The public will get a chance on Tuesday to share their views on a community kitchen in downtown Carrboro, a decision that has divided opinions in the town.

The Carrboro Board of Alderman will consider a zoning text amendment that would allow the Inter-Faith Council to build a community kitchen at 110 West Main Street. The proposed site is already home to the IFC’s administrative and community services offices and a food pantry.

Last year the IFC split up their men’s shelter and community kitchen at 100 West Rosemary Street. The IFC opened a new transitional housing facility on Homestead Road. The community kitchen still operates on Rosemary Street.

Michael Reinke, director of the IFC, said that plans to move the community kitchen to the Carrboro location have been in the works for 13 years.

“We are now ready to look at how to bring our community kitchen and our food pantry programs together and with one location,” said Reinke.

If approved, the text amendment would allow the IFC to apply for a conditional use permit to operate its food pantry and community kitchen at the same location. Board member Bethany Chaney says that application would still need to be reviewed by staff before potentially coming to the Board of Aldermen and that process could take close to a year before a final decision is rendered.

“We believe that we have an excellent location, in terms of 110 West Main Street,” said Reinke, “but in talking with the local business in downtown Carrboro, they asked us if we would go and take a look, are there any other locations that might be even better?”

In January the IFC proposed that Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools consider a new building that would host a new community kitchen in conjunction with a health clinic on the Lincoln Center Campus.

But since the IFC is already operating in downtown Carrboro, Reinke thinks it is the best site for the kitchen.

“A while ago someone said, would you be interested in a better site if one were available? And I think just about everyone would say that if you can give me something that’s better than what I already have then of course I’d be very interested in taking a look at that,” said Reinke.

Some downtown businesses and home owners have voiced concern over things such as security and crowds.

In an editorial published in the Chapel Hill News, Carrboro Alderman Jacquelyn Gist said that after Tuesday’s meeting she would like for the town to facilitate a series of meetings with members of the community that are both for and against the text change.

The proposed zoning text amendment would add “social service provider with dining” as an accepted land use.

The public hearing will be held at the Carrboro Elementary Auditorium on Tuesday March 22 at 7:30 pm.

Related Stories
‹
IFC Submits Rezoning Request for Community Kitchen
The Inter-Faith Council for Social Service has submitted a rezoning request to the Town of Carrboro to add FoodFirst, a community kitchen, to its West Main Street location. The building is currently used as a food pantry. The Carrboro Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to add a text amendment in March that allowed the IFC […]
Carrboro Moves One Step Closer To A Community Kitchen
The Carrboro Board of Aldermen approved a text amendment Tuesday night that allows the Inter-Faith Council to apply to open a community kitchen in downtown Carrboro. The meeting was held in the Carrboro Elementary School Auditorium and was almost full to capacity. Dozens of individuals shared their opinions, including Robert Seymour, an honorary lifetime board member of […]
CORA Set To Take Over Siler City Food Pantry Despite Federal Funding Cuts
As Chatham County continues to grow, CORA is looking to increase its food services. But threats to federal funding may hinder those goals.
'Everyone Deserves to Have Healthy Nutrition': CORA Food Pantry Holds Reopening
Staff, volunteers, and community members gathered to watch the ceremonial red ribbon be cut to signify the opening of the new CORA Pantry.
The Inter-Faith Council Serves Community From New Building in Carrboro
The Inter-Faith Council completed a project beginning in 2019 to build a brand new building in Carrboro to house their services. IFC held a virtual launch on January 21 to celebrate the opening.  
On Air Today: Jennifer Gill and Quinton Harper of Inter-Faith Council
The Inter-Faith Council in our community recently opened a brand new building in Carrboro. IFC's Jennifer Gill and Quinton Harper join 97.9 The Hill's Brighton McConnell to share how the virtual opening of the building went and what new elements it brings to IFC's community service.
IFC Holds Groundbreaking for New FoodFirst Facility
Carrboro’s Inter-Faith Council for Social Services held a groundbreaking recently for their new FoodFirst facility on Main Street. The IFC has been working for two years to raise nearly $6 million to go toward the facility, which will centralize all of their programs, making them more accessible to the public. Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle says […]
IFC Holding Public Meeting on Proposed Good Neighbor Plan Changes
The Inter-Faith Council for Social Service currently operates a 52-bed transitional housing facility on Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard. But IFC leadership is proposing several changes to the Good Neighbor Plan that was agreed to when the facility was approved in 2012. Some of the changes are aimed at using alternate terminology, eliminating redundancies and […]
Local Governments Voice Support for Student Walk Out
Chapel Hill and Carrboro students are joining students, teachers and school administrators across the country in a national school walk-out to protest gun violence in schools on March 14. Each town held meetings last week in which they passed resolutions supporting the students, voicing praise for their activism. Carrboro Alderwoman Jacquelyn Gist co-wrote the resolution […]
IFC Shelters Preparing Extra Space for Cold Nights
Temperatures are expected to drop into the mid-20s overnight from Tuesday into Wednesday. And it will feel much colder than that thanks to a frigid wind chill. These temperatures are highlighting a need at local shelters as they work to accommodate as many individuals as they can during the cold. When the temperature drops below […]
›