Carrboro’s Board of Aldermen met Tuesday to discuss several issues, including making Carrboro more bike-friendly and the potential opening of Pizzeria Mercato Restaurant on 408 W. Weaver St.
Ben Barker came before the board with a presentation on what changes would be made to the Pizzeria Mercato Restaurant’s building in hopes that the board would approve his conditional use permit.
The aldermen unanimously approved, so Barker’s restaurant will open in Carrboro sometime in the near future.
And there’s good news for cyclists: Barker will place a bike rack outside his restaurant to encourage hungry cyclists to stop by.
“It’s our goal to be a good business integrated into that section of the neighborhood,” said Barker, excited to become a part of the Carrboro community.
Carrboro Bicycle Coalition Chairman Eric Allman spoke to the board about increasing conveniences for cyclists in Carrboro to move the town towards its goal of reaching the gold level for bike friendly communities according to the League of American Bicyclists.
He spoke about several goals for Carrboro which include making intersections safer for cyclists, increasing bicycle parking and expanding upon bicycle skills training for both adults and children in the Carrboro community.
Allman also said he wants to help the town apply for the Bicycle Friendly Business status.
The members of the board had several comments on Allman’s presentation.
Alderman Jacquelyn Gist suggested using the increased bike conveniences within Carrboro for pumping up the Art Walk.
Alderman Randee Haven-O’Donnell also gave input on where specifically Carrboro should expand bike parking.
“I think the Hampton Inn needs more bike parking,” Haven-O’Donnell said.
Alderman Michelle Johnson said the increased bike-friendliness wouldn’t just bring perks to locals — it would affect outsiders as well.
“I think we’re missing the boat with tourism when it comes to biking,” said Johnson.
Also relating to transportation, Bergen Watterson, Carrboro transportation planner, raised the topic of the upcoming construction of the Homestead Chapel Hill High School Multi-Use Path.
This path should make it much more convenient for high school students to commute to school by bike safely.
Notable
There was talk of working with UNC to establish a bike share program.
Quotable:
“I’m going to support this because I want to see the model. Supporting the modeling is not necessarily supporting the potential project," said Randee Haven-O’Donnell, concerning the potential creation of the Carrboro Arts and Innovation Center.
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