By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer
CARRBORO – After years of discussing the idea of adding commercial space to the town’s Northern Transitional Area, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen Tuesday night set the wheels in motion for up to 16,000 square feet of commercial space near Old N.C. 86 and the proposed Twin Creeks Park.
At its meeting at Town Hall, the board debated and approved a rezoning request from M/I Homes for phases 3 and 4 of the Ballentine subdivision. Construction of the residential-only first two phases of Ballentine is already underway. Last year, the board asked the developer to consider some commercial space in the new phases. M/I representatives asked for the zoning change ahead of submitting a detailed site plan for the area.
At the close of a public hearing on the matter Tuesday, Mayor Mark Chilton noted that while it is not often that a zoning change is considered without an accompanying development plan, in this case M/I was trying to gauge whether the board was serious about a commercial project before putting resources into a new set of plans.
The plan has met with opposition from nearby residents already concerned about construction of the first phases of Ballentine.
Resident Albert Vickers said not knowing how many residential units would accompany the commercial space and what the plans for the area look like had neighbors worried.
“This is like a pig in a poke,†he said.
In terms of raw acreage, the new zoning could allow up to 101 townhouses on the property – a number several members of the board and representatives of the builder said was far higher than what would be proposed.
Also stressed was that the zoning change did not mean that the site plans for the new phases of Ballentine would be a slam-dunk.
“We don’t walk away tonight, if approved, free to build what we want,†said Jeremy Finch, an engineer with John R. McAdams Company, who is working on the site plans.
M/I Homes Jeremy Medlin said the builder sees potential for roughly 55 to 75 homes and ballparked a selling price between $200,000 and $225,000.
Board member Jacquie Gist said in addition to adding some commercial amid all the northern residential developments, having more modest-priced housing close to a park was appealing.