By Rose Laudicina
Staff Writer
CHAPEL HILL – Struck with indecision and confusion and left with too many lingering questions, the Chapel Hill Town Council on Monday postponed a decision on a request to close and reconstruct the Dawson Place right of way.
The Dawson Place right of way is an alley located off Rosemary Street that provides businesses on West Franklin Street access to their stores and parking spaces for employees.
The council first heard a proposal to close the right of way from Larry Short, who owns the property at 333 W. Rosemary St., at a Sept. 19 meeting. Short wants to close the right of way so he can merge two adjacent properties in anticipation of building a mixed-use development called Shortbread Lofts.
However, Short has yet to receive a special use permit from the council, which would allow him to begin construction on the lofts. Short said that he chose to submit his proposal for the closure of the right of way first because his plans for Shortbread Lofts are contingent on the council allowing the closure of Dawson Place.
“We would like to know ahead of time that you would close the alley if the project is approved,†Short said. “We would like you to evaluate the project separate of the alley closure,†he added, saying he anticipated a scenario in which the council approved the mixed-use development but denied his request to close the alley.
Despite this reasoning, some council members were still confused as to why they were evaluating this request separately from Short’s request for a special use permit.
“This is a totally interlocked issue with the special use permit,†council member Gene Pease said. “This is an urban environment and lots of businesses are going to be drastically impacted by this.â€
Council members were also hesitant to approve the closure because of the possible lengthy time frame of construction and the apparent lack of communication between Short and neighboring businesses.
The proposal states that construction of a new right of way would take about 60 days to complete. During that period, businesses would have access when they needed it, and nothing would be permanently blocked off, according to the plan.
Jamil Kadouria, owner of Mediterranean Deli, told the council he wasn’t against the Shortbread Lofts project, but he was hesitant about the length of time for construction and how it would affect his business.
“I have a very strong belief that once construction starts it will be a cluster scene,†Kadouria said, adding that communication with Short has been very unclear.
The council urged Short to continue to work on improving communication with his business neighbors and voted to revisit the matter at a meeting on Oct. 26.