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Project could bring big-box

Posted on June 23, 2011June 26, 2011 by Staff

By Joshua Lucas and Susan Dickson
Staff Writers

CHAPEL HILL – A proposed development could bring hotels, large-scale retail stores and residential development to an area of northern Chapel Hill targeted by the town for that sort of growth.

The EDGE, a proposed 79-acre development at the intersection of I-40, Eubanks Road and Martin Luther King Boulevard, aims to bring commercial development to a part of Orange County that the developers say sorely needs it. The Chapel Hill Town Council on Tuesday reviewed a concept plan for the project.

“Currently, there is very little retail and other commercial uses that exist within the town that can serve the existing population,” the developer, D&A Development & Consulting Inc., wrote in its proposal. “Residents are currently leaving the town and crossing into either Durham or Orange County to satisfy their retail and other commercial needs.”

D&A is a partner in the plan with commercial developer Daniel “Sonny” Molloy and Chapel Hill developer John B. Morris.

An initial concept proposal for the mixed-use development presented with the plan includes two sites for large retail stores, several smaller locations for other retail developments, two hotel locations and 400 residences.

Both residents and council members noted the potential traffic effects of the 700,000-square-foot development, given the project’s proximity to I-40. Jeff Pape, of D&A, said the firm would conduct a traffic impact study.

The location would include a replacement for the current Chapel Hill Transit Park and Ride station, which sits on a portion of the land proposed for the development. Developers have said that, in keeping with the town’s long-range development plans, they have incorporated transit as part of the plans for the development.

In addition to the new bus station, the proposal includes several areas for structured parking, at least some of which will be a parking deck.

“Our proposal includes just enough density to support the transit use without building excessive density that cannot be supported by the local demographics. Our design includes walkability and integration of uses along with a diversity of residential, office, retail and hospitality uses to support the transit facility,” the developers state in the proposal.

Council members also urged the developer to carefully consider the “Main Street” design in the proposal. The plan calls for a common area laid out to look like a traditional main street, along which shops and some residences are located.

“The last thing we want to see is a pretty plan of a pretty Main Street that is dead because its not working,” council member Sally Greene said.

Council member Jim Ward suggested moving the parking structure closer into the project to encourage those using the park and ride to use the businesses in the development.

“For a development of this magnitude and one that will be novel for Chapel Hill, we don’t want to build anything based on theory,” council member Matt Czajkowski said. “We cannot afford to make any mistakes on this one.”

The Northern Area Task Force’s report – a plan the town adopted in 2008 to help guide development in the area in question – proposes a similar development at the location. The developers made a point in their plan, they said, to address the recommendations of the report.

The plan was presented to the town’s Committee on Economic Development on May 23. Developers declined to suggest what retailer they are working with for the development, but did say it was a “nationally respected retailer.”

Residents of the adjacent Northwood neighborhood expressed concerns about the development’s effects on property values in their neighborhood and on the neighborhood’s wells.

“Our neighborhood gets its water from this piece of land that will be covered with impervious surface,” Northwood resident Suzanne Haff said.

Residents also expressed concerns about possible annexation of the neighborhood by the town once it’s surrounded by Chapel Hill property. The plan does float annexation by the town as a possibility.

2 thoughts on “Project could bring big-box”

  1. Devra Thomas says:
    June 24, 2011 at 5:39 pm

    As one who is currently looking to move away from Orange County to be closer to amenities (and work and friends) in neighboring counties, I support the idea of smart development in the corridor between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough. While the two towns have very different identities, the space between them should be used to support the county as a whole to keep residents (not to mention tax money) engaged locally. I would make a small suggestion to the development team: check out Atlantic Station in Atlanta for–what seems to this casual observer–a mixed-use development that actually works. AMPLE parking below ground, a wonderful mix of small/mid/lg stores (including the all important grocery store), businesses, and restaurants above ground, and residential space (albeit condos/apartments) all in walking distance. And, dare I say it, room for a small, independent theater to showcase local talent?

  2. Libbie Hough says:
    July 27, 2011 at 8:51 am

    I welcome an opportunity to centralize my shopping in northern Chapel Hill and hope the project moves forward. I live in rural Orange County and have a circle of stops I make in Hillsborough and another circle around Harris-Teeter North and Timberlyne.

    I also welcome the project as I am keen to see us do a better job in the area of economic development — jobs, diversified tax revenue…yay!

    I am distressed, however, that the developer of the project refer to “crossing into Orange County ” to shop as a problem and as a reason to place the project there. The site in question IS IN Orange County. The developers would do well to use inclusive language or risk alienating a healthy source of shoppers before the project even gets approval. What helps one portion of our county with regards to economic development helps the entire county.

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