A mixed-use development planned for North Greensboro Street ran into some opposition but found a majority of support at a Carrboro Board of Alderman meeting Thursday evening.
The board voted to approve the continued planning for the Shelton Station development six to one.
The project will include approximately 25 percent commercial space and will be built on a total of 2.5 acres, including parking.
It is slated to include more than 100 residential untis and to cost $15 million.
The board did not mention when the development is expected to break ground, but board members did take issue with the impact the development’s high residential occupancy could have on the town.
Alderman Jacquelyn Gist said she worries that the development could attract more residential developers and college students to the area, and eventually downtown Carrboro could fill with college students.
“Downtown could become a really, really pretty version of Granville Towers,” she said.
But Alderman Dan Coleman described the development as a way to allow for more energy efficiency.
Alderman Sammy Slade said he approved the plan because besides allowing higher residential density, the building would be constructed to reduce air pollution and energy use.
The board decided to make a mandatory stipulation in the draft ordinance of the development to include a 25 percent minimum commercial occupancy.
The board will schedule an additional public hearing on the matter after the town staff has had time to readdress board stipulations and concerns.
Notable:
- Also discussed at the meeting was an emergency loan request for East Main Street Property Owners. Coleman recommended a 2 percent loan for five years and a possible interest cap that will be lower than the county’s interest cap. The recommendation passed unanimously.
Quotable:
“I don’t see any upside to this; we can find environment protection in other ways. I can see a lot of potential unintended negative consequences from this. So I stand firmly that I am not in favor of this,” Gist said of the Shelton Station ordinance.
“We are creating a tool that the board can consider these important energy reduction policies as sort of an exchange for higher residential density. I haven’t heard any opposition from anybody in the community besides you and the man that applauded what you said,” Coleman said of Gist’s comments.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
