Obey Creek development divides Chapel Hill community members

Some Chapel Hill residents are concerned that the proposed Obey Creek development could create more problems than it’s worth.

Speakers expressed a diverse range of opinions about the proposed 1.6 million-square-foot development at a Chapel Hill Town Council public hearing Monday.

Mary Jane Nirdlinger, executive director of planning and sustainability for the town, presented three items related to the development that were up for public comment, including the draft of the development agreement itself.

Ben Perry from East West Partners, the project’s developer, presented on the agreement draft along with David Manfredi of Elkus Manfredi Architect, the architectural firm involved in the project.

Manfredi said he envisioned the development as being highly accessible to pedestrians and cyclists and filled with open spaces.

“It’s really about walkability,” he said.

He said streets in the development would include access for vehicles but room for bike lanes and large sidewalks.

Perry said Obey Creek would offer benefits to the community, including revenue for the town.

“The bigger the project is, the better the fiscal benefit to the town,” he said.

A smaller version of the project was something several speakers advocated for.

Julie Richardson, a resident of Southern Village, said she and other residents have concerns about the size of the development and the possibility of traffic backlog.

“A lot of us disagree that bigger is better,” she said.

Chapel Hill resident Joe Buonfiglio said he thought the town council was not truly taking residents’ concerns to heart.

“Just letting people talk is not listening,” he said. “You never evaluated a smaller size development.”

Buonfiglio said he thought the council members should listen to residents’ opinions instead of those of the developer.

“Be responsive to the people, not the Perrys,” he said.

According to the draft, five percent of the property’s rental units will be made available as affordable rental properties, and housing subsidy vouchers will be accepted for all affordable units.

Mike Madden, president of the Arc of the Triangle, which aims to provide resources to people with developmental disabilities, said the organization supports the Obey Creek development because of the affordable units and the mass transit that will be available.

“Most of this clientele that we serve does not have cars,” he said.

Kerry Hagner, a Meadowmont resident with a developmental disability, said she thinks it’s important for others with disabilities similar to hers to be able to live in affordable communities.

“I would like other people who have the same disability as me to live in the housing that I am in,” she said. “I’ve been waiting to live there my entire life, and I finally get to.”

city@dailytarheel.com