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Town of Elon Future Comprehensive Land Use Plan Adopted February 12, 2019 2 / Town of Elon ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Envision Elon 2040 was created over a period of eight months and involved many individuals and or- ganizations, including those listed below. The town is especially grateful to the Advisory Committee members, who devoted a significant amount of time and effort to the process. Their insights and thoughtful input helped shape Envision Elon 2040 into a plan that is tailored to address the anticipat- ed opportunities and needs of the Town of Elon community. BOARD OF ALDERMEN ADVISORY COMMITTEE Jerry Tolley, Mayor Monti Allison, Planning Board Ron Klepcyk, Mayor Pro Tem Brad Moore, Elon University Mark Greene Sue Brown, Resident Davis Montgomery Robert (Bob) Harris, Planning Board John Peterson Ralph Harwood, Planning Board Emily Sharpe Janet McFall, Elon University Quinn Ray, Resident/Tangent Eat+Bar PLANNING & ZONING BOARD Henry Richardson, Resident Jim Beasley, Chairman Emily Sharpe, Alderwoman Monti Allison Phil Smith, The Oak House Clark Bennett Zandrell Bradsher Diane Gill Robert Harris Mark Podolle Ralph Harwood, Alternate TOWN STAFF Richard J. White III, Town Manager Pamela Graham, Assistant Town Manager / Planning Director DiAnne Enoch, Town Clerk Kathleen Patterson, Downtown Development Administrator Phyllis Creech, Recreation and Parks Administrator Josh Johnson, Town Engineer (Alley, Williams, Carmen, & King) Patricia Patterson, GIS Specialist Future Comprehensive Land Use Plan \ 3 4 / Town of Elon TABLE OF CONTENTS ABOUT THIS PLAN . 6 The Planning Area . 6 The Planning Process . 8 THE TOWN OF ELON TODAY . 12 Demographics . 14 Growth Projections . 16 Housing . 17 Economics . 18 Transportation . 19 Utilities and Community Facilities . 20 Parks and Open Space . 21 Land Use . 22 THE TOWN OF ELON’S FUTURE . 26 Vision . 26 Mission . 26 Goals and Objectives . 27 Future Land Use and Conservation Map . 28 Future Land Use Classifications . 30 Focus Areas . 34 RECOMMENDATIONS . 42 Land Use and Development Design (LU) . 44 Community Character (CC) . 50 Economic Development (ED) . 52 Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Natural Resources (PR) . 58 Infrastructure, Services, and Facilities (IS) . 60 APPENDICES . 65 Future Comprehensive Land Use Plan \ 5 ABOUT THIS PLAN In the face of regional growth, the Town of recovery and Elon University’s expansion in accor- Elon recognized the need for efficient use dance with its strategic growth plan (2016 Campus of available land, tax revenue generation Master Plan). that supports municipal infrastructure, and a high quality of life for the residents. To inform The resulting plan, Envision Elon 2040, anticipates critical decisions pertaining to future growth growth-related issues and opportunities over the and development, the town leaders chose to next 20 years and, guided by a set of communi- engage in a comprehensive land use planning ty-supported goals, reflects the community’s ex- process to establish a comprehensive plan that pectations and desires, and defines a direction for defines a community-supported direction and future growth and development in and around the identifies specific strategies to achieve desired Town of Elon. It is a policy document to guide deci- results. The primary objective of the planning sions of town staff, appointed and elected officials, process was to help establish a workable, cre- developers, and others involved in local develop- ative and dynamic plan that addresses transpor- ment-related activities and conservation efforts. tation, future growth strategy, and future land The plan is also intended to facilitate collaboration use for the Town of Elon. Other objectives includ- and coordination between the town and potential ed fostering environmental practices for a more partners. The goals expressed in the plan can help sustainable and economically viable community. the town identify opportunities for collaborating with neighboring jurisdictions, area agencies, and This plan replaces the Land Development Plan ad- the private sector. Strategies outlined in the plan opted in 2002. Since then, the U.S. has emerged can inform efforts to align regulations and public from the Great Recession. This plan acknowledges investments, leverage available resources, and ef- more current circumstances, namely the residential fectively manage change to achieve shared goals. development that has occurred with the economic The plan should be updated every five years. THE PLANNING AREA The Planning Area encompasses 11.5 square miles. It is comprised of the area within the town’s munic- ipal limits as well as its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), where the town has planning and zoning authority. The land that lies north of the ETJ is an unincorporated area of Alamance County that is relatively undeveloped and is occupied by several parcels in agricultural use. It is also the location of a 72-acre parcel owned by the town, which motivated the town to include this land in the Planning Area delineated for this study (see Figure 1, Planning Area Map). At right: Present-day view of the town-owned 72-acre parcel that marks the northern boundary of the Planning Area. The lands to the north are characterized by sparse development and agricultural and forestry uses. 6 / Town of Elon Figure 1 . Planning Area Map Future Comprehensive Land Use Plan \ 7 THE PLANNING PROCESS Envision Elon 2040 is the product of an eight- ADVISORY COMMITTEE month process that involved three primary steps: A series of Advisory Committee meetings were Discovery, Plan Development, and Direction & conducted during this process. The committee was Documentation (see Figure 2, below). The steps of made up of 10 members representing a diverse the process began with a detailed examination of range of interests. This committee helped guide existing conditions and culminated in the prepara- the process by deciphering community input gath- tion of this document and a companion summary. ered throughout the process, sharing background The process was organized around an inclusive, information to provide context, offering ideas for multifaceted community engagement program ex- policy changes, and evaluating products of the pro- ecuted through collaboration with various project cess prior to completion. partners whose buy-in is critical to the successful implementation of the plan. Project participants AREA TOUR considered issues and potential opportunities, fis- At project kickoff, the Advisory Committee mem- cal and market realities, and community values to bers, town staff, and the consultants toured the clearly define an inspirational yet realistic vision for Planning Area. A first-hand look at the existing the future and outline a sound set of action steps to development pattern strengthened the Consultant realize that vision. A three-day workshop was held team’s grasp of the existing conditions and stimu- during the Plan Development stage. The key activ- lated the generation of ideas to explore during the ities are described in Figure 3 on the facing page. planning process. This tour included town staff To complement the workshop, other community and others with knowledge of the development input opportunities were offered, including an on- pattern. This sharing of insights exposed important line survey and stakeholder interviews. local conditions and issues that might not be im- mediately apparent. Figure 2 . Planning Process 8 / Town of Elon COMMUNITY WORKSHOP A three-day workshop provided opportunities for interactive discussions among town staff, consultant team representatives, the Advisory Committee members, residents, business owners, property owners, students, and other stakehold- ers. The event included three Advisory Committee meetings and two community meetings. (Refer to the schedule depicted in Figure 3.) The purpose of the event was to evaluate the initial future land use concept, share ideas, develop plan alterna- tives, and arrive at a preferred Future Land Use and Conservation Map. In addition, three conceptual “focus area” plans were prepared to conceptually il- lustrate development design at specific locations to The workshop included two open house meetings. The informal drop- help workshop participants understand the intent in style gave attendees time to speak one-on-one with the project team members. of land use policies reflected in the Future Land Use and Conservation Map. Figure 3 . Workshop Schedule Future Comprehensive Land Use Plan \ 9 Above: Stakeholder interviews underway early in the planning process. At right: Community workshop attendees discuss existing conditions and draft Future Land Use and Conservation Maps. STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS COMMUNITY SURVEY Stakeholder interviews, another type of meeting Developed with input from town staff, a commu- held in the initial phase of the project, augmented nity survey designed to get input from residents the information gleaned from the analysis of exist- and other stakeholders was conducted. The sur- ing conditions, as people with direct knowledge of vey was used as a tool to engage the community crucial data shared insights and clarified the rele- early in the process. Over 140 people responded vance of specific circumstances to the planning to the qualitative survey, which included both process. A total of 25 people participated in the closed- and open-ended questions about land use, interviews, which addressed the following topics: development quality, employment, infrastructure, economic development; business; real estate;

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