A development that some think could harm Jordan Lake has already changed since it was first proposed in 2007 — but the Council asked the developers to make still more changes.
Town Council members, Chapel Hill residents and the developer, Carol Ann Zinn, discussed on Wednesday the negative environmental impact the multi-family development might have.
The development is proposed to be located on a 5.8-acre piece of land on N.C. 54 near Jordan Lake. Zinn and her team originally proposed Aydan Court in 2007, but due to zoning issues, the development was not approved.
“This is the first time in over a decade where a project has come back before the Council. I like the changes that have been made, but there is still more that can be changed. The Council is willing to work with the developer to create a plan we are all happy with,” Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said.
The site is near Little Creek, which feeds into Jordan Lake, so runoff and erosion are concerns.
The Federal government placed a 100 foot boundary near the lake to help protect them from pollution — but portions of the proposed development are very close to that line.
“We have condensed from four buildings to three. The first level of each will be parking, with three residential levels. We have also created an additional 50-foot buffer past the (line),” said Bruce Ballentine of Ballentine Associates, P.A., the designers of the project.
The development plans to catch stormwater off the roofs of the buildings which will then be used for toilet flushing and irrigation.
The land is currently zoned to R-1, which only allows for single-family homes. Zinn and her team want to apply for zoning that will allow them to build affordable multi-family condominiums.
