Airport keeps Carolina North plans in limbo

Aug. 24 — The University’s development plan for a satellite campus remains in a holding pattern while officials consider what to do with the Horace Williams Airport.

The plan stalled in April when the Chapel Hill Town Council voted that University officials had to determine the fate of the 60-year-old airport before any discussion of Carolina North, a proposed 963-acre research park, continued.

The main point of contention was whether the airport, located on land scheduled to be developed in the project’s first phase, would need to be closed when construction began.

But some believed the closure would disrupt the N.C. Area Health Education Centers program, which uses the airport to transport physicians and university personnel across the state.

The N.C. General Assembly included a line in the recently approved state budget that keeps the airport open until a new home can be found for AHEC, thus delaying progress on Carolina North indefinitely.

“Right now we’re looking at all our options,” said Tony Waldrop, UNC’s vice chancellor for research and economic development.

Waldrop added that officials are working with outside consultants to decide what the ideal solution would be.

He said he hopes to present a solution to the University’s Board of Trustees in the next few months.

University planners are looking at developing Carolina North around the airport or finding other airports suitable for AHEC.

Tom Bacon, director of AHEC, said that the program is working to find an alternative quickly but that the search isn’t easy.

“It’s hard to find (an airport) that is as convenient as (Horace Williams),” he said.

“But we’re trying to figure out how we can continue to operate and go forward with development.”

Bacon said that the group has considered airports in Roxboro, Burlington and Durham but that a final decision has not been made.

AHEC also considered Raleigh-Durham International Airport, but Bacon said it was ruled out because delays and air traffic at the airport could have affected the program.

“There’s just so much traffic getting there and traffic at the airport itself,” he said. “And it’s just a lot less convenient.”

Waldrop said resolution of the airport issue is garnering the majority of the University’s attention. “There are a lot of things we’re considering,” Waldrop said. “But right now, a lot of focus is going into the airport.”

But even if debate over the airport is resolved soon, town officials warn that final approval of the project still could take a long time.

Mayor Kevin Foy said Town Council members are concerned about other issues related to the development, particularly transportation. He said those questions and concerns must be addressed before the town will approve the development plans.

“The town’s major concern at this point is transportation,” Foy said. “How do we handle the volume of people ... without putting a burden on the town?”

Since the University officially unveiled the Carolina North development plans in December, town officials and residents have worried that Carolina North will bring additional noise, congestion and road construction with the influx of commuters into Chapel Hill.

But Foy said that if the University addresses those situations aggressively and works with town officials, approval doesn’t have to be a drawn-out process.

Council member Mark Kleinschmidt said that the pause created by the airport debate might allow the town to bring more of its concerns about the plan to the University’s attention.

“I hope the town takes advantage of that time,” he said. “There’s no reason to sit on our hands right now.”

He said that by making recommendations now, the town could tell the University what changes it sees as necessary while planners are altering the design.

Kleinschmidt also said he believes that the tract needs to be rezoned. This lag time might allow officials to save time in the future by rezoning now.

“Right now, it’s kind of a hodge-podge of zones,” Kleinschmidt said. “It’s just a big mess.”

 

(Editor’s note: In October, the Horace Williams Citizens Committee made recommendations for Carolina North summarizing concerns regarding the proposed development’s potential impact on the area, including transportation, utilities and parking.)

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.