Carrboro Board Approves New Plans for Town Commons Renovations

Construction on new renovations for the Carrboro Town Commons has been approved by the Board of Alderman to begin in November or December.

The Town of Carrboro’s Public Works Director James “JD” Freeman spoke at the board’s meeting last Tuesday about the proposed final plan to the area.

“What the upgrades do, it provides a flexible space at Town Commons, of course for the farmer’s market, but also for multiple events, public and festivals, that are held on these grounds,” Freeman said.

Some of the upgrades include: widening the parking lot and creating 90 degree parking spaces instead of slanted, public restrooms on-site, additional storage for the Farmer’s Market and town staff, increasing electrical availability and adding more lighting around the area.

These changes were made after hearing from the board when it was first proposed, as well as hearing from the residents through an online survey created for public comment.

In the initial plans, there were ideas for a second phase of the Town Commons which included a pass through Laurel Avenue but that was changed after further investigation of the current roadways.

The town has decided to do away with the phase two plans until receiving more data from the NCDOT on the types of cars that travel the area, considering the small area that would be created for a pass-through roadway.

The board seemed most excited about the renovations in regards to the Farmer’s Market every Saturday in Town Commons because of its high popularity in Carrboro. Former Carrboro Farmer’s Market Manager Erin Jobe shared her excitement for the new upgrades.

“We are thrilled to see this project go forward. This project will be incredible for the market. It’s the thing that we need, the fresh face of the market, the thing that will sustain the market into the future,” Jobe said.

This project has been estimated at $90 thousand and town manager David Andrews said since the bank would not be able to provide secured debt funding if the project were to go over budget, due to the type of project it is, they plan to use town reserve funds if necessary.