20210347 Ver 1_00_EB-5721_CoverLetter_20210215

kimley-horn.com 421 Fayetteville Street, Suite 600, Raleigh, NC 27601 919 677 2000

February 15, 2021

Ms. Amy Chapman
NC Division of Water Resources
401 & Buffer Transportation Permitting
512 North Salisbury Street
Raleigh, NC 27604

RE: Buffer Authorization Request – Fordham Boulevard (STIP# EB-5721)
Chapel Hill, Orange County, North Carolina

Dear Ms. Chapman:
On behalf of our client, the Town of Chapel Hill, Kimley-Horn is submitting the attached buffer authorization
request for the above referenced linear transportation project located in the Jordan Lake Watershed in
Orange County, NC. The project proposes to construct a multi‐use path along Fordham Boulevard (US 15‐
501) from Cleland Road to Willow Drive in Chapel Hill, Orange County, NC (STIP# EB‐5721). The existing
multi‐use path from Cleland Road to Ridgefield Road (approximately 1,700 linear feet) will be upgraded to
meet the NC Bicycle and AASHTO standards. The multi‐use path will be extended as a 10'‐wide asphalt
path in new location from Ridgefield Road to Willow Drive (approximately 1,800 linear feet) and will be
constructed in coordination with NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT).

The purpose of the project is to improve pedestrian connectivity and to upgrade the existing Fordham
Boulevard multi-use path to meet the North Carolina Bicycle Program and American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standards. The existing land use in the vicinity is primarily
composed of commercial, recreational, and single-family residential developments with pockets of
undeveloped, forested land surrounding riparian corridors. The majority of the project is located outside of
the protected riparian buffer zones and impacts to riparian buffers have been minimized to the greatest
extent practical.
Kimley-Horn staff conducted field reconnaissance on February 14, 2018. Three perennial streams (Bolin
Creek, Stream S4, and Stream S5) and two wetlands (W1 and W2) were identified within the project study
area. One stream (S3) was identified within 50 feet of the project study area. Samantha Dailey of the
USACE confirmed the EB-5721 (SAW‐2018‐00558) delineation in an email for received on March 23, 2018
and official documentation is still pending. Additionally, a site visit was conducted by Vanessa Manuel of
the NCDWR on March 29, 2018, and a buffer determination letter was issued on April 2, 2018 (CPFRRO
#18-098).
Unavoidable permanent impacts to the protected riparian buffer associated with Bolin Creek will result from
the necessary paving and grading to widen and extend the existing multi-use path. Temporary impacts to
the riparian buffer of Bolin Creek will result from the temporary construction access areas necessary to
construct the project. In total, the project proposes 2,658 square feet of temporary and 1,890 square feet
of permanent buffer impacts to Jordan Lake Watershed Riparian Buffers. Buffer impacts resulting from
greenway construction in Buffer Zone 1 and Zone 2 are “Allowable” under the Jordan Lake Watershed
Basin Buffer Rules Table of Uses, therefore compensatory mitigation is not being proposed as part of this
application.

kimley-horn.com 421 Fayetteville Street, Suite 600, Raleigh, NC 27601 919 677 2000

Where feasible, staging and construction access routes will be located in upland areas throughout the
corridor. Silt fencing will be installed around the limits of disturbance to help ensure that all construction
equipment will remain within the project area throughout the construction process. Sediment control
measures will be used to reduce stormwater impacts to receiving waters and minimize runoff from the
construction sites.

To assist with the processing of this application, the following information is included:

• Buffer Authorization Form
• Signed Agent Authorization Form
• Figures
• Stream Data Forms
• Signed Buffer Determination Letter
• USACE Jurisdictional Determination Email
• Permit Impact Drawings
• Plan Sheets

If there is any additional information you need to assist in the processing of this buffer authorization, please
do not hesitate to contact me at [phone] or [e-mail].

Sincerely,

Emma Radford, WPIT
Environmental Analyst