Mayors Pam Hemminger, Lydia Lavelle and Tom Stevens are turning their focus to the future of their respective towns after re-election, and a large part of that future includes development.
After plans for a new Wegmans were approved by Chapel Hill’s Town Council, Hemminger says the next project they hope to tackle is finding a use for the 36-acre plot of land that currently houses the American Legion, which the town voted to purchase nearly a year ago.
“There’s been a legion task force that has been meeting, and they did a survey and got over 900 responses of things people were interested in seeing,” said Hemminger. “The visitor’s bureau has been plugged into this, different community groups have been plugged into this to talk about what kind of things Chapel Hill needs in its community that we don’t currently have or that would work well here.”
The task force is expected to continue working until April to find potential development partners.
After securing a development agreement during the last term for the Southern Branch Library in Carrboro, Lavelle says the next development will likely come on the Lloyd Farm property.
The town and the Lloyd family have been at an impasse since the plans were originally proposed, which called for a mixed-use project anchored by a Harris Teeter.
“[The] Lloyd Farm property proposal being rejected by the board is probably the biggest disappointment that I’ve had in the ten years I’ve been in elected office,” said Lavelle.
The board voted down the project for a multitude of reasons, including concerns over flooding.
In Hillsborough, Stevens has a new development project at the historic Colonial Inn property to look forward to after former owner Francis Henry agreed to sell the building in the wake of eminent domain proceedings brought on by the town.
“[The new contractors] are interested in an inn, hotel, bar,” said Stevens. “They have apparently done this type of project before, so this is promising.”
The town has also agreed on plans for a new sewer line to run under I-40.
