Town Council passes permit, zoning for Charterwood

Chapel Hill Town Hall was packed Monday to witness a proposal five years in the making.

At the Monday night meeting, the Chapel Hill Town Council passed a special use permit for the Charterwood development, a mixed-use development which was first brought to the town in 2007.

Charterwood, which will be located on 15.7 acres of land off of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, will include retail, office and residential space.

The council voted 5-4 in favor of both the permit and the zoning amendment for the development.

This was the fourth time this year the council discussed the Charterwood zoning atlas amendment, which ensures the development complies with Chapel Hill 2020.

The amendment was last voted on at a meeting earlier this month, but the voted ended in a tie because councilman Gene Pease was absent.

Mayor Pro Tem Ed Harrison and council members Lee Storrow, Matt Czajkowski and Laurin Easthom voted against the permit Monday night.

In an interview on Sunday, Storrow said he is against the development because it does not comply with his vision for the town.

“I thought the development was inconsistent with the standards we laid out with Northern Area Task Force,” he said.

The Northern Area Task Force report, adopted in 2008, developed a vision and established guidelines for future development in the northern area of Chapel Hill, where Charterwood will be located.

The council did not raise any concerns at Monday’s meeting, but council members have said they are worried about the development’s environmental impact on its neighbors.

The development will be located near Eastwood Lake, which has a history of buildup and runoff problems, which they are worried Charterwood might aggravate.

Chapel Hill resident Del Snow said she was upset the council passed the permit.

“I think the council was derelict,” she said.

“They betrayed principles Chapel Hill holds dear — neighborhood protection, environmental protection (and) affordable housing.”

According to the development’s rezoning request, Charterwood would have 154 dwelling units and at least 50,000 square feet of office and commercial space.

The development would also have a 5,000 square foot drive-through bank.

But Snow said she thinks the development will not attract enough retail to benefit the town.

“I don’t feel it was any net gain to the town approving this project,” she said.

Snow said the location of the development might prevent it from filling up.

“Charterwood is not well situated to attract retail sales,” she said. “I don’t foresee retail there being a generator.”

Since developer Bill Christian first proposed Charterwood to the council in February 2007, the proposal has undergone major changes to meet council approval.

And, barring a few more permitting processes, Christian will finally be able to break ground on the development soon.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.