Restaurant to make way for UNC clinics

Bruschetta will move aside in favor of stethoscopes as part of a recent land acquisition made by UNC Health Care.

The organization paid $2.3 million to gain control of the property where Aurora now sits.

“Our top priority and part of our mission is to serve the people of the state,” said Stephanie Crayton, a spokeswoman for UNC Health Care.

“This is just another effort to do that — to serve our community.”

Crayton said the 2.3-acre Raleigh Road property will be used for clinical services, but exactly what will be there is still open to debate.

The restaurant, a local fine-dining locale since 1976, has been at its current location for seven years, and will remain there for at least another 18 months under a lease agreement with the University.

And it could stay even longer.

“It’s going to take a few years because we want to be compliant with the town and their processes,” Crayton said. “We still have a lot of planning to do.”

Hank Straus, general manager and owner of the Italian eatery, said they are searching actively for a new location in Chapel Hill or Carrboro.

Straus, who also is involved with Lumaca LLC, the group that sold the property to UNC, said the location’s market price made a move necessary.

“This is a very large site,” he said. “There’s a lot of acreage involved which made the property more valuable than just having a restaurant on it.”

That realization came several years ago, and Lumaca LLC gained permission from town officials to build retail and market space on the site alongside Aurora.

But that move never came to fruition because Meadowmont, a multiuse living community, sprung up at the same time.

“We decided it just didn’t make sense to put up a building that would at best barely break even, if that,” Straus said.

“At that point it became clear that we would probably have to find an alternative use for the building.”

The acquisition marks the first for UNC Health Care since it expanded to Meadowmont in 2001.

Crayton cited the tract’s accessibility for patients and its proximity to new developments as major factors in the deal.

She said it’s important for UNC Health Care to meet the needs of Chapel Hill’s growing population.

“There are many parts around Chapel Hill that are just booming and we’re excited to be a part of that,” she said.

“We want to be able to make sure we’re able to serve the amount of people that are moving into the area.”

The location has served Aurora well, Straus said, noting that it exposed the business to Durham and Research Triangle Park clientele, allowing banquet services to flourish.

Despite the move, he said the restaurant will remain strong.

He noted that from its Carr Mill Mall location, the restaurant grew alongside Carrboro and faithful customers have followed Aurora across town.

“We continue to evolve on a daily basis,” he said. “Moving this is a part of that.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.