By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer
Plans for a Harris Teeter and commercial center at the corner of Jones Ferry Road and Barnes Street took a tentative step forward Tuesday night, but not before several neighbors complained that the store would add traffic to an already dangerous intersection.
At its meeting at Town Hall, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen decided to continue a public hearing until next week on plans for a 7.71-acre parcel, which now serves as the construction yard for contractor Calvin Mellot. The site is near Wilkinson plumbing supply and is across the street from the OWASA water treatment plant.
Northwest Property is requesting a conditional-use permit to build three buildings — a 52,250-square-foot Harris Teeter, a 17,550-square-foot building that could house 11 shops and a 7,900-square-foot building that could house five shops. The plan for the development, dubbed the “Shoppes at Jones Ferry,†also includes roughly 350 parking spaces.
The new grocery store would be in the southwestern corner of the parcel and an “L†of shops would be in the northeastern part of the site extending along Jones Ferry Road and Barnes Street.
Concerns about the complex, which has been in development for about two years, center mainly on how it will impact the Lincoln Heights neighborhood. About four dozen homes and two apartment complexes use the street already, residents said, and adding to that will only make a bad situation worse.
According to a report on the project by town planners, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has said that the traffic at Barnes Street and Jones Ferry Road is not heavy enough for there to be a stoplight at the intersection.
But Lillie Holloman, who has lived on Barnes Street for more than 40 years, said she and many of her neighbors have been involved in traffic accidents trying to get in and out of the neighborhood on an increasingly busy Jones Ferry Road.
“I think this is going to create more problems,†she said.
Lindsay Griffin, who lives on Barnes Street, asked the board to think about the damage to the neighborhood, which includes a mix of older residents and young families. Griffin said if the town does approve the development, moving the Barnes Street entrance as close to Jones Ferry as possible might help.
Esther McCauley, another longtime resident of the area, also said having traffic at all hours will damage the character of the neighborhood.
“The grocery store doesn’t concern me,†she said. “I’m interested in saving Barnes Street.â€
The town had asked the developer to consider making Barnes Street an ingress-only route to the shops. But during his presentation on behalf of the developer, George Retschle of Ballentine Associates pointed out a letter to the town from Harris Teeter president Fred Morganthall in which he indicated that the grocery chain would not participate in the project should the town require that. Morganthall said the company would take steps to make sure large delivery trucks use the Jones Ferry entrance to the site.
Alderman Alex Zaffron questioned why the N.C. DOT did not think the intersection was busy enough for a light, especially considering the new development. Zaffron asked that town officials contact the district engineer and Doug Gaylon, the area’s representative on the state board of transportation, to review the concerns and the traffic counts.
Frank Horton, a Prince Street resident, said he’s concerned that if Harris Teeter should close its Carr Mill location, the traffic would be even worse.
Retschle told the board that Harris Teeter had no plans to close its Carr Mill location once the new store opens.
But Alderman Joal Hall Broun said she wants to make sure the town has some assurance that if the company changes its mind, it won’t hold onto the space and keep it vacant to prevent another grocery from moving into it.
The aldermen also indicated they would likely ask the developer to treat all of the stormwater coming off the site, a stipulation that is tougher than current town standards, but one they say is necessary because of new rules coming for the Jordan Lake watershed.
The board is expected to continue its discussion next Tuesday and could take action on the application then.