Chapel Hill Town Council approves from Arts and Sciences Foundation for old library property

During a meeting at the Chapel Hill Public Library, the Chapel Hill Town Council approved the UNC Arts and Sciences Foundation's bid for the building that housed the old library. 

The foundation will use the building, located at 523 E. Franklin St., as an office space as they work to raise money for the College of Arts and Sciences. The building is currently inhabited by the Chapel Hill Preservation Society. 

The council picked the UNC organization over two other offers from Chabad of Chapel Hill and Chris and Anne Cox. Chabad wanted to expand their organization by buying the property, and the Coxes wanted to create a town cultural center. 

“This was a difficult decision,” councilman George Cianciolo said. “I think they were all excellent offers.” 

The foundation will initially pay $1,250,000 to buy the building. The town unanimously decided it would also pay an additional $475,000, rather than paying property taxes. 

Chabad of Chapel Hill offered more money for the building, but they were turned down because of concerns about how their presence would affect the surrounding neighborhood.

“Cutting to the chase I think the University’s proposal is the best use for the neighborhood,” councilman Jim Ward said. 

Chabad offered $1,800,000, as well as paying whatever property taxes were assessed — an offer councilman Matt Czajkowksi could not ignore. 

“In terms of the offer, it's not just an excellent offer, it’s a vastly superior offer,” Czajkowski said. “I find it very hard to just dismiss that amount of money.”

But Czajkowski, along with the rest of the council, voted to sell the property to the Arts and Sciences Foundation.

Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said he asked Town Manager Roger Stancil what the town would be doing with the funds from the sale. He said Stancil recommended the money be used for the building of a new police station. 

Kleinschmidt said the money could be used however the council saw fit, but building a police station was the most likely scenario.

Notable:

The building once housed the Chapel Hill Public Library, before the library changed locations in 1994. The building housed community organizations until 2010. 

In 2012, it was determined the building needed repairs would cost more money than the town was willing to spend, causing the town to sell the property.

Quotable:

“We are looking at three excellent uses for this building. Nobody’s talking about building a Pep Boys there.”

Czajkowski told the rest of the council the three applications to buy the property all aligned with the goals of the council to sell it to an organization which would have a meaningful impact on the citizens of Chapel Hill.