Hopes of a free-standing library in Carrboro will become a reality in a matter of years after the project was approved by the Carrboro Board of Aldermen on Tuesday night.
Aldermen voted 6-1 to rezone property located at 210 Hillsborough Road to create the southwest branch of the Orange County Public Library system. The site will be rezoned from a residential to a business classification.
The move signified the board’s good faith in the decision of the Orange County Board of Commissioners, Mayor Mark Chilton said.
“This will be an opportunity to change what our relationship with the county commissioners has been in the past,” Chilton said.
Construction costs of the new library will total $7.5 million, but this will be cheaper than the $60 per resident alternative fee to use the Chapel Hill Public Library, which is not part of the county system.
The Carrboro library, which is currently housed in McDougle Middle School, is a part of the county’s library system.
Alderman Jacquelyn Gist cast the sole dissenting vote and said she’s disappointed in the lack of transparency and communication throughout the process.
“It’s very disconcerting that all of a sudden after 24 years, that it’s this or nothing,” Gist said. “Instead of fitting in with the neighborhood, it would put commercial pressure on the neighborhood.”
A March 22 public hearing raised concerns about possible increased traffic congestion around the site and prompted further discussion.
Most of the opposition came from Hillsborough Road area residents who worried that the proposed location would create issues with traffic congestion, pedestrian safety, lack of parking and the preservation of the historic neighborhood.
