UNC Health Care is proposing a redevelopment plan that would lead to a new 150,000-square-foot medical office building being built on university-owned land along 15-501 at the western intersection of Eastowne Drive near I-40.
Plans were initially submitted in January, before scaled-back plans were put forward in a concept plan in March. The Chapel Hill Town Council was then set to vote on whether to approve the project in June at its last meeting before the summer break. Instead, UNC Health Care CEO William Roper asked that the item be pushed until the fall.
Roper said the request came at the recommendation of Mayor Pam Hemminger.
Planning documents show that work has continued over the summer as UNC Health Care officials have attempted to address concerns from members of the Town Council, including building height and the impact of the development on traffic. The traffic concerns are exacerbated by other projects already approved or anticipated in the area, including the Wegmans grocery store, a station for the potential light rail line and possible redevelopment of the iconic building that used to be home to the offices of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina.
UNC Health Care officials have said that the redevelopment of the Eastowne property needs to begin because of space issues at the UNC Hospitals main campus. The redevelopment proposal would call for the demolition of four existing buildings at the Eastowne site.
Documents show that the health care system has agreed to complete a Master Planning process of the area before any other development projects could come forward on the property.
The revised plans have still drawn some cautionary remarks from advisory boards and resistance from some community members, including local political action committee CHALT – Chapel Hill Alliance for a Livable Town.
The group wrote in a letter to the council and staff expressing concerns over building height, the parking structure proposed for the site and potential traffic concerns.
Former town manager Roger Stancil wrote to the council on September 1, his last day in that role, that his recommendation was to approve the Special Use Permit Modification for the Eastowne Medical Office Building.
“I focused my time and our staff resources on this effort because I believe the Town’s dreams are intertwined with those of UNC Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care,” Stancil wrote.
The Chapel Hill Town Council will consider UNC Health Care’s permit application at its meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday in Chapel Hill Town Hall.
Photo via Town of Chapel Hill
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