The Carrboro Board of Aldermen have set a public hearing for June 24 to review a plan for a five-story condominium and office complex on the site of Butler’s Garage, behind The ArtsCenter and Cat’s Cradle.
The proposal for the project — dubbed ‘The Butler’ — includes 57 condominiums and 22,170 square feet of office space with two decks of parking. Nine of the condominium units would be designated as affordable.
The official address of the site is 120 Brewer Lane but it is most commonly viewed these days from the Elizabeth Cotton Bikeway. It was for years mainly a salvage yard full of cars and trucks in various states of assemblage, but has been mostly cleared of late to get ready for sale. The new project also includes plans for additional parking and some stormwater infrastructure to the property next door at 110 Brewer Lane.
The developer, Downtown Urban Ventures, LLC, plans to remove any contaminated soil on the .51 acre parcel according to paperwork filed with the town.
The project is one of several multi-story buildings planned for downtown, including a major project planned for the nearby 300 East Main properties. The full 300 East Main project has yet to come before the board of aldermen, but the first part, a five-story, 48,000 square foot office and commercial building was approved last year for the property where Archer Graphics was located at 305 East Main Street.
In other action, the board of aldermen heard from residents near James Street concerned that the town’s sidewalk construction plan would delay a long-sought stretch on the street until next year. Town officials estimate it could be next January before the project gets started.
Former board of aldermen members Allen Spalt and Frances Shetley urged the board to move more quickly.
“I’ve very disturbed to see this schedule,†Spalt said. The neighborhood has had a good deal of turnover recently, he said, with many young families moving in and using James Street for walking.
Spalt said James Street was one of the original projects that led to the sidewalk bond program and, while design issues have caused a lag, needs to get going.
Shetley said she is worried about the mix of traffic and pedestrians, especially given the lack of a shoulder on parts of James Street.
“The troubling thing about it is that [pedestrians] have to walk in the travel lanes,†she said, adding that the town has been lucky so far not to have had a major accident as a result.
Also on Tuesday the board:
• appointed Neal McTighe, Carrboro’s Poet Laureate, to the Arts Committee;
• approved a plan to replace a failing culvert on Gary Road;
• agreed to issue street closing permits for the annual Four on the Fourth Road Race on July 4, the Carrboro
10K Road Race on October 4 and the Gallop and Gorge 8K Road Race on November 27.