The Carrboro Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday began with the board unanimously passing a motion to relocate the March 22 public hearing to Carrboro Elementary School.
Members expressed concern that their regular meeting location at Carrboro Town Hall would not be large enough to accommodate the large amount of residents expected to attend the upcoming hearing that will decide the fate of the potential Inter-Faith Council FoodFirst community kitchen that may be built in Carrboro.
“We want everyone to feel that they’re a part of the picture,” Board of Aldermen member Randee Haven-O’Donnell said.
Carrboro is also exploring a new program called Pay as You Throw that would reduce the volume of waste the town produces by charging residents a fee depending on how much trash they produce.
The motion to continue looking into this option was agreed to by all members except Jacquelyn Gist and Haven-O’Donnell.
“For people who sit down and work out a budget every month, little cuts matter,” Gist said, worried about charging extra fees to Carrboro residents who can’t afford it.
The board continued the public hearing concerning the Hilton Garden Inn, a new 5-story hotel to be built at 107 Padgette Lane.
Carrboro resident and UNC graduate Amy Dement had concerns about the new hotel affecting the natural beauty of the nearby Libba Cotten Bikeway.
“When you consider how the hotel interacts with this pedestrian pathway, consider the number of people who see this as their first introduction (to Carrboro),” Dement said.
Mayor Lydia Lavelle assured Dement the close proximity of the new hotel will not affect the quality of the Libba Cotten Bikeway. She said the idea is still a work in progress.
Board member Sammy Slade expressed concern that there won’t be enough parking spaces at the 300 E. Main St. parking garage for all of the clients of the new hotel because 157 parking spaces is the maximum amount of spaces available for the location.
Slade also raised bike parking as an issue. He said there should be potential for bike racks to be added along East Main Street since bike parking along that street is scarce.
“I’ve heard from a lot of bikers in town who are really frustrated with how bike parking isn’t on East Main Street,” Slade said.
Board members unanimously agreed to grant a conditional use permit for the construction of the Hilton Garden Inn, and also unanimously agreed to reserve parking spaces for the new Hilton hotel at the 300 E. Main St. parking garage.
Notable:
Haven-O’Donnell mentioned the possibility of a mural being painted on the part of the new Hilton Garden Inn that will be visible from the Libba Cotten Bikeway.
Quotable:
“I think the sentiment of this board is that if anything, there isn't enough parking," Slade said.
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