Three to four commercial buildings may be coming to 501 South Greensboro Street in Carrboro.
As the Carrboro Board of Aldermen considers rezoning and granting a permit to Woodhill LLC for building the restaurant and retail development on six acres, neighbors want the town to make sure certain conditions are met.
Resident Rob Joyner spoke on behalf of the Roberson Place Home Owners Association at Tuesday’s meeting, asking “that the establishments that play outdoor music be restricted to playing 10 am to 8 pm.”
The Roberson Place HOA also requests that the connection between the Roberson Place Subdivision and South Greensboro remain as a bike and pedestrian connection, and not be developed into a road; that waste pickup and deliveries to businesses be restricted to 9 am to 5 pm on weekdays; and that commercial properties use directional lighting which would not shine onto residential properties.
“I do have significant concerns that, no matter what we do, we’re going to be looking at a neon sign illuminating a business,” said Tommy Koonce, who lives with his wife Robin Koonce in a house adjacent to the proposed development.
Koonce asked the town to codify a requirement to screen bright signs from his house windows, not only for aesthetics, but also to protect property value.
Runyon Woods, a partner at Woodhill LLC, feels the council should not regulate certain things, like when a business can receive deliveries.
“A restaurant comes in. They want fresh seafood for Saturday night,” said Woods. “So they want a small seafood truck to come deliver Saturday morning. That condition would make that illegal.”
Instead of following a hard rule, Woods said his team would work with individual residents to meet their needs.
Alderman Damon Seils stressed the importance of building specific conditions into the permit.
“If we put a condition on the permit, that’s what allows the town to engage in an enforcement activity,” said Seils. “And so if it becomes a problem, then the town has the authority in that circumstance to actually start enforcing the rules.”
In addition to the residents’ concerns, the aldermen discussed many others, including the development’s potential to intensify flooding. And the aldermen said a proposed roundabout at the intersection of South Greensboro Street and Pittsboro Road should not be built on private land.
The public hearing will continue on May 26. At this point the board may decide to approve “conditional use rezoning” and a “conditional use permit” for this project.
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