Alabama Avenue is an historically African-American neighborhood. It is a pleasant, quiet, tree-covered residential street. Many families have lived on the street for generations; a few are new arrivals.
Raleigh-based Stronach Properties is proposing construction of an 8,000-square-foot Family Dollar store on our street. All the trees that shield our neighborhood from Jones Ferry Road would be cut, including many old hardwoods. A small stream would be paved over to build a parking lot. We will be overwhelmed with traffic, including 18-wheeler delivery trucks. There will be bright parking lot lights at night, loud noises before sunrise and the smell of a dumpster 40 feet from our neighbor’s bedroom window. The peace and harmony of our close-knit community would be shattered.
Because the clear-cutting of large trees is a violation of the Carrboro Land Use Ordinance, the Board of Adjustment will hold a public hearing to decide if the project may proceed. They will also rule on whether to reduce the required number of parking spaces (another ordinance violation) so that the oversized building can fit on this small lot.
The developer has resisted even small changes to the site design. The Town of Carrboro has repeatedly asked them to move the dumpster and loading dock to the opposite side of the building to shield the neighborhood from the sights and sounds of garbage pickup and tractor-trailer deliveries. The developer refused, citing the need for giant trucks to maneuver to the loading dock.
It is clear that this store would be a poor fit for Carrboro. Our town prides itself on racial justice and progressive labor policy. Family Dollar has a long history of labor lawsuits filed against it by employees. Stronach Properties touts the flow of taxes to the town from this development. But any sales-tax revenues generated by the store for the Town of Carrboro would just cannibalize revenues from thrift stores nearby.
The intersection of Alabama Avenue and Jones Ferry Road is the first impression of Carrboro for visitors entering town from N.C. 54. It is important to the Central Business District and the Carrboro Farmers’ Market that this section of Jones Ferry Road make a good first impression. This is the Gateway to Carrboro.
Please support us at the public hearing (Wednesday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall) and by talking with your friends about upholding the values of Carrboro. Visit us at GatewayToCarrboro.org to learn more about our fight to protect our little neighborhood.
Catherine Adamson
Carrboro