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CVS likely to build fence around property

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Susan Dickson

By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
CARRBORO – Citing vandalism and safety concerns, CVS representatives announced last week possible plans to install a fence around property on the corner of Weaver and Greensboro streets, proposed for a new CVS development.

CVS Caremark has filed for a conditional-use permit and a rezoning to allow it to build a two-story 24,000-square-foot building with a 24-hour CVS on the ground floor, office space above it and a 64-space parking lot on land occupied by the former WCOM building, two homes on Center Street and the offices of dentist Debra Seaton.

Following a number of changes to the plan for the proposed development, representatives held a neighborhood meeting last week. Plans have drawn fire from nearby residents, who say the development wouldn’t fit into the proposed space and would increase traffic on an already burdened area.

Leigh Polzella, development representative for CVS Caremark, said the boarded-up house at 104 Center St. was recently broken into and the former WCOM building had been repeatedly vandalized, leading CVS officials to consider measures to secure the properties. Polzella said officials were considering installing a fence around the WCOM building and its parking lot, as well as around the Center Street house.

In an email Tuesday, Polzella said CVS officials were coordinating site maintenance and looking into fencing materials in hopes of finding something less obtrusive than chain-link.

Residents have criticized CVS’s neglect of the property, which is overgrown with weeds.

Amanda Ashley, a member of Occupy Chapel Hill, said Occupy Chapel Hill had offered to assume responsibility for and maintenance of the building on the corner of Weaver and Greensboro streets in exchange for its use as an indoor space for the movement’s efforts.

However, Polzella said in an email to Ashley that CVS officials were still in the process of assessing the condition of the properties to determine safety and fit-for-use criterion.

At the meeting, Polzella also said she wanted to clarify that CVS’ initial plans in purchasing the property were to prevent Walgreens from buying it and developing a competing drugstore across the street from the current CVS store, and thus had no motivation to sell the property at this point. Weaver Street Market previously owned the WCOM property.

Plan changes
Chris Bostic, site engineer for the project, presented a number of changes to the development plans, including the addition of a 20,000-gallon underground cistern to collect water from the roof and two rain gardens to treat parking lot runoff.

Bostic said the plans also reduce the number of proposed parking spaces from 69 to 64, enabling an increase in the buffer between the parking lot and Center Street. Center Street residents have expressed concern about the headlights of cars shining directly into their windows throughout the night, and Bostic said the new plans include a 5-foot brick wall to address that.

Jeff Herrick, a Center Street resident, said the plans still concern him.

“I appreciate you put a little more setback, but to have a 24-hour parking lot 30 feet from our front porch is still really difficult,” he said.

Richard Walker, the architectural representative for the development, said changes also include the addition of more windows. Because of CVS’s store model, which includes merchandise lining the perimeter of the store, the windows will serve as display windows.

The project must be approved by the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, which will hold a public hearing prior to its consideration.

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