UNC Health Care broke ground Tuesday on the first project in the controversial Chatham Park development near Pittsboro.

The 25,000-square-foot medical office building will be at the intersection of U.S. 64 Bypass and U.S. 15-501.

Though construction is underway, Chatham Park is still the focus of scrutiny.

The 7,000 acre mixed-use development was approved this summer after months of contentious debate.

A coalition of Pittsboro residents immediately filed suit have the rezoning overturned, alleging town officials didn’t follow state and local zoning rules.

Chatham Park Investors, which shares management with Preston Development, filed a motion to dismiss the suit, saying members of Pittsboro Matters don’t have a legal stake in the case.

While the lawsuit plays out in court, Pittsboro Commissioners are considering a request to add 46 acres to the project’s master plan, a move that would require the re-approval of the entire development.

Even if commissioners don’t approve the new plan, the initial approval would still stand.

The full project is slated to take 30 years to build. Once complete it would increase Pittsboro’s population by 1,900 percent, growing from 3,000 to 60,000.