Rogers Road Zoning Standards

Town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Renaissance applied a hands-on, community led approach to develop an updated zoning district for Chapel Hill’s Rogers Road neighborhood. One of Chapel Hill’s oldest neighborhoods, the community’s relationship with the town has been, at times, contentious. These conflicts have left their mark, contributing to a tenuous trust between the town and the neighborhood. In recent years, the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro and Orange County have been making active efforts to strengthen ties and demonstrate public commitment to the residents in the Rogers Road and Eubanks neighborhoods. One example is the recent installation of long-promised sewer infrastructure. Residents proactively developed a vision and goals to guide the new growth and development that can be accommodated due to infrastructure upgrades.

The updated zoning districts intentionally reflects the long history of neighborhood-led planning and integrates the community’s vision and goals as written in Rogers Road: Mapping Our Community’s Future. The principles guiding the zoning framework include:

• Retain families who have lived here for decades/generations

• Connect us with each other and the larger community

• Preserve socioeconomic and cultural diversity for the future

• Respect the physical/natural character of the neighborhood.

Community outreach and engagement were a critical element of this project’s success. In legacy neighborhoods like Rogers Road building trust, keeping the community informed, integrating resident and stakeholder input, and getting buy-in early and often is vital. Our extensive community engagement experience ensured that Rogers Road residents and stakeholders were informed and engaged throughout the development of the zoning standards, and their feedback and opinions heard and respected. Specific approaches included:

·        Cultivating a hands-on, community-led approach to developing zoning recommendations

·        Engaging with a multicultural public on sensitive issues, arriving at equitable and just planning solutions

·        Using our deep public engagement experience to build consensus and trust, finding common ground

·        Translating ideas, research, and public feedback into actionable and innovative zoning recommendations.

Additional project elements included a background review to identify opportunities and challenges and developing materials to translate project goals and outcomes into a more understandable format.

The new zoning district for the Historic Eubanks/Rogers Road neighborhood was unanimously adopted by the Chapel Hill Town Council in May 2019. Dozens of community members attended the public hearing, speaking in support of the zoning project and bringing along a petition signed by another 35 community members who couldn’t attend but wanted to express their support.