Aldermen approve of design

The area’s newest high school should be a welcome addition to its surroundings after local officials smooth out wrinkles in development plans.

Representatives of Chapel-Hill Carrboro City Schools presented their plans for the site of the district’s third high school — now estimated to be about $7 million over original cost estimates — to the Carrboro Board of Aldermen on Tuesday at a public hearing.

After considering input from neighbors around the site — between Smith Level and Rock Haven roads — the aldermen were unanimous in granting the project a conditional-use permit.

“I don’t think there’s a CUP condition with which we disagree,” said Steve Scroggs, assistant superintendent for support services.

The school is scheduled to open in fall 2007.

The aldermen praised the school’s most recent design, achieved after years of planning.

“On top of being excited about having a state-of-the-art high school in Carrboro for the first time, this design is so forward-thinking,” Alderman Alex Zaffron said.

The school will feature environmentally friendly features, including a rainwater collection system and windows designed to let in daylight that also reflect prominent downtown architecture, Scroggs said.

“Each of these things in and of itself is a design project,” Town Planner Jeff Kleaveland said.

Residents who live near the site also seemed pleased with the school’s design but expressed concern with the project’s potential impact on their homes.

“The neighborhood would like to express its appreciation in choosing this site,” said Vince Donnelly, president of the Kent Woodlands homeowners association.

“We ask the town not to reduce the number of parking lots to ensure that students are not tempted to park in neighborhoods such as ours,” Donnelly said.

The number of parking spaces — one of the reasons for planning delays — is now set at 328.

Ray Road neighbors also asked the aldermen to look at ways to prevent their area from turning into a receptacle for overflow parking.

“It’s already really hard for us to get out to Smith Level Road in the mornings,” road resident Livy Ludington said.

“I really wish that (the N.C. Department of Transportation) would maybe look at Ray Road and what’s going to happen to us once this school is built.”

To assuage concerns, the aldermen voted against a proposed pedestrian and bicycle path connecting the school to the road.

“I think that this path will simply encourage the use of Ray Road as a kiss-and-go lane,” Alderman Jacquelyn Gist said.

Mayor Mike Nelson added a suggestion that the aldermen petition NCDOT to restrict on-street parking on Ray Road.

Neighbors also asked the aldermen to preserve all possible green space around the school.

The tract is heavily wooded, with parts sitting on top of the Morgan Creek and University Lake watersheds.

“We have a real appreciation for the serenity of the woods, and this is going to have a major impact on our lives,” Ludington said.

“Think about when all those trees start coming down.”

 

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.