Pittsboro hears proposal to accelerate Chatham Parkway at no net town cost; board addresses narrow sewer capacity

Commissioners spent substantial time on two interlinked infrastructure items: (1) an informational briefing on a developer‑led acceleration for Chatham Parkway South and (2) a staff briefing and board decisions on sewer capacity, policy amendments and specific allocation requests.

Chatham Parkway acceleration: Representatives for Chatham Park Investors (CPI) and NCDOT consultants presented an acceleration model authorized under North Carolina statute in which a developer or third party steps into the role of the locality to advance a STIP project and then seeks reimbursement from NCDOT when the project is programmed. CPI representatives told the board the alignment for the proposed Chatham Parkway South is located entirely on Chatham Park property and emphasized three points: 1) the developer would assume construction and financing and indemnify the town, 2) the town would have little or no cost exposure under the draft developer and NCDOT agreements, and 3) the developer suggested phased permitting and design steps to begin work sooner than DOT's published right‑of‑way and construction schedule.

Commissioners asked for clarifications about feeder roads, public engagement, and how right‑of‑way and lane widths would be handled; staff and engineers said the design would meet NCDOT standards and include multiuse paths in off‑road alignments where appropriate. The board expressed general support for further work and asked staff to return with finalized documents and more detail on CTP (Comprehensive Transportation Plan) and feeder roads before formal action.

Sewer capacity and allocation: Engineering Director Kent Jackson presented wastewater numbers: the town's NPDES permit is 750,000 gpd; 12‑month tributary flow reported to the state is roughly 554,000 gpd; permitted but not tributary flow was cited as ~121,000 gpd; the resulting total paper flow is just over 675,000 gpd—about 90% of permitted capacity. Jackson described proposed, targeted edits to the town's sewer allocation guidelines: delegate small infill allocations to the town manager for speedier processing, and move away from an earlier informal 110% allowance to operate within the 90% planning standard.

Allocation reconciliation and project approvals: The board considered a reconciliation request tied to diversion of flow to the Chatham Park Water Recovery Center and a subsequent allocation to Northwood Landing (a multifamily project). Staff and CPI representatives proposed shifting and reserving certain diverted flows so that roughly 91,000 gpd could be made available for reallocation (the transcript records the reconciliation math as a net of about 121,000 gpd diversion with a reserve of roughly 29,000 gpd leaving the remainder for Northwood; staff characterized the net number in the meeting as approximately 91,000 gpd). The board approved the reconciliation and conditional allocation subject to the town's policies and continued conditions. Staff also brought forward Chatham Park Section 5.1 (Central Townhomes), a preliminary plat for 10 townhome lots that would consume about 1,800 gpd; the planning board had recommended approval and the commission moved to approve the preliminary plat.

Why this matters: The town is approaching the 90% planning threshold for its wastewater plant; how the town accounts for diversions, reserves and new allocation requests will influence which development projects can proceed and when. The Chatham Parkway acceleration proposal, if adopted later as a formal agenda item, could change traffic patterns and relieve truck traffic from downtown but commissioners asked for more detailed CTP updates and public engagement on feeder roads before committing to formal agreements.

Next steps: Staff will continue revising the sewer allocation guidelines, return to the board with draft developer and NCDOT agreements for the Chatham Parkway acceleration, provide memos on bonus allocation and timing, and schedule follow‑up briefings in July/August.