The Chapel Hill Community Design Commission reviewed concept plans for two potential projects for the town, one of which would transform the town’s emergency services and another that would redevelop a movie theater.

The Town of Chapel Hill has been working to build a new Municipal Services Center for years. The building would provide a new facility to combine the services of Chapel Hill and Orange County Fire and EMS services, as well as police and other department administrative offices.

Despite an agreement with UNC to develop land off Estes Drive falling through in 2018, it appears the town has settled on the land where Fire Station 4 currently sits off Weaver Dairy Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Plans submitted for the Tuesday meeting show a revitalized use for the 2 acres of land, which include constructing a four-story building, a parking deck, a sally port and additional stormwater management.

Being at the corner of two major thoroughfares, the plans show how each emergency service to use the center would have a unique traffic pattern to enter and exit the property, including pedestrians. The submitted design attempts to emphasize the building at the corner to have a pedestrian focus, which is impacted by the potential of installing a bus stop for Chapel Hill’s planned bus rapid transit system.

An aerial view of the spaces within the proposed design for Chapel Hill’s new Municipal Services Center. (Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.)

In addition, the commission also provided initial feedback to some development near the Timberlyne shopping center. The Cary-based company Parkway Holdings Phase 2 LLC submitted designs for a medical office building where the Regal Timberlyne movie theater currently sits off Banks Drive. The six-screen theater, which has been closed since March due to state laws amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, would see its north and south wings demolished to create more parking space for the office.

A report from the Herald-Sun says a web posting from Foundry Commercial listed the theater’s property for sale back in January. According to the manager of Parkway Holdings, the company plans to close on the land in the coming months.

Concept art for the redeveloped facade of the property at 120 Banks Drive in Chapel Hill. (Photo via TMTLA Associates.)

The Herald Sun reports the commission praised the plans to modernize and change the building, which would see updates to its exterior and its heating, plumbing and air condition systems. The developers also said they would replace a fence behind the theater in order to improve connection to the nearby Walgreens pharmacy.

The Community Design Commission took no action on either project, per usual, providing only comments to the applicants and for the Chapel Hill Town Council.

Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

Related Stories
‹
Chapel Hill Town Council Reviews Putt-Putt Center Concept Plans
Developers presented updated concept plans for a putt-putt and go-kart facility off Eubanks Road to the Chapel Hill Town Council last week. The Putt-Putt Fun Center facility would neighbor the Carraway Village apartment complex and be constructed in an undeveloped parcel of land near Interstate 40. The family-friendly center would feature a putt-putt course, go-kart […]
Transit, Stormwater Among Concerns for Redevelopment of University Place in Chapel Hill
Ownership of the University Place mall continued to receive their first round of feedback on concept plans of a reimagining of the property. The Chapel Hill Town Council shared their impressions of the initial designs last week. The council’s review of the concept plans came just eight days after Ram Realty, the ownership group of […]
Chapel Hill's Vote on 828 MLK Redevelopment Seeks to End 'Hamster Wheel' of Inaction
Chapel Hill's Town Council voted to make a new plan for a future Municipal Services Center. It's step toward addressing coal ash on the site.
Chapel Hill Commission 'Underwhelmed' by University Place Concept Plans Heading to Town Council
The ownership group of the University Place mall recently received its first feedback from the Town of Chapel Hill regarding concept plans submitted for renovations to the mall. When it purchased the mall in 2018, Ram Realty announced it would aim to make updates that would modernize the property and create a “town center” for […]
Chapel Hill CDC to Discuss Proposed Rosemary Street Hotel Plans
Chapel Hill’s Community Design Commission will discuss the first iteration of a proposed hotel on Rosemary Street at its monthly meeting Tuesday. The proposed plan would renovate the space around the historic town hall building on West Rosemary Street, near the intersection with Columbia Street. A four-to-five story hotel with as many as 140 rooms would […]
Tech Company Announces New Corporate Headquarters on West Franklin Street
IotaComm, Inc., a wireless communications and data services company, will be relocating its corporate headquarters to the top floor of the office space at 200 West Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill. “We’re thrilled IotaComm is calling Chapel Hill home,” said David Putnam, the town’s economic development director. “Once again, Chapel Hill stands out among […]
Chapel Hill Police: Missing Teen Safely Located
UPDATE: Chapel Hill Police shared an alert Sunday morning that Kaydin Shelton has been safely located. The Chapel Hill Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a missing teenager. Police say 15-year-old Kaydin Shelton of Chapel Hill was last seen just before midnight Saturday night in the area of Legion Road and Ephesus […]
White Sauce Grill & Bar Now Open on West Franklin Street
White Sauce Grill & Bar, which offers Mediterranean gyros and platters, is now open at 104 West Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill. The restaurant moved into the space previously occupied by Trolly Stop Hot Dogs & Grill, which closed in October of 2023. The space – located between I Love N.Y. Pizza and Ben […]
Chapel Hill’s Weavers Grove Welcomes First Residents, Offering a Vision of Inclusive Homeownership
Weavers Grove, the long-anticipated mixed-income community spearheaded by Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, is officially coming to life in Chapel Hill.
Chapel Hill Hosts Annual Pride Promenade, Celebrates LGBTQ+ Community
Franklin Street was filled with color and celebration of LGBTQ+ visibility on Saturday, as Chapel Hill held its annual Pride Promenade.
›