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Courtyard parking deck receives favorable review

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Staff
CARRBORO CITIZEN FILE PHOTO. Much of the hardscape at the heart of The Courtyard would be returned to a more natural state under a plan by the center’s new owners.

By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

CHAPEL HILL — A three-story parking deck that the new owners of The Courtyard say is needed to make the center viable won high marks from the Chapel Hill Town Council at a public hearing Monday night.

In a discussion at Town Hall, the council reviewed plans to redevelop part of The Courtyard and add a deck with at least 80 parking spaces on a surface lot on the south side of the retail and office center.

The new plans also call for converting most of the second- and third-floor office space at The Courtyard into 13 dwelling units. In addition, much of the hard surface added to the actual courtyard at the development would be returned to landscaping.

A dispute over parking between former owner Spencer Young and P.H. Craig, who owns three adjacent parking lots, led to the unraveling of the finances of the center. Craig blocked access to the lots after Young refused to pay rent on them, cutting the available parking down to only 28 spaces. That triggered an exodus of businesses, including 3 Cups, Baba Ghannouj and Sandwhich. At one point, the center had a vacancy rate of 90 percent. In 2008, Wachovia Bank foreclosed on the property and eventually sold it to Franklin West LLC, which was set up by The Dilweg Companies, a Durham-based commercial real estate firm.

John Weigle, who represented Dilweg at the council hearing, said solving the parking issue is a bedrock requirement of a financing arrangement for the center, which has seen an upfit and a slew of new tenants.

At the hearing, Craig told the council he is pleased with the plan and hopes to work with the new owners to hammer out additional access to the deck and to resolve long-running storm-water problems at the site.

Craig is also pursuing a zoning change for his properties, which are leased by the town for downtown parking.

Council members said they were anxious to see the project move forward. Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said he hopes the council can meet the developer’s request to have a parking fix in hand by the end of the year. The council will take up the proposal again on Nov. 22.

In other action, the council heard a proposal to modify the way the town calculates recreational space requirements. The proposal uses actual floor area to determine the amount of recreational space required rather than the overall size of the development.

Parks and Recreation director Butch Kisiah said the new system more accurately reflects the number of people in a new development. The system also would allow for greater flexibility in calculating payments-in-lieu.

At the hearing, council members questioned a delay in the changes for most downtown zoning districts. Kisiah said implementing the new formula would have a major impact on several downtown projects already in the pipeline, multiplying the amount of recreational space required in some cases.

Council member Jim Ward said that should give planners some pause about the new rules. The council continued the hearing until Nov. 22 and asked for a report on the potential impact to downtown projects.

Also on Monday night, the council saw the initial presentation of a concept plan for a major expansion of the Ronald McDonald House on Old Mason Farm Road. The plan calls for the construction of an additional seven buildings adjacent to the existing building to house new guest rooms, a dining hall, meeting space and offices.

Two additional access points would be added along Old Mason Farm Road along with a drop-off drive and 16 new parking spaces.

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