At a Glance
Using information generated by the ecological assessment and by implementation of avoidance and minimization techniques, the majority of the Phase I, 228-acre campus footprint was located on previously disturbed land, resulting in minimal impact to valuable natural resources.
Project Description
Biohabitats played a key role in a master planning initiative for a 947-acre property, known as Carolina North, owned by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
As part of a multi-disciplinary consultant team, Biohabitats helped formulate a strategy for the sustainable development of the site. As part of that task, Biohabitats delineated all jurisdictional wetlands, streams and buffers, and those areas where proposed utility infrastructure was expected to impact those features off-site. Biohabitats also prepared all application documents for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Individual Permit and State of North Carolina 401 Water Quality Certification, prepared the NEPA/SEPA Environmental Assessment, and coordinated between the consulting engineers, University staff, and Federal and State Agencies.
This project was extraordinary in that Phase One of the planned Carolina North campus development spans 50 years, and Individual Permits generally expire after 20 years. Through intensive negotiations with regulatory agencies, Bohabitats resolved the project’s unique regulatory permitting obstacles and obtained an Individual Permit for 50 years.