Trustees, Residents Debate Facility Location

Architects from Pease Associates presented the BOT Buildings and Grounds Committee with design plans for the facilities, which will include grounds, print, environmental, construction and energy services.

UNC wants to relocate its Campus Services Support Facilities to the Elkin Hills land. The current facilities are located south of UNC Hospitals near the Ambulatory Care Center. The University wants to relocate the facilities to make room for a new Genetics Medicine Building.

Before the design presentation, trustees allowed resident Fred Stang to voice the neighborhood residents' criticisms of the plan.

The BOT listened to Stang's plea to reconsider the use of land, but trustees said the facility's design, not its location, was up for discussion on the agenda.

Residents said they feel justified in asking for either relocation of the facility or modified use of the land.

The land was previously zoned Office Industrial-3 but changed to OI-2 in 1994 by the Chapel Hill Town Council.

OI-2 zoning prohibits the development of service stations, maintenance and storage facilities, automotive repair and supply yards.

"The Town Council was specifically prohibiting this kind of use at that time," resident Kathleen Kearns said after the meeting.

The ordinance was put in place for the health and well-being of the surrounding neighborhood, Kearns said.

To continue with the development, the University must request a special-use permit, but residents can file a petition against it. In that case, the Town Council can only change the land's use with a 7-2 majority vote.

Trustee David Pardue said the final design could be voted on during the BOT's November or January meeting.

But Stang said residents will continue negotiating with UNC and facility designers about the land's future.

He said he anticipates that the University will pursue a special-use permit. "Discussions aren't over," Stang said.

In other BOT action Wednesday, the Finance Committee heard from UNC administrators about several aspects of the University's fiscal situation.

Nancy Suttenfield, vice chancellor for finance and administration, presented the trustees with a list of issues she hopes the committee will focus on this year.

They include how the University will spend money allocated by the N.C. General Assembly.

Another concern will be securing resources for research, Suttenfield said, noting that overhead receipts are frequently discussed as a possible cut in tight budget times. "The level of overhead funding available to us is a strategic issue for us," she said.

Suttenfield mentioned other goals, including relaxing state regulation on hiring practices and spending auditing.

Rut Tufts, director of auxiliary services, told the trustees that UNC's trademark licensing revenue hit a record high of $3.58 million for the 2001-02 fiscal year. UNC is the highest grossing university represented by Collegiate Licensing Co., a company that handles merchandising for more than 180 universities.

Of UNC's net merchandising income, 75 percent goes to general scholarships and 25 percent is given to the Department of Athletics.

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.