By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer
CHAPEL HILL — A major redevelopment project on the University Square/Granville Towers property received its first formal review before the Chapel Hill Town Council Monday night.
At its meeting at Town Hall, the council heard a concept plan presentation from representatives of Cousins Properties, which is managing the project.
A redevelopment of the commercial area in the 100 block of West Franklin Street was promised in June 2008, when the property was purchased by the Chapel Hill Foundation Real Estate Holdings, a university not-for-profit corporation, for $45.75 million.
John McCall, representing Cousins Properties, said the plan is to tear down the existing University Square and replace it with joint commercial and residential space closer to Franklin Street and office and residential areas around a central greenspace and gathering area at the interior of the project. The plan would not affect the Granville Towers portion of the property.
In raw numbers, the project would affect about 6.15 acres of the 11.92-acre site, replacing the existing 120,000 square feet of space with a mix of office, retail and 150 housing units totaling about 560,000 square feet of floor space and 510 parking spaces.
Several council members said they had concerns about the traffic flowing in and out only on Franklin Street.
Council member Jim Ward said the project was large enough that some kind of access to Cameron Avenue or a plan to do so in the future would be necessary.
Council member Penny Rich said in addition to the interior space, which will try to replicate the success of the outside dining and gathering space at Weaver Street Market in Carrboro, she would like to see sidewalk cafe spaces close to Franklin Street. She said she and her children several years ago started calling University Square downtown’s “missing tooth†because it was set so far back from the street.
Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt raised concerns about apartments planned for spots adjacent to Little Frat Court and how buffered the area would be.
The mayor noted that when he was a resident of Granville South as a student, “we knew Little Frat Court was there.â€
In other action Monday night, the council reviewed a revised concept plan for The Cottages of Chapel Hill, a student housing complex on Homestead Road that was heavily criticized at a previous concept review as being too dense for the area.
Capstone Development, a Birmingham, Ala.-based company that specializes in college-town housing, changed the proposal for the 33-acre site to include a small commercial area near Homestead Road and a reduction in total housing units from 300 to 188.
Despite the changes, residents near the development lined up to urge the council to reject it.
Robin Wallace, president of the Homestead Homeowners Association, said she and her neighbors have known for years the parcel would be developed, but not as anything as densely packed as what Capstone envisions.
Kleinschmidt said he was concerned about the density as well.
“It’s not about the number of units, it’s about the number of people and cars that come with that number of units,†he said.
Also on Monday, the council held a public hearing on the proposed Old Durham-Chapel Hill Road bike and pedestrian plan.
Several residents praised the long awaited improvements. But representatives of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina said they had strong objections to a route across part of the nonprofit’s property. Craigie D. Sanders, a lawyer representing BCBSNC, said the company was worried about the potential loss of 294 trees as well as safety and security concerns.
Council member Ed Harrison, a longtime proponent of the plan, said he hopes a solution with the company can be reached soon. He noted that the project is about 19 years in the making.
N.C. Department of Transportation representatives said they plan to start right-of-way acquisition next fall. The $4.7 million project would add bike lanes on both sides of Old Durham-Chapel Hill Road, a traffic circle at Pope Road, a paved 10-foot-wide path to replace the gravel path along the BCBNC frontage and pedestrian crossing along the road. The town’s share of the local match for the project is estimated at $324,730.