At a recent Carrboro Town Council meeting, a unanimous vote made it possible for new residential housing to be built less than a mile from downtown Carrboro.
The proposed housing will be in the South Green shopping center, which is located on South Greensboro Street and borders the Roberson Place neighborhood.
South Green was not initially zoned for residential use. It is currently made up of nine businesses and restaurants. The idea to use the remaining open land for condominiums came after the pandemic caused strain on shopping centers all around the country.
Mark Moshier with Legacy Real Property Group said adding residential buildings could target the housing shortage in Carrboro.
“We really tried to analyze what we thought would be the highest and best use for the project, and what would really be a good path forward,” Moshier said. “And as we looked at it, we thought more mixed use, but residential included, could really be a win for the project and for Carrboro.”
A projection of the condo building development from the Legacy Real Property Group.
The initial plans for the project include three four-story buildings. While the first floor of the largest building would still be reserved for commercial use, Moshier said the development would include approximately 57 condos.
“There’s missing price points, it’s hard to find affordable housing that’s available for purchase. So we thought, what if we made these all condos and that people could buy the office or the commercial space, as well as buy the residential units,” he said.
While Carrboro Town Council members approved the zoning change for the four-story residential buildings, a lot of planning and details still need to be ironed out and voted on.
The majority of town council and community members’ comments were focused on not only making the housing affordable, but making sure it would work for the people who would move in. Legacy Real Property Group’s proposal included some outdoor amenities in their initial plans including a dog park, outdoor fire pit and community garden. The property is a bit of a challenge because of the steep slope behind it.
Joe Balintfy was one of the multiple community members present who shared a desire to prioritize creating outdoor spaces in the development.
“I’m a huge supporter actually of this development. The key takeaways that I hope the council will get from me and the other neighbors in the area is whether or not it is really the right size” Balintfy said. “I think there are a lot of details that need to be worked out. And my feeling is, I think there is not enough park-like area. It sort of looks like there’s green space there, but that slope there–it’s just going to be a huge challenge to make it feel like there’s green space.”
Council Member Randee Haven-O’Donnell said a park on-site will help reduce the strain on existing amenities in Roberson Place.
“I think working outside the box is really important because even if you have a small number of children there, folks who are just starting a family, they might need something more like a ‘tot lot’ than they need something for a middle schooler, but the fact is that it should be on premise,” they said.
With the addition of residential condos approved, Legacy Real Property Group will use the following months to make updated plans based on the community on board members’ comments.
To watch the full town council meeting, click here. To see the current plans for the development, click here.
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