Carrboro Aldermen postpone discussions on CVS

Almost a year after the Carrboro Board of Aldermen indefinitely postponed a public hearing for a controversial proposal to build a CVS Pharmacy in Carrboro, residents could have to wait another month for their voices to be heard.

The hearing is set for tonight, but after developers requested another extension, the board is considering delaying it until April.

“It’s up to the board to decide whether to push back the hearing — we’ll see (tonight),” said Mayor Mark Chilton.

The CVS would be located at 201 N. Greensboro St. in the bottom floor of a two-story mixed-use development. It would replace the CVS in Carr Mill Mall.

The proposal has sparked opposition from residents and businesses. Last February, the site became the target of protesters, vandalism and guerrilla gardening.

Alderman Michelle Johnson said in an email that she thinks the board should hold the public hearing tonight, but defer voting.

“The public has already been notified, and they are prepared to speak,” Johnson said. “This is unfair to the public who has been waiting for a year to be heard.”

Arlene Furman, a Carrboro resident and owner of Technica Editorial Services, said she plans on going to the meeting even if she is not able to voice her opposition.

“It doesn’t fit in with the culture here,” she said. “We’re a neighborhood, not some town with strip malls everywhere.”

Tricia Mesigian, owner of the Orange County Social Club, echoed this concern.

“It’s not the right corner for this kind of structure and level of business,” Mesigian said in an email.

Chilton said the intersection is important because it is at the center of Carrboro.

“Whatever gets built there is going to be a landmark building for Carrboro,” he said. “It has to be a real signature.”

CVS spokesman Mike DeAngelis said a free-standing CVS is important to the future of Carrboro.

He said the new CVS would have a MinuteClinic, staffed by nurse practitioners.

“CVS has been part of the Carrboro community for the past 35 years,” DeAngelis said about the Carr Mill Mall location. “The new location would give the community more convenient access to our products and pharmacy.”

Some residents have brought up the possibility of expanding the current CVS facility. According to the lease, expanding that location is a possibility.

But Nathan Milian, manager of Carr Mill Mall, said the developers have not expressed interest in that option.

DeAngelis stressed the importance of public input going forward.

“While we’ve experienced some opposition, we also appreciate the support we have received,” DeAngelis said. “Community input will continue to be a part of our planning process.”

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.