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Homestead Road development approved

Posted on May 27, 2010 by Staff

By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

Chapel Hill — After a lengthy discussion on the impact to nearby neighborhoods, the Chapel Hill Town Council voted 7-2 at its meeting Monday night at Town Hall to approve a development for the corner of Homestead Road and Weaver Dairy Road Extension.

Jack Smyre of the Design Response Group, who is representing the property’s owners, convinced a majority of council members that a two-building commercial center planned for part of the Bridgepoint development would be used mainly by people already using Weaver Dairy Road Extension and would not add to traffic in the area.

In addition to the 24,700 square feet of commercial space, Bridgepoint also would include a cluster of 23 townhomes on the 9.2-acre site.

Council member Laurin Easthom, who lives near the proposed development, objected strongly to the project, saying she had concerns about increasing traffic on Weaver Dairy Road Extension and that the commercial space envisioned might not be viable. Easthom said Weaver Dairy Road Extension is considered by many to be a neighborhood street.

Smyre countered that the density around the development would be enough to support the commercial space and that most of those using the center would come from close by.

Several council members spoke in favor of the project, saying a greenway connection and traffic improvements agreed to in the plans were a good opportunity for the town.

Bridgepoint will contribute $24,000 toward a traffic signal at Homestead Road and Weaver Dairy Road Extension. Those funds will be combined with $39,000 in funds previously collected from Larkspur and Vineyard Square for the intersection improvement.

Eastom and council member Gene Pease voted against approving the project.

Also on Monday night, the council approved plans for a $554,900 U.S. Department of Energy grant that will support the Chapel Hill Energy Strategy, a plan to upgrade public facilities and create a program to help residents make energy-conservation improvements.

The improvements include upgrades to lighting, heating and air-conditioning, weatherization and more-efficient equipment at public facilities. The town will also offer residential financing and incentives for energy-efficiency improvements to homes and small businesses.

In other action the council:

• heard a report on discussions between representatives of St. Thomas Moore Church and the St. James Place neighborhood on buffer requirements as part of the church’s expansion project;

• continued a public hearing on the town’s tree protection ordinance until September 27;

• Authorized $8,000 in matching funds for a $32,000 grant from the Metropolitan Planning Organization for a traffic study as part of a long-range look at the impact of redevelopment in the area around Ephesus Church Road and Fordham Boulevard.

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