The project entails moving the UNC Printing, Grounds, and Environment, Health and Safety buildings to the Giles Horney lot in the Elkin Hills area of Chapel Hill -- a move residents fear will ruin their neighborhood.
"They're talking about building fueling stations, buildings and grounds storage facilities. ... Buildings and grounds cars and trucks that will be backing up at 7 in the morning going 'beep beep beep,'" said Elkin Hills resident Margaret Morse. She and about seven other residents attended the BOT Buildings and Grounds Committee vote on the project's design.
The full BOT later approved the committee's decision.
Morse said she's concerned that the proposed uses for the new buildings are not appropriate for a residential area.
Residents say they also worry about pollution, flooding and increased traffic.
Although a survey gathered by Morse found that roughly 60 percent of all neighborhood inhabitants have some sort of connection to the University, residents still are hoping to find alternatives to the proposed use of the land.
As of yet, University officials have been unwilling to discuss the alternatives the survey found to be most popular -- using the area for environmental studies, a recreational area or an art lab expansion.
Elkin Hills residents weren't allowed to speak at the committee meeting because discussion was limited to the project's design. The board already had approved the location at a previous meeting.
Residents were allowed to distribute a prepared written statement saying they would like to discuss other uses for the Elkin Hills site and alternative sites for the Campus Services Support Facilities, but residents are disappointed that officials have rejected such debate so far.
