By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer
CHAPEL HILL — Plans for a development on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard just south of I-40 drew a flurry of criticism from the Chapel Hill Town Council at a public hearing at Town Hall Monday night.
Several council members joined with residents who live near the proposed site to criticize plans for the Charterwood mixed-use development that they say would spell the end of a significant stand of old oaks and other trees around the Altemueller farmhouse.
Residents of the nearby Northwoods neighborhood also lined up to question the effectiveness of buffering and access for a residential portion of the site.
The developer, WCA Properties LLC, is asking for a zoning atlas amendment and a special-use permit to build 87 dwelling units, 30,000 square feet of office space, 25,000 square feet of retail space and a 100-room hotel on a 14.3-acre site that includes the farmhouse and surrounding grounds.
During a preliminary review of the project, council members said the preservation of the farmhouse and the stand of large trees around it should be a priority.
Several residents of Tremont Circle lined up in opposition to the plan.
Jennifer and Serge Zwikker said their home would be next to a driveway for the project. The couple said the clearing planned went way too far. Jennifer Zwikker said the loss of the trees in the area would be “unconscionable.â€
“Our resources are finite,†she said, “but the damage we can do is not so.â€
Planning Board member Del Snow told the council that she voted against the plan because a northern-area study group listed the property as important to keep at a lower density.
Council member Jim Ward said while there appears to be some area set aside near the farmhouse for tree preservation, the area mapped out is much smaller than the council envisioned and the trees that were preserved would not survive long.
“It’s like clear cutting McCorkle Place,†he said.
Council members Matt Czajkowski and Laurin Easthom suggested dropping a row of housing units planned for the back of the property.
The council voted to continue the public hearing to May 23.
In other action Monday night, the council continued to debate a new sign ordinance that would allow 11 commercial centers to greatly increase the size and amount of information for its signs.
The proposed change was spurred by a request from University Mall to increase its visibility.
Peter de Leon, general manager of the mall, told the council that recent discussions with a major retailer underlined the importance of upgrading the mall’s signage.
“They told us, flat out, they will not come to our center if there is no opportunity for good signage,†he said.
Council members continued to debate the composition of the signs and whether individual store logos, colors and fonts could be included.
The next iteration of the ordinance – incorporating suggestions from the meeting for how individual stores can be listed along with ways to keep the signs uniform – is scheduled to be reviewed by the council and likely put to a vote at its April 25 meeting.
Also on Monday night the council:
• reviewed plans for an expanded book drop that will be installed as part of the library expansion;
• approved the use of $50,000 to improve parking on a town-leased lot off South Roberson Street near The Courtyard;
• scheduled a public forum for May 9 on the Draft 2014-20 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program; and
• reviewed and took public comment on a neighborhood conservation-district plan for the Highland Woods neighborhood. The council recessed the hearing until May 23.