairs.

Qualification Requirements:

1.   Ages 18 years or older. 

2.   Show enthusiasm; ability to engage individuals in a variety of activities.

3.   Due to the nature of this program, a background check is required.

When/ Where:

1. Egg-ceptional Egg Hunt:  held on a Saturday morning close to the Easter holiday; Chapel Hill Community Center Learning Garden, 120 South Estes Drive (between bocce courts and Rose Garden).

2. Autism Awareness Month Event(s): held in April each year; times vary. Held at various Town locations.

-Volunteer groups welcomed.

Commitment:

Duration of the event time frame.

For more information, contact:     

Marian Kaslovsky, Coordinator of Adapted Recreation: mkaslovsky@townofchapelhill.org    919-968-2813

To apply, contact mkaslovsky@townofchapelhill.org

Adapted Aquatics Questionnaire

Volunteer Agreement

Activities/Duties:               

Aid swim students with special needs ages 5-21 in learning to swim. Implement instructor strategies; help motivate the student. Listen with the student to the instructor’s directions and help the student practice assigned swim skills.

Qualification Requirements:          

1. Ages 16 years or older. 
2. Comfortable in the water; able to aid in holding up a student who is learning to float in the water.
3. Ability to hear soft-spoken students and the instructor for directions.
4. Good customer service; positive, enthusiastic attitude.
5. Due to the nature of this program, a background check is required.

When: Monday evenings 

You may choose from one of two sessions:  

-Volunteer groups welcomed.

Where:  

Homestead Aquatic Center
300 Aquatic Drive (off of MLK and Homestead Road)

Commitment:     

5 Week Commitment, We prefer you commit to both time slots for one or both Sessions.

For more information, contact:

Colleen Lanigan, Special Olympics Orange County Coordinator:  clanigan@townofchapelhill.org   919-968-2810     

Special Olympics Orange County Website    Also on Facebook at Special Olympics Orange County

APPLY HERE - Volunteer groups welcome

Activities/Duties:

Head Coaches provide team supervision at practices/games; communicate with parents and participants regarding games/ practices; liaison to Program Supervisor.

Assistant Coaches generally work 1:1 as a peer partner with participants to provide specific sports instruction. Help facilitate practices.

Qualification Requirements:

1.   Ages 12 years or older.
2.   Some knowledge of the sport helpful but not required. Drills/practices/game strategy resources/equipment available.
3.   Good customer service; positive, enthusiastic attitude.
4.   Due to the nature of this program, a background check is required.

When:

Alpine Skiing: Dec.-Feb.; weekends only.

Basketball:  Dec.-March; Saturdays and/or Sundays.

Bocce:  Aug.-Oct.; Tuesday nights.

Bowling: Jan.-May; Mon and Wed mornings.

Cycling:  Aug.-Oct.; Sundays.

Disc Golf:  April-May; Wednesday nights.

Golf: Aug.-Oct.; Wednesday nights.

Soccer: Aug.-Oct.; Sundays.

Softball:  March-May; Sundays.

Swimming: June-Aug., Tue and Thu nights; Sept.-Dec., Mon and Wed mornings.

Swim Team:  Jan.-May; Thu and Sun nights.

Tennis:  Aug.-Oct.; Saturdays.

Track & Field:  March-May; Tue and Thu nights.

Unified Flag Football: Sept.-Nov.; nights.

Unified Kickball: March-April; Wednesday nights.

Where:

Town facilities or Orange County locations.  Exception: Alpine skiing held out-of-Town.

Commitment:

10-12 weeks with practices once per week for 1-1.5 hours depending on the sport.

Fundraisers, Banquets, and Tournaments

For more information, contact:

Colleen Lanigan, Special Olympics Orange County Coordinator: clanigan@townofchapelhill.org  919-968-2810   

Special Olympics Orange County Website    Also on Facebook at Special Olympics Orange County

APPLY HERE - Volunteer groups welcome

Activities/Duties:

Examples include: scorekeepers, officials, food distribution, medical (nurses, med students, athletic trainers), set-up and break down decorations/ tables/chairs/equipment, registration or clerical assistance, and awards distribution.

Qualification Requirements:

1.   Ages 12 years or older.

2.   Good customer service; positive, enthusiastic attitude.

3.   Due to the nature of this program, a background check is required.

When:

Times vary depending on the event. Most held on Saturdays.

-Volunteer groups welcomed.

Where:

Town facilities or locations within Orange County.

Commitment:

Usually a 2-4 hour block of time on the day of the event.

For more information, contact:

Anne Nicholson, Aquatic Supervisor:  anicholson@townofchapelhill.org     919-969-4889

APPLY HERE

Activities/Duties: 

Assisting swim instructor with community swim classes for Parent-Tot (6 mo-3 yrs), Preschool (3-5 yrs), Youth (6-12 yrs).  Examples: take class attendance; welcome students; help with class transitions; assist students in the water.

Qualification Requirements:

1.  Ages 14 years or older. Volunteers 14-15 years will require 3 references; 16 years and older a background check is required.

2.  Familiarity with basic swimming strokes; comfortable in the water.

3.  Good customer service; positive, enthusiastic attitude.

When:

Classes generally held Tue, Thu mornings and evenings; and Saturday mornings.

-Volunteer groups welcomed.

Where:            

Homestead Aquatics Center; Community Center; AD Clark pool (summer only).

Commitment:

At least 1 swim session (6 classes). Each class is approximately 45 minutes. Applicants can volunteer for more than one class.

For more information, contact:

Anne Nicholson, Aquatic Supervisor:  anicholson@townofchapelhill.org     919-969-4889

APPLY HERE

Activities/Duties: 

Help coaches facilitate team practices/ competitions; promote team spirit; help with schedule flow; assist students with swim techniques and stroke improvements; help put away equipment after each session.

Qualification Requirements:

1.  Ages 15 years or older. Volunteers 15 years require 3 references; 16 years and older a background check is required.

2.  Past swim team experience; knowledge of the 4 key swim stokes.

3.  Good customer service; positive, enthusiastic attitude.

When:

Fall (Sept.-Oct.); Spring (April- May); Summer (May-July):  Mon, Wed, Fri, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. and/or 7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.; summer has occasional Saturday meets.

Where:

Homestead Aquatic Center for practices, 300 Aquatic Drive; competitions may be held at Hollow Rock Racquet & Swim Club and Heritage Hills Recreation Club.

Commitment:

At least 1 swim season (Fall, Spring, Summer).

For more information, contact:

Keith Dodson, Recreation Specialist:  kdodson@townofchapelhill.org  (919)-969-5543

APPLY HERE

Activities/Duties:

Belay indoor climbers during programs and events.  Assist with hiking, camping, climbing, biking and/or paddling activities as needed.

Qualification Requirements:

1.   Ages 16 years or older.

2.   Some knowledge of Adventure Programs, such as kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, camping, and environmental education.

3.  Current belay certification from Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Community Center for our indoor climbing wall.

4.  First Aid and CPR preferred.

5.  Good customer service; positive, enthusiastic attitude.

6.  Due to the nature of this program, a background check is required.

When:

Mainly afterschool and weekends; vacations, summer and teacher workdays.

-Volunteer groups welcomed.

Where:

We travel to places within a 50 mile radius but always meet at the Community Center, 120 South Estes Drive, prior to leaving.

Commitment:

For the length of the program activity.

The Town does not have specific expenditure line items for consultants. Instead, we use the “professional services” line items to account for consultants and other work performed by external professionals. Since what constitutes a “consultant” can be subjective, we have provided all expenditures for all departments that appear in professional services line items. This includes FY15 information and FY16 information through April 5, 2016 (see attached). For the FY16 information we have provided extra notations (column R) to help identify the project or program that the expenditure supports. Due to the volume of transactions we have only provided additional information for FY16. FY15 information includes an invoice description (column L) which provides information as to the nature of the expenditure, but may not be sufficient to determine the project or program associated with the expenditure. If there are specific expenditures in FY15 that results in additional Council questions, staff will research and provide detail.

The following analysis covers fiscal years FY09-10 to FY15-16. FY16-17 information is not included because the cities of Durham, Raleigh, and Cary have not publicly released their 2016-17 Recommended Budgets as of May11th. As shown in the following graph, the Town of Chapel Hills rate of property tax growth is lower than all of the selected municipalities with the exception of Carrboro.

Click to enlarge

(Respondent: Alex Terry, Budget Analyst)

At the May 2 Work Session, we mentioned the David Paul Rosen and Associates (DRA) study that is underway. The Town has contracted with DRA to provide research, policy development and advisory services to help us think about affordable housing differently. The deliverables of this contract include:

• an updated Housing Market and Needs analysis,
• an analysis of available financial resources and strategies for housing development,
• options for our management and operations of public housing program,
• an affordability gap analysis,
• options for new revenue sources for affordable housing,
• an economic impact analysis; and policy recommendations.

We expect a final report in late summer and will share the outcome with the Council, Housing Advisory Board and others in the Fall.

(Respondent: Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager)

Traditionally the Manager’s Recommended Budget has been presented in summary form. This format, which is comprised of about 70 pages of data and narrative is considerably reduced from the final budget document that is often over 330 pages. The trend to condense the Manager’s Recommended Budget occurred for the following reasons: 

• Over time Council expressed a preference for summary level information and addressing the budget from the perspective of major policy issues rather than focusing on reviewing cost/revenue information on a departmental level.
• While staff eventually needs to produce all 300 plus pages of the final budget, avoiding the practice of producing an entire set of budget schedules twice saves time and paper and frees staff to do additional budget analysis.

The departmental budgetary summaries are attached. These documents provide summary cost and revenue information by department with a brief narrative describing changes from the prior year.

Recommended Budget | Details

(Respondent: Kenneth C. Pennoyer, Business Management Director)

The following link shows all of the fee schedule changes included in the FY17 Manager's Recommended Budget by department. 

Fee Schedule Changes | FY17 Recommended Budget

(Respondent: Kenneth C. Pennoyer, Business Management Director)

The Human Services Advisory Board (HSAB) makes recommendations for funding of human services agencies that apply through the joint funding request process with Orange County and Carrboro. For FY16 the total funding allocated to human service agency performance agreements based on the recommendations of the HSAB is $ 337,100. This funding level has been the same for the last 4 years. The HSAB has requested an increase in funding to $401,500 for FY17. This amount is included in the Manager’s Recommended Budget.

A listing of human service agencies performance agreement allocations for FY16 is attached. Additional information can be found on the Human Services Agency Funding page.

A RESOLUTION APPROVING 2015-2016 FUNDING FOR PERFORMANCE AGREEMENTS WITH HUMAN SERVICE AGENCIES AS RECOMMENDED BY THE HUMAN SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD (2015-06-22/R-7)

(Respondent: Kenneth C. Pennoyer, Business Management Director)

Affordable Housing “penny” was never really an official “penny” on the tax rate. This allocation has been budgeted at $688,395 since 2014-15 and remains at the level for 2016-17. The reason that this odd amount does not match the amount of revenue raised by one penny on the tax rate is that there was not an actual increase in the tax rate to make this allocation. The $688,395 was assembled from several different areas during the development of the 2014-15 Budget.

(Respondent: Matthew Brinkley, Budget Manager)

Costs for the Economic Development division are included in the budget for the Town Manager’s Office. The approximate breakdown for the FY17 operating budget for economic development is as follows:

The Town maintains performance agreements with Outside Agencies that provide economic development related services. The Economic Development Performance Agreements included in the FY17 Manager’s Recommended Budget are as follows:

Note: Visitors Bureau also receives 50% of any occupancy tax revenue over $950,000

Economic development activities of the Downtown Partnership are also supported by an allocation from the Downtown Fund ($120,000). The Town also contributes to the “Launch” downtown business incubator with an allocation of $70,000 from the Downtown Fund. The County provides $40,000 toward “Launch” which is included in the $70,000 allocation.

Public Works Department continues to work closely with NCDOT and our neighboring jurisdictions relative to special needs and priorities of public agencies, including UNC and the CH Carrboro School System. The department issues and receives status updates to and from external agencies usually two to four times per day during snow/ice storm operations. There are also direct communications including meetings, conference calls and post storm critiques with internal staff and representatives from external agencies.

Some school bus drivers, teachers and other employees live off of secondary roads, including dead end streets, gravel roads and private streets in the county or neighboring counties, including northern Orange County and Alamance County. It’s not uncommon for the temperatures to be slightly lower and/or this areas to receive additional accumulation that negatively impacts the clearing operations and when these lower priority streets are cleared to the point that the employees feel comfortable driving to work.

Staff will follow up with the school system and local road clearing public agencies to make certain that our priorities are aligned with everyone’s mutual interests in accomplishing the best outcome for all critical services and public agencies.

(Respondent: Lance Norris, Public Works Director)

Yes, during our annual medical insurance renewal with our Healthcare consultant, Hill, Chesson & Woody (HCW), we evaluate a variety of coverage alternatives and strategies including self-funding options. There are significant potential benefits to self-funding and we believe we will eventually make a transition away from being fully insured. , Our recent experience, however, suggests that now may not be an opportune time to make that change because of the recent volatility in our claims experience.

For the current year the Town benefited greatly by being fully insured. After the 8.5% decrease in premiums for FY16 our claims experience took a turn for the worse and BCBS “lost money” on our coverage. Based on HCW’s pricing model, BCBS would have charged about $1 million more than what we paid in premiums over the past year. That also represents an additional $1 million in cost we would have paid if we were self-insured. This recent bad experience is reflected in the significant increase in insurance rates for FY17, although they are much lower than the rate originally quoted by BCBS (29.5%). We feel that even with an increase of 16.9%, being fully insured provides protection should we have another bad year of large claims. If claims stabilize and we cannot get favorable fully-insured rates in the future we will, most likely, recommend self-insurance. A self-insurance program for medical insurance would be administered by a third-party administrator with oversight from the Town’s newly created Risk Management Office.

(Respondent: Kenneth C. Pennoyer, Business Management Director)

The reduction in the use of fund balance appears as savings, however, some items that make up the difference between the revised budget and the estimated actual costs are amounts that will be carried over as part of fund balance for the next fiscal year or transferred to different funds. For example, OPEB Liability that has been recorded as a reservation of fund balance, will be transferred to an irrevocable trust. Also, the unused portion of the “penny for housing” funds will be carried over into the FY17 budget when carry-over revisions are made in September. Other items represent actual savings. For example, reduced fuel costs are creating real savings and the transfer to Transit will not be made because Transit was able to balance their FY17 Budget without a General Fund transfer. Also, the savings in personnel is a result of the 50-60 vacancies that the Town carries at any given time, representing a turnover rate of about 8%.

General Fund “savings” for the current year are as follows:

(Respondent: Matthew Brinkley, Budget Manager)

The Cemeteries Advisory Board has petitioned Council to request a columbarium be placed in Memorial Cemetery. This will provide additional cemetery services for Town’s residents since the amount of the available burial sites are decreasing. There are 30 conventional burial sites and 80 cremation sites currently available. Staff will bring the response to the columbarium petition to Council for approval at the June 13, 2016 Council Meeting.

(Respondent: Jim Orr, Director of Parks and Recreation)

Use of the SMAP funds in the Transit Fund allowed the Town to avoid a tax increase for Transit and/or a General Fund transfer (subsidy). The FY17 Transit budget includes $967,000 to pay for the cost of bus financing. This is added to the amounts budgeted for FY16 ($800,000) and FY15 ($400,000). In total, Transit will have $2,167,000 in reserves for the purpose of bus replacement debt payments. In addition to these reserves the Transit Fund had over $7 million in Unrestricted Net Assets at the end of the last fiscal year.

In the coming year, we will plan with our funding partners to establish a separate capital reserve for bus replacements that is separate from the operating budget. This will facilitate planning and funding of future bus replacements.

(Respondent: Matthew Brinkley, Budget Manager)

Inspections moved to the Office of Planning & Sustainability in 2014-15. The 2015-16 budget included three new Inspectors: one Plans Reviewer, one Customer Service Technician, and one Administrative Coordinator. The Geographic Information System (GIS) division of Planning was also created, moving one position from Technology Solutions and one from Public Works. Additionally, two employees from the Manager’s Office (Energy Management Specialist and Sustainability Officer) were transferred to Planning. Two employees (Asst. Director and the Admin. Coordinator) were transferred to the newly formed Office of Housing & Community during the 2014-15 fiscal year. The following chart illustrates the personnel changes made to create the Planning & Sustainability Department.

(Respondent: Matthew Brinkley, Budget Manager)

The Public Housing program has been operated as a Town Department since 1987. The Public Housing program has a total of 16 employees and is accounted for in the Public Housing Enterprise fund. A new department, Housing & Community, was created in 2014-15, consisting of the public housing function, housing related positions formerly in the Police and Planning Departments and two new positions (Planner II and Affordable Housing Officer). The chart below shows the employee changes made to create the Office of Housing & Community.

(Respondent: Matthew Brinkley, Budget Manager)

Several years ago, in an effort to balance the budget without a tax increase in a year when revenues were down, the Community Center pool was closed three days per week during mid-day hours. This decision was based on the low use during those hours and the high cost of staffing the pool relative to the revenues generated during those hours. A request to reinstate the hours signed by 12 residents was presented to a member of the Greenways, Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission. The Commission member brought the request to staff's attention, and in response to the request, staff developed two options for consideration. The first option is to add back one day of mid-day hours at a cost of $7,293 and the second option includes adding back all three days during mid-day hours at a cost of $21,879. These cost estimates are based on the new living wage standard rate of $12.75 per hour.

Staff recommended adding back one day in the FY17 Budget with the thought that if there is significant use of the pool during those hours, additional hours could be added back.

The initial decision to reduce pool hours was based on the relatively low use and the high cost of staffing the pool. The Parks and Recreation Department has developed a program philosophy that incorporates a hierarchy of cost recovery based on the goals of the programs they offer and the population being served. Generally for programs that have a broad community benefit, fees would be set at a lower cost recovery rate. Whereas for programs that have a mostly individual benefit, a higher cost recovery would be sought.

Based on the current fee structure, if the pool were open mid-day hours for the three days that it is currently closed, a hypothetical swimmer using the pool those three days, every week of the year would pay $624 per year. To break-even for these additional hours, 35 swimmers would need to use the pool each day during those hours. The number of swimmers that used the pool during those hours in the past was a fraction of that number. Full cost recovery is unrealistic, but if 50% cost recovery were the target, the number of swimmers would still need to increase dramatically or the fee would need to increase to a level that may be considered excessive.

(Respondent: Jim Orr, Director of Parks and Recreation)

The Town will continue to post information on the Town’s website, and the Town calendar.  Other outreach methods include TOWNnews, TOWNweek,  news releases, NextDoor, Facebook , and social media. 

Staff has collected the email addresses of those that participated in the PIMs and/or provided public comment, and we will be sending email notifications to this group.  If you would like to be added to our notification list, please email us at planning@townofchapelhill.org.

The intent of the proposed text amendments is to be more equitable by creating opportunities for additional housing units throughout the community.   Under the current proposal, neighborhoods that do not have entitlements or restrictions that supersedes the underlying zoning will have the opportunity to provide missing middle housing forms.

Restrictions that supersede underlying zoning and may limit housing types include:

• Neighborhood Conservation Districts (NCDs)
• Restrictive covenants
• HOA bylaws

Impacts to established neighborhoods is a concern.  For that reason, the proposed text amendments have included design standards for triplex, fourplex, and cottage court developments within existing neighborhoods.  The standards require new infill development be consistent with the mass, scale, fenestration pattern, orientation, and setbacks of neighboring buildings in order to mitigate the appearance of small-scale multi-family buildings.

Chapel Hill currently has 13 NCDs and no changes are proposed to the NCD regulations at this time.

Any revision to NCD regulations would warrant a significant amount of community engagement with the residents of the impacted NCDs. Should Council direct staff to review the NCD regulations, the timeline would likely vary significantly depending on the number of NCDs in which residents express an interest in updated regulations. A preliminary round of engagement to understand which NCDs are amenable to revisions could take 2-3 months followed by another 2-3 months of engagement with interested NCDs. Depending on the number of NCDs involved, NCD-specific engagement may need to occur in phases.

Yes. Renting out individual rooms of a home to college students (or anyone else) is currently allowed in all zoning districts. However, in R-2 and other less dense residential districts, there is a limit of no more than four (4) unrelated people living in a single home.

A home that that is occupied by more than four (4) people who are not related by blood, adoption, marriage, or domestic partnership is considered a “rooming house.” Rooming houses are not permitted in the following residential districts: R-LD5, RT, R-LD1, R-1A, R-1, R-2, R-2A.

Under this Land Use Management Text Amendment (LUMOTA), property owners could convert an existing single-family house into a duplex, triplex, or fourplex. The Town does not have any requirements for the property owner to reside at the property, and in general does not regulate occupancy. The property owners would need to meet a number of requirements, including but not limited to:

• Building code for multi-family, including fire wall ratings
• Proposed development standards such as 0.5 impervious surface, tree canopy coverage, parking, and stormwater management
• Proposed limitations on floor areas and unit sizes In Historic Districts, exterior changes would require a COA

Covenants and HOA bylaws supersede the Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO) whenever they are more restrictive than the LUMO. Therefore, this text amendment would not create new opportunities for development on properties that are subject to restrictive covenants or bylaws that allow only a single dwelling unit per lot. The existence of an HOA itself does not exempt a neighborhood from this text amendment. It would depend on the content of the bylaws and covenants. Further, neighborhoods have the ability to amend or adopt new covenants that could permit missing middle housing forms.

Restrictive covenants for neighborhoods are recorded with the Orange County Register of Deeds. A searchable database is available here.

Town staff is researching property records in order to develop a preliminary map of neighborhoods where restrictive covenants have been identified.  It is important to note that this map will not be an official or comprehensive list of neighborhoods with restrictive covenants; deed research requires substantial detailed work and is best completed by a title company.

The intent of the proposed text amendments is to be more equitable by creating opportunities for additional housing units throughout the community while mitigating the impacts of small-scale multi-family residential development through design standards.   There are many differences between the R-1 and R-4 zoning districts.  While this text amendment proposes to remove the specified density in Table 3.8-1: Dimensional Matrix of Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO) 3.8 in order to provide opportunities , other factors will contribute to what can be built.  Lot sizes, permitted uses, frontages, setbacks, and building heights unique to each zone will remain. 

No change is proposed to the Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) Ordinance for residential construction projects.  If a developer proposes to build five or more units, the Town will continue to require 15% of the units be deed restricted for affordable housing units or the developer make a payment-in-lieu.  Please note that the IZ ordinance only applies to for-sale units, not rental units.

Staff believes that the proposed text amendments will create more opportunities for lots to be developed as affordable housing. Tools for delivering affordable housing, such as land acquisition and funding, exist outside of zoning policy.

For more information on the IZ Ordinance, please visit Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO) 3.10.

The Housing Choices LUMOTA could potentially increase tree canopy coverage in Chapel Hill. LUMO currently has no tree canopy coverage requirements for single-family homes or duplexes. Under the proposal, triplexes, fourplexes, and other missing middle housing forms will be required to provide a minimum tree canopy coverage.  The table below summarizes these changes:

Those items that are bolded reflect new uses and standards.

The table below summarizes the minimum and maximum parking requirements for the uses included in the Housing Choices LUMOTA. For comparison, LUMO includes no parking minimums or maximums for single-family homes.  The totals below reflect the amount of parking to be provided on-site:

Those items that are bolded reflect new uses and standards.

For more information on current parking requirements, please see Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO) 5.9.7.

The Town recognizes the demands for on-street parking, especially around the University of North Carolina and adjacent downtown neighborhoods.  The Residential Parking Permit program currently allows qualifying residents within the Town’s 16 residential parking districts to obtain a permit.  The number of permits may not exceed the number of licensed vehicles registered to the residence address and no more than five permits per lot is permitted, regardless of the number of housing units on the lot.  For more information, please visit: https://parkonthehill.com/residential-parking-permits/.

The Town does not have the ability to deny demolitions.  Other cities that have adopted similar ordinance amendments have not seen significant demolitions of existing single-family houses in order to construct Missing Middle housing types.  Of the 407 building permits related to Durham’s Expanding Housing Choices ordinance, only 47 (11.5%) associated demolition permits were submitted between October 2019 and November 2022.

The Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO) cannot legally discriminate against students. The Projected Housing Needs, 2020-2040 study found that current demand for student housing was around 45 units per year. If the town continues to produce larger-scale multifamily housing in areas with easy access to UNC campus, this should limit the number of students living in neighborhoods.

The types of residences allowed in the historic districts will be based on their underlying zoning. Like all development in the historic districts, any new missing middle homes in the historic districts would be required to receive a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Town’s Historic District Commission. As an aside, the Town’s historic districts are actually rife with examples of how missing middle housing can fit into a neighborhood without negative impacting its character.

Staff will be meeting with historic district residents to learn more about their concerns. 

• The Town declared a State of Emergency to help Town leaders and emergency managers streamline and expedite their response.
• The Town has canceled all public events and mass gatherings, including all public meetings. Closed are the Chapel Hill Public Library and Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation (including parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, tennis and pickleball courts, and all indoor facilities – all programs are canceled).
• All Town departments are reviewing and updating operational plans, to help ensure the continued delivery of essential services in the event of an emergency.
• The Town is encouraging our staff and partners to use alternative meeting options such as webinars and phone conferences during this period when appropriate. Any meetings greater than 10 people must meet virtually.
• This is a health-related issue. Therefore, the Orange County Health Department is the lead organization on all health-related questions and information. The Town is speaking daily with the Health Department to share updates, guidance, and information on what actions need to be taken by the public.

New uses such as triplexes, fourplexes, and cottage courts will all be subject to the Town’s stormwater management standards.

Single-family homes and duplexes are currently exempt from the Town’s stormwater management standards. This exemption will continue under the Housing Choices text amendment.

Pruning and removal are done by certified staff in accordance with professional standards to reduce risk to the whole public. 
The Arborist staff performs pruning to correct problems, reduce structural stress or improve the potential health of individual trees. If you have questions or need to voice concerns please contact the Arborist staff Kiler Hamilton, 919-969-5152, or email khamilton@townofchapelhill.org.

The proposed text amendments do not include requirements that Missing Middle housing forms include agreements for affordability restrictions.  These units will largely be market rate units.  The purpose of introducing these housing types is to permit a diversity of housing types that will increase supply and address the needs of different price-points and life stages.  Please review Projected Housing Needs, 2020-2040 for more information.

Chapel Hill Transit buses are being cleaned with a solution that sanitizes the inside surfaces with which you may come in contact.

It is important to note that the surfaces can only stay sanitized until someone touches them. Therefore, if you need to take public transportation (including transit, taxis, or ride shares), be conscious of what you touch, and be sure to wash your hands when you exit the vehicle. Do not touch your face or eat before you’re able to wash your hands.

One thing we can likely all agree on is that housing prices in Chapel Hill are currently growing at an unsustainable pace. Under a “do-nothing” scenario, housing prices and property taxes are going to continue to rise for all homeowners in Chapel Hill. While the proposed reforms may have some impact on property taxes, it is likely that they will be minor in comparison to the broader trends impacting the region. As outlined in the Projected Housing Needs, 2020-2040 study, increased demand for housing will continue to drive property values up further if we do not build more housing units.  Projected Housing Needs, 2020-2040 study, increased demand for housing will continue to drive property values up further if we do not build more housing units. 

Critically, staff is not aware of any reports of significant property tax increases resulting from similar reforms in other communities across the country.

Because of the methods by which property taxes are assessed, it is unlikely that the proposed reforms will lead to major increases in property taxes. County tax assessors reevaluate a property’s taxable value every four years.  Taxable value is based on many different factors including a property’s zoning designation. But the most significant factor by far are sales prices for comparable properties in the years leading up to a reevaluation. This means that in order for property taxes to increase significantly in a neighborhood, there needs to be (1) significant sales volume in the area and (2) a significant difference between sale prices and the existing tax valuation of properties in the area.

Cities like Raleigh, Durham, and Minneapolis experienced only modest increases in missing middle development activity following housing reforms like those being proposed here. Even if all of the new missing middle homes in these cities were wildly more expensive than their neighboring properties, the new homes would not represent a large enough share of overall development to significantly move the needle in terms of property tax valuation.

 The same would hold true in Chapel Hill. Increasing density in zoning districts would increase taxable value only if home prices change drastically. A significant amount of new housing units would need to be constructed in order to have an impact on the tax valuations.  A relatively small number of individual properties spread out across town are not likely to have a direct impact on the value of adjoining properties.

Additionally, Town staff intends to provide the Council with an annual analysis of metrics to evaluate and identify any unintended consequences of this proposal. 

• If a tree is a hazard to the public (leaning, broken or fallen) you will need to call 911 first. After contacting 911 and during the hours of 6 am – 3 pm, Monday – Friday, please contact the Arborist staff Kiler Hamilton, 919-969-5152, or email  khamilton@townofchapelhill.org or Tanner Thompson, 919-969-5153, or email tthompson2@townofchapelhill.org. When calling the Town’s Arborist staff please try and provide the following details: location, a diameter of the tree trunk, leaf or needle style tree and why it is a hazard. 
• If the hazard has occurred after these hours, 911 will contact the on-call crew to handle the issue. 
• If a tree has damaged any power lines or is close / touching a power line please call and report this to Duke Energy as well.

The Projected Housing Needs, 2020-2040 study found that the Town needs almost 500 units per year just to meet current demands. Meeting demand alone does not alter the median housing price.  The Town would need to create a surplus of housing units over an extended period of time to reduce the median housing price.

One of the contributors to Chapel Hill’s median housing price is housing availability.  Apartments and single-family houses are not meeting our current needs.  Missing Middle housing offers greater diversity in housing types. Moreover, it is often more accessible and attainable than single-family housing, providing greater opportunities for first time home buyers, young families, divorcees, retirees, and empty nesters to buy into the market.  If we do not create more housing types, housing prices will continue to rise and existing residents may be priced out of the market.

See the list below.

Mowing is performed during the months of April – October.

Yes.

Note: Online or digital service is the preferred alternative for all business. For in-person business, physical distancing practices must be implemented.

• Healthcare, public health
  • Medical clinics, dental clinics, eye care and urgent care when virtual care (which is preferred) is not available.
• Law enforcement, public safety and first responders
• Federal, state and local government
• Transportation and logistics
• Water and wastewater
• Energy
• Public works
• Other community-based government operations and essential functions including human services
• Other community-based human service operations
• Educational institutions
  • Public and private preK-12 schools, colleges and universities for purposes of facilitating distance learning, performing critical research, or performing essential functions (this does not supersede other Orders regarding school closures)
• Schools and food services to students and members of the public
  • Pick-up and takeaway basis only

Yes, Planning staff has worked with the Town’s Urban Designer to analyze how these improvements might look on a typical R-1 or R-2 block.  He provided an analysis of adding accessory apartments as well as missing middle housing types.  These were included in the staff presentation to the Town Council on January 25, 2023.

Discuss sick-leave policies and telework options for sick workers or those needing to stay home to care for a sick household member. Talk to your supervisor about how work can carry on if there are many employees absent due to illness or because their children can’t go to school or childcare.

Guidance for businesses in planning for a coronavirus pandemic is available from the CDC.

This information is provided by the Orange County Health Department. Answers to more frequently asked questions can be found by clicking the "More FAQs" link.

We are adhering to North Carolina’s Phase 2 Order with the exception of: 

If you may have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19 in the last 14 days and feel sick with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, you should:

• Seek medical care right away. Before you go to visit your medical provider, call ahead and tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms.
• Avoid contact with others.
• Avoid non-essential travel while sick.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. All Orange County medical personnel and first responders have been informed about COVID-19 and have put in place a protocol to ensure the public’s safety

This information is provided by the Orange County Health Department. Answers to more frequently asked questions can be found by clicking the "More FAQs" link.

Yes. Please limit your grocery store visits to once a week or less.

• Density: The number of housing units on a lot.
• Floor Area: The sum or the square footage of all the floors of the building, not including open terraces, patios, atriums, balconies, carports, garages, breezeways, and screened porches.
• Floor Area Ratio (FAR): The total floor area of all buildings or structure on a lot divided by the lot size.
• Footprint: The outline of the total area covered by a building at the ground level, where it touches the earth.
• Impervious Surface Ratio:The sum or the total square footage of all impervious areas divided by the lot size.
• Stormwater Management: The use of structural or non-structural practices that are designed to reduce stormwater runoff pollutant loads, discharge volumes, and/or peak discharge rates.For more information, see LUMO 5.4.
• Tree Canopy Coverage:The sum or total square footage of all areas encompassed by canopy trees.For more information, see LUMO 5.7.2.

The Town of Chapel Hill supports a vast network of Human Services Agencies that provide vital safety net services that may have special needs during this time.
You can support Inter Faith Council by donating food or cash (include link).  TABLE is delivering bags of food to as many children that they currently serve as possible, and you can purchase something from their wish list.  Meals on Wheels accepts cash donations to deliver meals to seniors once a week.  The Diaper Bank of NC is accepting donations of diapers and hygienic supplies at 1311 E. Club Blvd., Durham, 27704 or a cash donation can be made on-line..  They currently need size 2 and 5 diapers and wipes.
Orange County has a community information page for more details: https://www.orangecountync.gov/2354/Community-information. Since schools are out,  Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools are distributing meals for children at 20+ community sites. For school district updates and information about meal distribution see https://www.chccs.org/Page/10491.  

We will enforce the order first with education, conversation, and asking for voluntary cooperation from all residents and businesses. If a police officer or other Town employee finds a violation, we will provide educational information and ask them to comply. If the individual(s) does not comply voluntarily, the Chapel Hill Police Department may enforce the restrictions.

If the tree is located on town property, please call or email the Arborist staff Kiler Hamilton , 919-969-5152, or email khamilton@townofchapelhill.org or Tanner Thompson, Park Maintenance Superintendent, 919-969-5153,  or email tthompson2@townofchapelhill.org.

If the tree is located on a piece of neighboring private property, please contact the property owner. The town does not get involved with private property matters. 

Note: Online or digital service is the preferred alternative for all business. For in-person business, physical distancing practices must be implemented.

• Stores that sell groceries and medicine
• Food, beverages, and agriculture
  • Farms, farmer’s markets, farm and produce stands, foodbanks, convenience stores, and other businesses, whether retail or wholesale, engaged in the sale, production, or distribution of canned food, dry goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, pet supply, fresh meats, fish, and poultry, and any other essential household consumer product or food necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences or businesses permitted by the Order
• Restaurants for consumption off-premises
  • In-house delivery, third-party deliver, drive-through, curbside pick-up, and carry- out
• Hardware and supply stores selling electrical, plumbing and heating material

Activities to maintain the value of your business inventory, to maintain security, to process payroll and benefits and related functions. You may also perform minimum activities to comply with any part of this Order or to help your employees work from home.

The Town does not have the ability to regulate ownership; however, our Code Enforcement does regulate nuisances such as illegal parking, garbage, and excessive noise.  For more information about how to address common neighborhood nuisances, please visit the Town’s Good Neighbors webpage.

Remember: Our parks are currently closed, including public and private playgrounds, public athletic fields, and public tennis, volleyball and pickleball courts are closed. All indoor recreation and aquatic facilities are closed.

One of three ways:

1. If you have access to your property survey plat and are able to locate your property boundaries, you should be able to identify ownership this way.
2. If you are unable to locate your plat, you can start by using the town’s interactive GIS maps (https://townofchapelhill.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html) or by using Orange County’s interactive GIS maps (https://gis.orangecountync.gov:8443/orangencgis/default.htm).
3. If you are unable to identify ownership via options 1 or 2, you can contact the Arborist staff to help identify ownership. To contact the Arborist staff please call or email Kiler Hamilton 919-969-5152, khamilton@townofchapelhill.org or Tanner Thompson, Park Maintenance Superintendent, 919-969-5153, or email tthompson2@townofchapelhill.org.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/get-your-household-ready-for-COVID-19.html.

Monday-Friday, from 8:30-5:00, call the Police Department: 919-968-2760.

Call 911 at all other times.

You may continue to operate curbside pick-up, delivery, mail order, or virtual/web service only, with no in-store customer traffic. You must also operate in accordance with other parts of this Order and any other directives.

Yes, a property owner may apply a pesticide, but only on their property. 

Yes! You can pick up trash wherever you are.

Trash in streams doesn't always start at the stream bank. If it is on the ground, chances are that it will end up in our local creeks and then flow down to Jordan Lake. Picking up trash in your neighborhood helps protect our local waterways from pollution.

What is it?

Three (3) housing units that are either attached or detached and located on the same lot.

Examples:

Dimensional Standards:

For more information, please visit LUMO ____.

Note: Online or digital service is the preferred alternative for all business. For in-person business, physical distancing practices must be implemented.

• Critical trades
  • Building and construction trades and related trades including (but not limited to) plumbers, electricians, exterminators, cleaning and janitorial staff for commercial and governmental properties, security staff, operating engineers, HVAC, painting, moving and relocation services, and other services necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences, essential activities, and essential businesses
• Outdoor work
  • Businesses that operate primarily outdoors or in structures under construction (e.g., construction related contractors, lawn maintenance, equipment repair or maintenance, etc.), and that consistently practice social distancing requirements
• Mail, post, shipping, logistics, delivery, and pick-up services
  • Post offices and other businesses that provide shipping and delivery services, businesses that ship or deliver groceries, food, goods or services to end users or through commercial channels
• Gas stations and auto supply stores
  • Auto, farm, and construction equipment repair and related facilities, bicycle shops and related facilities
• Supplies to work from home
• Services or supplies for essential businesses and operations

The Town’s subdivision standards currently require that every new subdivided lot front on a street meeting Town standards, which includes sidewalks, curbs, and gutters. 

Additionally, any subdivision that seeks to create four (4)  or more lots from any one (1) tract of land or lots of record on October 8, 1956, requires Town Council approval as a major subdivision.  This provision requires the property owner to dedicate and improve streets to Town Standards, extend water and sanitary sewage systems to new lots, and install drainage improvements that serve the lots.

No changes are proposed to these requirements.

For more information on Subdivision requirements, please see Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO) 4.6.

Only if you are providing them with an essential service (like food delivery or medical supplies), not for social visits.

Chapel Hill Transit will begin running reduced weekday routes and schedules Monday through Friday until 8 p.m., starting June 1. This decision was made in conjunction with the Orange County Health Department, Town of Chapel Hill Emergency Management, UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC Health. 

Our goal is to provide safe service for both our customers and our operators. 

Reduced weekday routes and schedules include: 

None of these routes will operate after 8 p.m. until further notice. This reduction of service helps our operators provide reliable service while allowing our maintenance team to keep vehicles cleaned and sanitized. 

Chapel Hill Transit continues to encourage all customers to practice physical distancing by maintaining 6 feet of distance from one another; wear masks or other face coverings while riding transit; only ride when necessary; enter and exit through the rear door; and do not ride if you are sick or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (symptoms: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms). 

Chapel Hill Transit is committed to safety. We have hired additional staff to support cleaning of vehicles and equipment and have increased our cleaning regimen so that our buses are cleaned and disinfected daily. We are adding equipment on our vehicles to help protect our operators, and we are identifying seats and placing signage on vehicles to help our customers keep distance from one another. 

During this time, please take advantage of less crowded bus and practice physical distancing, maintaining at least 6 feet of distance between other passengers and the operator. If you are able, arrive at your bus stop earlier to allow yourself options if the bus you are attempting to catch is at capacity. 

Sign up for rider alerts (townofchapelhill.org/government/departments-services/transit/transit-covid-19-update) and follow up on twitter (twitter.com/chtransit) to get the latest information and updates from our team. 

We are also excited to move forward with service improvements this August, including introducing new Saturday and Sunday routes and creating more reliable schedules for many of our routes - we will continue to share more as details become more clear and public health guidance is updated. 

These are standard prevention practices to reduce the spread of contagious diseases, including influenza and COVID-19:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid exposure to others who are sick.
• Stay home when you are ill.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
• Stay home from school, work and activities if you are ill
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces

Now is as important a time as any to utilize the wellness options we have at the Town of Chapel Hill, including our wellness clinic (chapelhillwellnessatwork.org/), and sick leave if you are not feeling well.

The Orange County Health Department is the local health authority to answer questions for you about this virus and other health concerns. Please find more information at orangecountync.gov/2332/coronavirus.

Design and appearance are difficult to regulate for most types of development because the attractiveness of buildings is inherently subjective. This holds true for housing that is being built today in Chapel Hill’s established neighborhoods.

You can tell them what your job is. If you have proof of employment such as a badge or pay-stub, you could keep it with you when you travel.

Note: Online or digital service is the preferred alternative for all business. For in-person business, physical distancing practices must be implemented.

• Financial institutions
  • Banks, currency exchanges, consumer lenders, pawnbrokers, credit unions, appraisers, title companies, financial markets, trading and futures exchanges, payday lenders, affiliates of financial institutions, entities that issue bonds, related financial institutions, institutions selling financial products, insurance companies, underwriters, agents, brokers, and related insurance claims and agency services
• Transportation
  • airlines, taxis, public transportation, vehicle rental, logistics, transportation network providers (e.g. Uber and Lyft), paratransit, and other commercial and logistics for essential activities
• Professional services
  • legal services, accounting services, insurance services, real estate services, notary services, payroll and employee benefit services, necessary for legally mandated activities, critical infrastructure, or if not providing the service would result in significant prejudice.
• Laundry services
  • Laundromats, dry cleaners, industrial laundry, and laundry service providers
• Childcare centers for employees exempted by the Order and to enable first responders, healthcare workers, public health, HHS staff and others responding to COVID-19.
• Funeral services
  • Funeral, mortuary, cremation, burial, cemetery and related services
• Communication and information technology
• Media

What is it?

Two housing units that are either attached or detached and located on the same lot.

Examples:

Dimensional Standards:

For more information, please visit LUMO ____.

• Travel to provide essential activities
• Travel for essential governmental functions
• Travel for essential businesses and operations, or minimum basic operations
• Travel to care for elderly, minors, dependents, persons with disabilities, or other vulnerable persons
• Travel to or from education institutions to get materials for distance learning, for receiving meals, and other related services
• Travel to return home if you are away
• Travel required by law enforcement or court order, including transportation for children as required by custody arrangements

Non-residents may leave the county to return to their home.

Call ahead: Check that your transportation service is still available before you make plans to leave.

You will see Booker Creek and new native plants from the overlook and a network of paths constructed as part of the project. The plants will be small at first, but after several years the space will look and feel like other parks around Chapel Hill.

Note: Online or digital service is the preferred alternative for all business. For in-person business, physical distancing practices must be implemented.

• Home-based care and services
  • providing services to individuals with physical, intellectual, and/or developmental disabilities, seniors, adults, and children; caregivers who travel to provide in-home services
• Residential facilities and shelters
  • long-term care facilities; residential settings and shelters for adults, seniors, children, and/or people with developmental disabilities, intellectual disabilities, substance use disorders, and/or mental illness, pets; transitional facilities
• Field offices
  • Provide and help to determine eligibility for basic needs including food, cash assistance, medical coverage, child care, vocational services, rehabilitation services, developmental centers, adoption agencies
• Organizations and businesses that provide charitable and social services
  • providing food, shelter, and social services, and other necessities of life for economically disadvantaged individuals, individuals with physical, intellectual, and/or developmental disabilities, vulnerable populations, or otherwise needy individuals

The Town of Chapel Hill Ordinance Sec. 6-24. - Transfer of purchased rights.

The purchaser of interment or burial rights or privileges may not transfer the same. The town will refund, without interest, any sum paid for interment privilege if requested to do so in writing by the purchaser thereof prior to the opening of a grave in the grave space purchased and upon surrender by the purchaser of the interment or burial privilege certificate issued for such grave space. Upon the death of the holder of a burial or interment privilege certificate, his or her heirs, legatees or devisees, shall succeed to his rights in said certificates. The owner of a burial or interment privilege certificate may permit interment in the grave space or spaces therein described of any person designated in writing by the certificate owner, provided no compensation for such interment is received by the certificate owner and provided the interment is made in compliance with the provisions of the master map or plan and the detail map hereinbefore referred to.

Please contact Debra Lane at 919-968-2738, dlane@townofchapelhill.org. between 8:00 am - 4: 30 pm M - F and Saturday  8: 30 am - 10 am. if you need further assistance.

A growing part of our community outreach is to meet with citizens. We can make arrangements for meeting with communities and HMOs to discuss policies, share concerns, and address problems. We also will meet groups (GSA, BSA, YMCA, and schools) who are looking for unique opportunities in education and information. 

It is understandable to feel uncertain or anxious during a public health crisis. It is important to remember to not make assumptions about others’ perceived symptoms, travel history, or identity. For any Town employees struggling with anxiety, please reach out to the Town’s Wellness Clinic: 919-968-2796 or chapelhillwellnessatwork.org/. For employees who are looking for support, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 1-800-326-3864 or the Town’s Ombuds Office at 919-265-0806 is a resource available to help employees through stressful situations and events.

What is it?

A second, detached single-family house of no more than 1,200 square feet may be constructed on the same lot as the primary single-family house when the lot exceeds the minimum lot size by 2,700 square feet.

Examples:

Dimensional Standards:

For more information, please visit LUMO ____.

Allowable discharges that do not significantly impact water quality or cause or contribute to a violation of applicable water quality standards and are discharged in accordance with the best management practices (BMPs) in the Town’s Design Manual include:*

• Water line flushing;
• Landscape irrigation;
• Diverted stream flows;
• Rising groundwaters;
• Uncontaminated groundwater infiltration;
• Uncontaminated pumped groundwater;
• Discharges from uncontaminated potable water sources;
• Foundation or footing drains;
• Air conditioning condensation (commercial/residential only);
• Irrigation waters;
• Springs;
• Water from crawl space pumps;
• Individual residential car washing;
• Flows from stream habitats and wetlands;
• Discharge of street wash waters;
• Firefighting activities;
• Discharges from dechlorinated swimming pools. These discharges do not include pool filter backwash discharge or saltwater pool discharge, which are prohibited.
• Discharges associated with emergency removal and treatment activities for hazardous materials if authorized by the federal, state or local government on-scene coordinator.
• Maintenance activities of the stormwater drainage system requiring flushing or cleaning with potable water.
• Illicit discharge permitted under an NPDES permit, waiver, or waste discharge order issued to the discharger and administered under the authority of the USEPA, or NCDWR, provided that the discharger is in full compliance with all requirements of the permit, waiver, or order and other applicable laws and regulations.
• Discharges specified in writing by the Town  Manager as being necessary to protect public health and safety or discharges that have been filtered through an approved pretreatment system that consistently demonstrate no discharge of pollutants.  

*If any of the above-listed exceptions to the discharge prohibition are found to be polluted and may therefore negatively impact the quality of the waters of the State, the polluted illicit discharge exception shall be deemed unlawful and shall not be discharged into the stormwater drainage system.  These conditions shall be determined by the Town Manager. These discharges, though listed as an exception above, shall be regulated as an illicit connection or discharge.

You are encouraged to maintain a six-foot distance from others as much as possible, and to continue practicing good hygiene to limit potential exposures.

Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation:
Stay connected with us at www.chapelhillparks.org for updates and detail information regarding the information below. 

• Parks, Greenways, Trails, Dog parks all open from dawn to dusk.  Park restrooms will open 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. and be sanitized and restocked daily. While spending more time at home, there's more time to get outside or take a walk! Use our social distancing guide as you enjoy the outdoors with others.
• Park amenities open dawn to dusk with a maximum capacity  of 25 participants for any one amenity at a time.  for drop-in play singles and doubles include: 
  Tennis and Pickleball courts, Outdoor Sand Volleyball courts, Skate Park, Inline Hockey Rink and Disc Golf, and bocce-ball courts.
• Playgrounds (inspected and cleaned routinely) are open with a limit of 25, Picnic shelter reservation (max 25 per reservation . 
• Athletic Fields and Basketball Courts are open with safe play guidelines. Limit the number of participants, including players, coaches and support staff, to 50 at each full-size athletic field or court (inside the fenced area). Limit the number of spectators to 50 per athletic field or court (outside the fenced area).
• All indoor recreation facilities remain closed to the general public. Some indoor recreation facilities have reopened for scheduled programs (with strict precautions)
• Registration is now open for a variety of modified recreation programs.
• The Homestead Aquatic Center has re-opened for Chapel Hill and Orange County residents at limited capacity. Lap swimming and independent water exercise will be offered seven days a week, while recreation swimming will be offered on weekends only. swim time reservations can be made online at https://tochaq.getomnify.com
• Administrative staff are available by email or (919) 968-2784 between 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday.

Operations REMAINING closed

• Our indoor recreation facilities and buildings remain closed to the public until further notice, including facility rentals by outside groups. The only people allowed inside of our indoor facilities at this time are staff members and program participants.
• Chapel Hill and Hargraves Community Centers
• Community Center Pool
• Gymnasiums
• The Corner Teen Center
• Community Clay Studio 

• Administrative Office is closed to the public and walk ins.

The safety of park users and our staff is our top priority. While you seek to enjoy the outdoors, it is important that you are conscious of your personal space and respect the space of others.

We’re asking people to monitor themselves and their children, be responsible and use common sense in the following ways: 

1. Use physical distancing and always keep at least six feet between yourself and others as you enjoy the outdoors.
2. Wear a mask (face covering), when not 6' apart from other households.
3. Give other park and trail users a friendly warning of your presence as you pass to allow proper distance.
4. Be respectful and step off trails or sidewalks to allow others to pass when there's not enough room to keep your 6 feet distance.
5. In Orange County, large groups of 25 or more are prohibited from gathering together.
6. Limit the number of participants, including players, coaches and support staff, to 25 at each full size athletic field or court (inside the fenced area).
7. Limit the number of spectators to 25 per athletic field or court (outside the fenced area).
8. If you’re out walking your dog, keep dogs be on a leash at all times. Maintain six feet distance from other dogs and persons.
9. Carry water, hand sanitizer, face masks, and disinfecting wipes to further protect yourself.
10. Disinfect frequently used items and surfaces as much as possible.
11. If you use a picnic table or bench, disinfect before you sit or touch.
12. Strongly consider using face coverings while in public
13. Sneeze or cough into a tissue, or the inside of your elbow.
14. Continue to practice good hygiene.
15. Avoid touching your face.
16. People who feel sick should stay home.

While visiting the Dog Park

1. Make efforts to visit during off-peak hours, when there is less likely to be a large crowd of people.
2. Avoid dog parks or public places where gatherings of 25 or more occur or has occurred.
3. Discourage interacting with or petting other pets from outside your household.
4. Keep at least a 6 foot distance from others
5. Sanitize hands before, during, and after using the park
6. Be extra cautious of coming into contact with surfaces (gates, tables, waste bag kiosks, water faucet).

The town maintains the trees located within town parks, town facilities and public housing communities. The town also maintains the trees located in the rights of way, along with town maintained streets. The town works in conjunction with NC DOT along state-maintained roads, Duke Energy and OWASA along their easements as well as the University of North Carolina along abutting properties. 

It is difficult to accurately predict where and how many of these proposed missing middle housing forms would be constructed by these changes to the zoning ordinance.  In our research, we have seen that production of new housing types has been modest due to a number of constraints, including real estate market conditions.  For that reason, staff propose monitoring the results of housing reforms to determine outcomes and amend the ordinance, as necessary, to strategically address impacts.

Chapter 160D will phase out Conditional Use District zoning, which is the practice of linking a Special Use Permit with the rezoning of the site. Conditional Use Districts are designated with a -C suffix on the Zoning Map (eg R-5-C). By January 1, 2021, all Conditional Use Districts will need to convert to Conditional Zoning Districts, meaning they will then have a -CZD suffix. The conversion only changes the name of the zoning district, not the conditions that have been placed on an approved development.

No other changes to the Zoning Map will need to be made as part of this project. 

You can register your child for the Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation’s Read to Achieve Afternoon Camp only AFTER your child has been enrolled and accepted in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School’s Read to Achieve Summer Program or EL/Newcomer Camp at Northside Elementary School.

Registration is currently open for the Read to Achieve Afternoon Camp, the deadline to register has been extended to is May 31, 2019.

The fee for the 5-week program is $250 and is due in full at the time of registration.  We accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express with online registration, and for walk-in registration, we also accept cash and checks.  Include a check with your mail-in registration.

Refer to our Camp FAQs for all other questions.

 The Town is still doing construction projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Contractors are expected to adhere to CDC guidance during construction.

 For more information, go to the COVID-19 webpage.

Note: Online or digital service is the preferred alternative for all business. For in-person business, physical distancing practices must be implemented.

• Businesses that sell, manufacture, or supply support or materials for essential services
• Hotels and motels

The timing and scope of park improvements vary based on priorities established in the Parks Master Plan and available funding. Please contact Kevin Robinson (Senior Manager of Planning & Park Operations) at (919) 969-5104, krobinson@townofchapelhill.org  

What is it?

Four housing units that are either attached or detached and located on the same lot.

Examples:

Dimensional Standards:

For more information, please visit LUMO ____.

It will be imperative to monitor the effects of these housing reforms.  Should the Town Council adopt housing reforms to the Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO), staff will work with the Town Council to determine how often we should report back on the metrics achieved by these text amendments.  Staff’s initial recommendation is to monitor the following related to the Housing Choices LUMOTA:

• Building permits issued
• Zoning compliance permits issued for missing middle housing types
• Number of demolitions specifically related to missing middle housing types (i.e. removal of single family house to create missing middle housing)
• Zoning districts in which development is occurring

What is it?

An accessory apartment is a unit with space for cooking, sleeping, and bathroom facilities that may be attached to, within, or detached from the primary house.

Examples:

Dimensional Standards:

For more information, please visit LUMO ____.

Pollutants may include, but are not limited to:

• Paints, varnishes and solvents;
• Gasoline and other petroleum fuels;
• Oil and other automotive fluids;
• Detergents;
• Food waste, including cooking oil and grease;
• Non-hazardous liquids, solid wastes, and yard wastes;
• Pool filter backwash;
• Refuse, rubbish, garbage, litter, or other discarded or abandoned objects;
• Floatables;
• Insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, and other pesticides;
• Fertilizers;
• Soot, slag, and ash;
• Hazardous substances and wastes;
• Sewage, animal wastes, fecal coliform, Escheria coli, and pathogens;
• Dissolved and particulate metals;
• Hot water;
• Wastes and residues that result from constructing a building or structure (including, but not limited to, sediments, slurries, and concrete rinsates);
• Eroded soils, sediments, and particulate matter;  and
• Noxious or offensive matter of any kind.

For safe disposal, you can take household hazardous wastes (HHW) and some small-quantity business wastes to the Orange County Solid Waste HHW Collection Center at 1514 Eubanks Road in Chapel Hill.

The downtown staff is responsible for the following streets being kept clean and free of debris, as well as parking lots and parking decks:

• Franklin St. (Henderson to Merritt Mill) 
  Rosemary (Henderson to Merritt Mill) 
  
• The following streets from Franklin to Rosemary: 
  Henderson, Columbia, Church, and Graham
  

The operational hours for the Parks Maintenance Division are 6am-3: 30 pm, Monday – Friday. For emergencies, please contact 911.

All trash should be bagged and put into your trash can.

If you have more trash than will fit in your trash can, take it to one of the Waste and Recycling Centers:

• 1514 Eubanks Rd in Chapel Hill or
• 1616 Ferguson Rd in Chapel Hill.

If these options do not work for you, email us:

• For Chapel Hill residents, email Sammy at sbauer@townofchapelhill.org.
• For Carrboro residents, email Heather at hholley@townofcarrboro.org.

COVID-19 is the official name of a respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus (previously “2019-nCoV”) that was first detected in Wuhan City, China, and reported in December 2019.

Local, state, and federal health officials are monitoring the virus and continue to provide updates on its spread.

Yard Waste will resume on June 4, 2020

The project site is between Eastgate Crossing Shopping Center and South Elliott Road. If you're on South Elliott Road, you can see part the area from the bridge that crosses Booker Creek. The map below shows many familiar landmarks that surround the project site.

Many development applications that are decided upon by Council will first be reviewed by a series of the Town’s Advisory Boards and Commissions. These Boards and Commissions are composed of Council-appointed community members who can make recommendations to Council. Here are the Advisory Boards and Commissions that play a role in development review:

1. Environmental Stewardship Advisory Board

2. Transportation & Connectivity Advisory Board

3. Housing Advisory Board (for projects that have a residential component) 

4. Historic District Commission (for projects located in a Local Historic District) 

5. Community Design Commission (for projects outside of Local Historic Districts) 

6. Planning Commission – typically the final Board to review a development application before Council

The Board of Adjustment also plays a role in development review, but not for applications that are decided upon by Council.

For sites that disturb 20,000 square feet or more, contact Orange County Erosion Control at 919-245-2580. How big is 20,000 square feet? Picture half a football field without the end zones. Common examples include subdivisions, large apartment buildings, and large commercial or institutional projects.

If the site disturbs less than 20,000 square feet, call Chapel Hill Stormwater at 919-969-RAIN (7246). Most residential lots are less than 20,000 square feet.

Not sure who to call? Contact Chapel Hill Stormwater at 919-969-RAIN (7246).

You can also download the Muddy Water Watch app, which helps monitor and report erosion control issues. Partnering with county Sediment and Erosion Control programs, Haw River Assembly provides training, materials, and the tools necessary for volunteers to properly identify and report sediment and erosion control violations.

Possible construction site water pollution issues include:

• Water has a sheen that could be from oil, grease, or paint solvents;
• Trash and other debris from the site has drifted off-site;
• A lot of algae is growing in nearby waters;
• Oil or mud is tracked out into the street; and/or
• Nearby waters are murky or cloudy.

If you notice any of these issues:

1. Do not enter the construction site.  
2. Contact the NC Department of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources (DEMLR) at 919-707-3639. They are responsible for regulating construction stormwater permits.
3. Call Chapel Hill Stormwater at 919-969-RAIN(7246) so local staff can follow-up on the issue.

What is complete?

The park is open to the public. The walking trails, pedestrian bridges, and overlook are installed and ready for use. The flood storage component is complete.

What is left to do?

We have to finish stabilizing the site, complete the landscaping, put up signage, and install artist Holly Felice's sculptures. Right now, temporary erosion control measures are in place while the newly constructed flood storage area stabilizes. Permanent plantings will go in later this spring.

Lighting will be installed when future funding is available.

Chapel Hill will need to make adjustments to its development regulations, which are found throughout the Town Code of Ordinances. Most of the significant changes will be in the section of the Town Code called the Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO).

Perhaps the largest change to current ways of regulating development will be the phasing out of Conditional Use District zoning. In Chapel Hill, many developers in Chapel Hill seek both a Special Use Permit (SUP) and a rezoning for their site in order to get approval for the scale and density they're proposing. The SUP and rezoning can be linked through a tool called 'Conditional Use District zoning'. Under Chapter 160D, this tool is no longer available.

Additional information on Conditional Use District Zoning may be found on the UNC School of Government Coates’ Canon Blog.

Other notable changes under Chapter 160D include limits on allowable conditions for development approvals, changes to the Special Use Permit review process, changes to Vested Rights and Permit Choice, and more.

You can view the final plans using the following link: https://townhall.townofchapelhill.org/large_docs/Elliott_100SubmittalOct232020.pdf

 The Landscaping Plans are also available online.

The HDC may not deny an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness authorizing the demolition of a building or structure; however, the effective date of such a certificate may be delayed for up to 365 days from the date of approval.

No. All stream determinations must be made by Town staff using specific criteria. After you receive the report, a licensed Land Surveyor can delineate the RCD on your property using guidance in the Land Use Management Ordinance. They will certify on the property plat or site plan whether or not an RCD exists, and if so, where it is located.

Town Stormwater Management staff determines only the classification of streams; Town Planners determine the presence or location of RCDs.  Surveyors certify the presence and location of RCDs in relation to the property for which the stream determination is made. Town Planning staff can assist surveyors with interpretation of the LUMO for identifying the location of an RCD.

If the drainage easement is public (see above) the Town will provide assistance. If the drainage easement is private (see above) the problem is between two private property owners. You can determine whether an easement is public or private by getting the property deed or plat from Orange County Land Records/GIS Maps.

A drainage easement is not public unless it has been accepted by a public entity, such as the Town. This legal status must be verified by deed and recorded plat language. Most drainage easements in Chapel Hill are private. New development must include Reserved Storm Drainageway Easements per Town guidelines.

No. You can request a stream determination only for property you own.

We can research whether there have been previous stream determinations for any part of Town.

The Stormwater Management Division is in the process of creating a town-wide database of perennial, intermittent, and ephemeral streams using a consistent set of criteria.

Yes. Click here for Online Floodplain maps for the Town of Chapel Hill.

To view paper floodplain maps for Chapel Hill, please make an appointment to visit the Stormwater Management Program office at 208 N. Columbia Street. We will be happy to review the area of interest to you.

Town staff cannot make an official flood determination for a property, but can help property owners and real estate agents see where properties and the floodplain intersect. Maps are estimates, and only a professional elevation survey can confirm the property’s risk.

State statute gives municipalities the authority to create a historic preservation commission to manage local historic districts and landmarks, and issue Certificates of Appropriateness (COA). Before issuing or denying any COA, the Commission must adopt rules of procedure and Design Guidelines.

The Historic District Commission has the responsibility of guiding physical change within the historic districts of Chapel Hill in such a way as to promote, enhance, and preserve the character of the districts. For additional information about the Historic District Commission, click here.   

Historic District Commission Rules of Procedure

Home occupation: An occupation conducted as an accessory use of a dwelling unit, provided that:

(a) Home occupations shall have a limit of one full-time equivalent employee who is not a member of the family residing in the home with the home occupation; "Full-time equivalent employee" refers to one or more employees who work a total of no more than forty (40) combined hours on-site per week;

(b) The use of the dwelling unit or accessory buildings for the home occupation shall be clearly incidental and subordinate to the use of the property for residential purposes, and not more than thirty-five (35) percent nor more than seven hundred fifty (750) square feet of the floor area of the dwelling unit and any accessory buildings combined shall be used in the conduct of the home occupations; provided, that the floor area defined as used in the home occupation is the area dedicated to or primarily used for the home occupation, and does not include areas incidentally used for the home occupation;

(c) No external evidence of the conduct of the home occupation, including commercial signs, shall be visible;

(d) Traffic and parking regulations;                                                                                   

(1) The home occupation shall not generate traffic volumes or parking area needs greater than would normally be expected in the residential neighborhood.

(2) In addition, normally there shall be no more than three (3) vehicles parked at any time on- or off-street for non-residential purposes including but not limited to parking by non-resident employees, customers, delivery services, etc.; but excluding drop-offs and pick-ups. Home occupations for arts education or similar educational purposes are exempt from any parking restrictions.

(3) There shall be no regular pick-up and delivery by vehicles other than those of a size normally used for household deliveries.

(e) No equipment or process shall be employed that will cause noise, vibration, odor, glare, or electrical or communication interference detectable to the normal senses off the lot in the case of detached dwelling units, or outside the dwelling unit in the case of attached dwelling units;

(f) The on-premises sale and delivery of goods which are not the products of the home occupation are prohibited, except that the sale of goods which are incidental to a service of the home occupation is permitted;

(g) A zoning compliance permit is issued for the home occupation(s). The permit shall describe the nature of the business and include the applicant's certification that the home occupation will be conducted in accord with the Land Use Management Ordinance and other applicable laws and ordinances. The town manager may revoke a zoning compliance permit for a home occupation if he/she determines the conditions were being violated. Once a home occupation permit has been granted, it shall remain in effect until: (1) it is revoked by the town; (2) the home occupation is terminated by the resident or residents for one hundred eighty (180) or more days; or (3) the holder of the permit moves from the residence.

Permitted Zones: RT, R-LD5, R-LD1, R-1A, R-1, R-2, R-2A, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6, R-SS-C, TC-1, TC-2, TC-3, CC, NC, OI-1, OI-2, OI-3, OI-4, PD-H, PD-MU

The presence of an RCD on your property is dependent on the type(s) of streams present on or near your property, and the location of the FEMA floodplain.  Streams with perennial (year-round) flow or intermittent (partial-year) flow have an RCD surrounding them; ephemeral streams (those flowing only during and right after rain) do not have an associated RCD. 

The Town’s Stormwater Management Division can tell you if streams on or near your property have been classified.  If no previous stream determination has been made, you will need to request one, and use that result in determining RCD boundaries.  Stream types will be re-evaluated after five years if the local hydrology changes significantly.

Property owners must fill out and sign a Request for Stream Determination form. You can print this out and FAX it, with the required maps to Stormwater Management at 919-969-7276.

You will need the

• address,
• Parcel ID Number (PIN), and
• Tax Map, Block, and Lot number (TMBL).

This information can be found on copies of your Tax Map or plat (one of which you will need to send in with your request), or you can get this information from Orange County Land Records in Hillsborough (919-245-2500).

We look for various signs of the presence of water. Plants, bugs, fish, and channel characteristics typically reflect how often (and how much) water flows through a stream channel.

Descriptions of our formal methods and criteria for classifying streams can be found in the Land Use Management Ordinance.

You can subscribe to the Sustainable Chapel Hill e-notifications on the Town's main webpage. Other ways to contact the Town stormwater management staff:

Telephone: 919-969-RAIN (7246)
Fax: 919-969-7276
e-mail: stormwater@townofchapelhill.org

There are three steps you need to take in determining an RCD boundary on your property.

Step One:  Submit a Stream Determination Request form to the Stormwater Management Division.

• The stream determination report must be prepared by Town staff, using Chapel Hill’s specific stream classification criteria and an onsite visit.  Therefore, we must have the property information and property owner’s signature giving the stream ecologist permission to come onto private property. 
• The report you receive will explain the study and tell you if your property contains perennial and/or intermittent streams, perennial waterbodies, or ephemeral channels. 

Step Two: Present the Stream Determination report to your surveyor. 

• Our report will allow your surveyor to determine the boundary of the Resource Conservation District based on requirements in the Land Use Management Ordinance. 
• The location of the Resource Conservation District is based on several criteria including:  stream type as determined in Step One, FEMA floodplain maps, the year the lot was lawfully established, the extent of the drainage area, and topography. 
• Your surveyor will need to use the newest FEMA floodplain maps to determine floodplain elevations.  These maps are available at the Stormwater Management office.

Step Three: Your surveyor compiles the stream determination completed by the Town and floodplain elevation information, and prepares a surveyor site plan which identifies the boundaries of the Resource Conservation District. 

• The surveyor will contact the Planning Department if questions arise about the applicable Resource Conservation District width or elevation. 
• Your surveyor will provide you with a sealed document which identifies the location of the Resource Conservation District on the property. 

It may take up to two weeks to receive a stream determination response, depending on weather conditions, staff availability, and the scope of the request.

Stream determinations cannot be conducted within 48 hours of a rain event. This provides better distinction between ephemeral streams (which flow only during and immediately following rain) and intermittent/perennial streams.

There are no charges or fees for stream determinations at this time.

The local Solid Waste Convenience Centers will not take tires.

If you find tires, let us know and we can help you out.

• For Carrboro, email Heather at hholley@townofcarrboro.org.
• For Chapel Hill, email Sammy at sbauer@townofchapelhill.org.

Impervious surface on your parcel places a certain demand on the stormwater system. Stormwater runoff generated by your property must be controlled and conveyed once it leaves your property so that it does not create problems for others.

Stormwater management activities with broad benefits include:

• keeping the public streets drained and cleared,
• making necessary stormwater infrastructure upgrades,
• reducing erosion and other pollutants that enter streams and lakes,
• protecting and restoring streams and other aquatic habitat areas, and
• collecting and conveying stormwater safely through all parts of the Town.

A portion of the fees also provide for compliance with federal, state, and local regulations for water quality improvements; administration of the Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO) through development review, inspections, bonding, and stream classifications for the Resource Conservation District; public involvement and educational programs; and responding to public health and safety issues that benefit all property owners.

The Town's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) activities and National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) flood map activities and associated administrative duties also fall under the utility.

The Town Council has expressed interest in increasing housing supply, and this is just one tool that can be applied to accomplish this goal.  One way to address the housing shortage is to add density through a variety of housing types.  Multiple tools outside of zoning are needed to bring significant changes to the local housing market.

Yes. The Town works in cooperation on a local and regional basis as well as with state and federal agencies in a wide variety of water resources-related issues. All units of government, institutions and agencies will continue to work together to meet the challenges and regulations facing all of us within the Upper Cape Fear River watershed.

Drainage problems stemming from private property and/or associated with a dispute between two private property owners must be resolved by the property owner(s). If the problem involves a stormwater management facility or feature that was required by Town permit, the responsible party (e.g. homeowners' association) needs to undertake whatever measures necessary to correct the problem.

In private disputes, the Town can provide technical assistance and/or information on upstream contributing areas, flow paths of streams and storm sewer lines, soils, topography, and other hydrologic information associated with the problem.  Private consulting engineers and contractors can analyze situations and suggest solutions such as waterproofing, drains, ditches, and other methods. Most significant drainage improvements requires a Town development permit obtained through the Planning Department.

If regulatory compliance is involved, the Town may issue a notice of violation requiring that mitigation measures be taken by the responsible party. Where stormwater is flowing from construction sites onto private property, the Town will investigate to ensure that the construction activity is in compliance with the development permit and associated regulations.

The history of the property is important in applying RCD regulations. A general rule is that single family residential development that occurred before the RCD was originally enacted in 1985, or before RCD regulations were significantly modified on January 27, 2003, is entitled to have the RCD boundaries determined by ordinances that were in place at the time the development occurred (also known as "grandfathering"). However, the permitted uses and standards enacted on January 27, 2003 apply to RCDs on all properties, regardless of when they were platted.

Undeveloped properties are subject to the most recent RCD regulations, including the new rules for determining RCD boundaries. Please refer to the table of permitted uses, Table 3.6.3-2 of the Land Use Management Ordinance. 

New lots that are created must include area outside of the RCD (that is, area large enough to build structures with standard dimensions and with standard lot layouts). If you want to develop a currently-undeveloped older lot that has no area on which to build, you may need to seek a variance from RCD regulations in order to proceed. Variance requests are heard by the Chapel Hill Board of Adjustment.

Additions or expansions to existing development within the RCD may be permitted under some circumstances. If you believe your property is in this category, please contact the Planning Department at 919-968-2728 for a review of your circumstances.

For all cases, development or any land disturbance in the RCD may not occur without first getting a Zoning Compliance Permit for an RCD Encroachment from the Planning Department. Application for encroachment into an RCD requires certain information about the property and plans, stamped envelopes pre-addressed to all property owners within 500 feet of the property (for notification purposes), and demonstration that required standards for building or land disturbance in the RCD are met or that some legal basis exists for exceptions to such standards. 

The Stormwater drainage crew periodically inspects and, if necessary, cleans debris blockages out of accessible segments of Little, Bolin, Booker and Morgan Creeks.  Any dredging or channel work requires a host of expensive and time-consuming permits, both State and Federal, and does not always reduce flooding.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DREDGE OR RESHAPE A CREEK BY YOURSELF! IT IS AGAINST THE LAW without approved plans and permits. 

Note: As the amount of impervious surface area increases due to development in local watersheds, streams may flow at increasingly higher levels following storm events, and they may flow less during the dry season. The stormwater management provisions and requirements in the Town's Land Use Management Ordinance are intended to mitigate the effects of stormwater runoff resulting from new development and/or re-development.

Overnight lodging. Accommodations arranged for short term stays of less than thirty (30) days for rent or lease.

Permitted Zones: WX-5, WX-7

Local historic district designation recognizes the unique history of the neighborhood and honors the community’s architectural past by preserving it for future generations.  Property owners within local historic districts often benefit due to:

• Local design review prevents incompatible design and alterations from creeping into the neighborhood, protecting the investment of property owners.
• Economic studies have found that properties in historic districts actually appreciate at higher rates than market rates over time and are less vulnerable to market volatility during economic downturns.
• Social and psychological benefits to residents by providing opportunities to live and work in attractive surroundings and walkable neighborhoods that are unique to their community.

“Measuring Impacts of Historic Preservation” by Donovan Rypkema

Tourist home: A building or group of buildings containing in combination three (3) to nine (9) lodging units intended for rental or lease primarily to transients for daily or weekly periods with or without board, as distinguished from rooming houses in which occupancy is generally by residents rather than transients. Emergency shelters for homeless persons and residential support facilities, as defined elsewhere in this appendix, are not included.

Permitted Zones: TC-1, TC-2, TC-3, CC, OI-1, OI-2, OI-3, OI-4, PD-SC, PD-OI, PD-MU

The Design Guidelines for the Chapel Hill Historic Districts were adopted by the Town Council in June 2002. The Guidelines set the standards for property owners and for the Historic District Commission (HDC) on what is congruent, or consistent, with the character of the Town’s three local historic districts: Franklin-Rosemary, McCauley-Cameron, and Gimghoul.  Together these historic districts encompass more than 500 properties.

The Design Guidelines include a brief description and history of Chapel Hill, the Historic District Commission, the Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) process, and recommendations for specific site and building features. Each topic covered includes points to consider prior to designing and has specific guidelines. For example, exterior lighting suggests the use of directional fixtures and down lighting to prevent excessive nighttime lighting.

Based on the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, the Design Guidelines are locally-tailored to encourage ongoing protection and maintenance of historic properties.  The Design Guidelines provide direction for exterior alterations, changes in exterior materials, new construction, additions, significant site changes, and the relocation or demolition of historic buildings.

The purpose of the Design Guidelines is to provide guidance to:

• Property owners as they plan exterior changes so changes are congruent with the special character of the districts
• Historic District Commission (HDC) as it reviews the appropriateness of all proposed exterior changes throughout the districts
• Staff as they provide administrative approvals for minor projects, such as those not requiring a building permit

Interior alterations, routine maintenance, and minor repairs to the building’s exterior that do not change its appearance and materials are not included in the design review process.

Current copy of the Design Guidelines for the Chapel Hill Historic Districts

Use of land in an identified Resource Conservation District is significantly restricted. A table of permitted uses can be found in Section 3.6.3 of Chapel Hill's Land Use Management Ordinance. In general, no structure or fence may be built within the RCD.

Land disturbance is to be minimized within the RCD.  If a dwelling or structure already exists on a lot within the RCD, there may be conditions that allow expansion.

The Resource Conservation District is intended to preserve water quality, minimize danger and property damage from flooding, protect streams from erosion and sedimentation, and preserve urban wildlife corridors and plant habitats.  The RCD is also used to manage development in FEMA regulatory floodplains.

In 1985, Chapel Hill established the Resource Conservation District as an overlay zoning district to protect stream corridors and prevent property damage from floods. Underlying general-use zoning (e.g., Residential-1,Neighborhood Commercial, etc.) establishes what uses are allowed on a property, along with dimensional standards for structures. Overlay zones, such as the Historic Districts, Airport Hazard District, and Resource Conservation District, place additional restrictions on properties because of special considerations.

A stormwater utility is a legally authorized "public enterprise fund", adopted by ordinance and similar to a water or sewer utility. It is established to finance stormwater management program activities exclusively.

With a utility, the Town can develop and plan for a cost effective stormwater management program. The utility allows for a more reliable and equitable source of funding that is based on the demand that a given property places on the stormwater management system. Alternative funding sources include general revenues, fees and bonds. However, general revenues are based on the value of property and not the demand placed on the stormwater system.

A Town engineer or stream ecologist uses State and Town criteria to examine your property for natural drainage channels and determines whether perennial, intermittent, or ephemeral streams exist. Only perennial and intermittent channels contribute to determining an RCD boundary.

Assuming normal rainfall:

• Perennial streams have water flowing continuously through parts of their stream bed all year long.
• Intermittent streams have water flowing part of the year.
• Ephemeral streams only have water flowing during or right after rain/snow.

In general terms, an impervious surface is a hardened surface (concrete, rooftop, asphalt, compacted gravel, etc.) that does not absorb stormwater.

Impervious surface areas cause increased pollution, increased volume and rate of stormwater runoff, lower stream base flows, and decreased infiltration of stormwater into the soil.

Stormwater is runoff that is a direct result of precipitation, such as rain or snowmelt. It flows in concentrated forms (pipes, gutters, channels, etc.) and diffuse forms (sheet flow) over or within all land forms. Stormwater infiltrates into the soil and becomes ground water, is used by vegetation, evaporates, or flows into lakes or streams as surface flow.

Urbanization causes significant changes in stormwater runoff characteristics, including increased volume and rate of runoff entering streams and the storm sewer infrastructure and reduced amounts of water filtering into the soil.

Such changes cause:

• increased erosion and formation of gullies in upland areas,
• increased in-stream scour and erosion,
• increased sediment deposition in lower areas,
• degradation of water quality,
• peak storm flows that are higher and faster,
• more frequent flooding, and
• negative effects on stream ecological communities.

These impacts on both man-made structures and natural systems require continuous management, maintenance, repair and replacement of the Town's stormwater management system, and careful planning to mitigate existing and future problems.

The Base Flood Elevation (BFE) is the projected height of the 100-year flood, which FEMA determines for the National Flood Insurance Program. This elevation is used to determine a local Resource Conservation District. The area below this elevation is often called the regulatory floodplain since there are many restrictions on building in this area required for the Town's participation in the National Flood Insurance Program. 

The 100-year flood is not guaranteed to happen only once a century; rather, it is the elevation at which there is a 1% chance of flooding in a given year.  In other words, property within the 100-year floodplain has a 26% chance of flooding within a 30-year period (a common period of time for a mortgage).

Local historic district designation provides a regulatory framework through the Land Use Management Ordinance and the Design Guidelines for making alterations within neighborhoods that have been designated as historic by the Town.  The National Register designation is honorary and does not protect historic properties to the extent that local regulations can.

Property owners with drainage problems may receive cost-sharing opportunities and assistance from the Town including technical advice, engineering design, maps, reports, construction services and project inspection depending on the cause of the drainage problem and the scope of the work. 

Drainage problems involving both public and private property are typically handled cooperatively by the Town and the property owner through the Drainage Assistance Program.

The Town has hired a consultant to review, revise, and update the design guidelines.  The consultant will be meeting with staff and the HDC Design Guidelines Committee regularly to discuss changes to the Design Guidelines; these meetings will be open to the public and noticed on the Town’s calendar.  The consultant will also work closely with the State Historic Preservation Office (HPO) to ensure that the updated Design Guidelines comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. In summer 2020, the updated Design Guidelines will be presented to the HDC for adoption. 

Two public information meetings will be held at the beginning and the end of the project to solicit public feedback on the Design Guidelines.  The first meeting will be held on February 17, 2020, and the final meeting is tentatively scheduled for June 2020.

Perennial streams, ponds, and lakes contribute to an RCD in all parts of Town. Intermittent streams do so only for parcels platted after January 27, 2003. Ephemeral streams and man-made ditches do not contribute to an RCD at all.

Some channels may appear man-made, being straightened, deepened, or lined, but these may be modified natural streams. These streams can also contribute to an RCD if they are perennial or intermittent.

The enacted ordinance establishes a nine-member Stormwater Management Advisory Board, similar to other Town Advisory Boards, which meets monthly to review program development and policy recommendations. Board representation includes five single-family residential property owners, three owners or employees of companies owning commercial, multi-family, or non-profit property, and one representative from UNC.

Responsibilities of the Board include:

• providing recommendations for identifying and implementing new stormwater management activities,
• reviewing and providing recommendations on the stormwater management master plan,
• providing recommendations on gaps or inconsistencies in Town stormwater management activities and recommending alternatives,
• providing recommendations on watershed master planning activities,
• assisting Town staff in working with stakeholder groups, and
• assisting Town staff with public outreach activities.

The Town participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that requires administration of the federal regulations pertaining to floodplain management and other flood study related issues.

The Town submits its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System - Phase 2 stormwater permit for approval to the NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ). This permit requires the Town to meet the measures outlined in the permit to reduce and mitigate non-point source stormwater pollution

The Town administers the state's Water Supply Watershed development regulations.

The Town ensures that state and federal jurisdictional waters and wetlands are not impacted without proper certification from the Army Corps of Engineers and the state's Wetlands Certification Unit.

Anya Grahn, Senior Planner  
Planning Department, Town of Chapel Hill
405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Phone: 919-969-5059

Email: agrahn@townofchapelhill.org

The Design Guidelines provide direction and guidance to Town staff, Town Advisory Boards/Commissions, and applicants on the desired aesthetics and historic character of Chapel Hill’s local historic districts.

Typical gravel materials (including "Chapel Hill gravel") used for roads and parking lots are laid down to withstand heavy loads. Vehicles driving over these graveled areas compact both the underlying clay soil and the gravel, forming a seal through which water will not readily infiltrate the soil. Some landscaping or stormwater management applications involve un-compacted, washed stone that would not be considered impervious. This is a uniform grade aggregate that has been pre-washed and is of sufficient depth to promote infiltration into the soil.

The Chapel Hill Historic District Commission (HDC) adopted the current design guidelines in 2001; they were adopted by the Chapel Hill Town Council in 2002.  While the Town has been fortunate to have thoughtfully conceived, carefully written, and highly detailed Design Guidelines, the time has clearly come for revisions and updates.  Because the Design Guidelines play such crucial role in the HDC’s review of Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) applications, it is important that they provide a sound basis for the consistent review of applications for incongruity with the special character of the relevant district and help avoid arbitrary or capricious decisions. 

By revising the guidelines, the Town and HDC hope to achieve:

• Clarify specific guidance and standards by refining the language of the design guidelines
• Revise sections that address substitute materials as well as the use of new technology and new construction materials by incorporating guidance
• Revise the section on minor works delegated to Town staff for approval, as well as exempt repairs, to provide greater clarity and specificity
• Update the graphics to more clearly communicate the intent of the guidelines and basis for decisions
• Create a modern template that is easy to read and use

This project is important to the future of historic preservation in Chapel Hill.  Current and accessible Design Guidelines are crucial to addressing the needs of the community and maintaining the unique character of the Town’s historic districts.  This project will play a constructive role in bringing the benefits of historic preservation processes and tools to a wider range of Chapel Hill’s historic neighborhoods due to community input.

One element of the stormwater management program is to complete drainage maintenance projects on a public/private partnership basis when drainage problems involve Town properties or rights-of-way. The drainage assistance program assesses, ranks and prioritizes drainage problems.

Drainage problems between property owners is a civil matter and must be worked out between neighbors. However, stormwater engineers will be happy to offer technical advice for resolution of the problems.