
{"id":9304,"date":"2010-03-11T11:14:57","date_gmt":"2010-03-11T19:14:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/?p=9304"},"modified":"2010-03-18T12:19:35","modified_gmt":"2010-03-18T20:19:35","slug":"major-dorm-project-looms-large-on-short-street","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/2010\/03\/11\/major-dorm-project-looms-large-on-short-street\/","title":{"rendered":"Major dorm project looms large on Short Street"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><figure id=\"attachment_9407\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9407\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/hoppin0310.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/hoppin0310.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"hoppin0310\" width=\"500\" height=\"335\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9407\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/hoppin0310.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/hoppin0310-113x75.jpg 113w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/hoppin0310-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/hoppin0310-360x241.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/hoppin0310-119x80.jpg 119w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/hoppin0310-120x80.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9407\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chip and Emma Hoppin in their backyard. Photo by Ava Barlow<\/figcaption><\/figure><strong>Kirk Ross<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>Staff Writer<br \/>\n<\/em><br \/>\nCHAPEL HILL  \u00e2\u20ac\u201d For those trying to build a four-story residence for 140 students at the corner of Rosemary and Church streets, the third time is a charm. Those opposed to it say they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel so lucky.<\/p>\n<p>A site along the south side of Rosemary Street now occupied by three small buildings is the third site the Wesley Foundation has proposed as home to a residence hall it has been trying to locate in downtown Chapel Hill for several years.<\/p>\n<p>A previous proposal near the foundation\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s center on Pittsboro Street was met with opposition by its neighbors and town council members and a proposal to swap the Pittsboro Street center for university-owned property on East Franklin Street was turned down by UNC officials.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>An initial concept plan for Wesley House, reviewed by the town council in November, calls for a four-story, 79,770-square-foot building with about 5,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. Initial parking plans were for 35 spaces under the building.<\/p>\n<p>According to Nick Didow, Wesley Foundation board member and point person for the project, the new site has great potential for being an integral part of downtown.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We see this as having tremendously positive influence on downtown,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Didow said Tuesday. In addition to adding more residents to the heart of downtown, he said, the foundation plans to include community engagement and service programs for the students in residence.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I would like those that oppose this project to consider that this may be one of the best things to happen to downtown in a very long time,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Didow, a professor with UNC\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Kenan-Flagler Business School and a former school board chair.<\/p>\n<p>Didow said that the foundation has received some criticism, but that nearby businesses are for the most part happy to see additional residents downtown.<\/p>\n<p>But for Chip Hoppin and his immediate neighbors along Short Street, the prospect of 140 students added to the neighborhood and a four-story building going up just over the fence to his backyard means the beginning of the end of a dream. His wife, Kim Stein, has lived in the house since 1993. After they got married and had a daughter, they decided to stay put and enjoy life downtown.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t planning on moving for another 25 years,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Hoppin said. While Hoppin said he empathizes with the Wesley Foundation\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s desire to find a place for its students and programs, he said the project will so drastically alter the landscape that his family and others will be effectively forced out.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a square peg in a round hole,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a really nice square peg, but it still doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fit with this neighborhood.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>One major concern is the plan to have limited parking onsite and satellite parking elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>At a recent meeting with neighbors, Hoppin said that an updated plan was for 29 underground spaces and the rest at a satellite lot in Chatham County and a shuttle service in between. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That just doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem practical,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said, especially considering the neighborhood\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s historical parking woes.<\/p>\n<p>The foundation has looked at sites in Chatham County for a retreat center, Didow said, adding that the number of spaces onsite and other parking concerns have not been settled and he expects the town to have very specific stipulations on parking for the project.<br \/>\nEstelle Mabry, a longtime resident on Pritchard Avenue, doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think the parking plan is realistic.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re pie-in-the-sky on parking,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Mabry said traffic patterns and lack of parking are likely to further congest the area. She also is worried that the project isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a good fit or a good move for the town.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153One concern I have is that it will take property off the tax rolls,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t afford to have any more property come off the tax rolls.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CHAPEL HILL  \u00e2\u20ac\u201d For those trying to build a four-story residence for 140 students at the corner of Rosemary and Church streets, the third time is a charm. Those opposed to it say they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel so lucky.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":9407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-top-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9304"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9423,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9304\/revisions\/9423"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}