Rocks may impede lot development

Plans for the development of parking lots 2 and 5 might be off to a rocky start.

The Chapel Hill Town Council Committee on Lots 2 and 5 and project consultant John Stainback of Stainback Public/Private Real Estate LLC have commissioned Engineering Consulting Services Ltd. of Raleigh to conduct a survey of the soil beneath both lots.

Tom Admay of ECS said test results will be made available in a couple of weeks.

The Chapel Hill Downtown Economic Development Corporation voiced concerns at its Wednesday meeting that possible environmental hazards such as granite could be present in the soil beneath the lots and affect development.

"We encouraged the (committee) to go forward with soil borings as soon as possible," said Nick Didow, the corporation's interim executive director. "... I'm sure they were planning to do that at some point. My board members were generally surprised that borings hadn't been done earlier in the project."

Committee member Mark Kleinschmidt said the group had long planned to hire someone to conduct soil tests.

"I find it hilarious that people are saying the town isn't doing anything about it," he said.

Because the council isn't set to continue discussing financial plans for the developments until its Oct. 27 business meeting, the committee's timing of hiring ECS is acceptable, Kleinschmidt said.

"The council hasn't signed off on whether we are going to move forward yet. We have to check the financial feasibility," he said. "This is the appropriate time."

Didow said project costs for both the developer and the city could be affected by the soil test's results.

"It depends on the character of the findings," he said. "There could be underground streams, water, any environmental hazards."

Lots 2 and 5 are located behind Spanky's and across from University Square, respectively. The first phase of construction of mixed-use developments on the lots is set to begin in August 2007.

Also included in the development plans are the construction of a transit transfer center beneath lot 2 and an expansion to the Wallace Deck on Rosemary Street.

The project is estimated to cost $66.3 million.

Stainback said he expects excavation costs to remain at or below one percent of the total budget. "We don't know what the extent of it will be," he said. "But it's going to be minimal impact - bottom line."

Stainback said the ECS study also would have little effect on the project's timeline. "If it's more than a month's difference, I'll be surprised," he said.

Stainback said he and the committee already had allotted a safety fund for excavation costs prior to hiring ECS.

Members of the corporation pointed out that Chapel Hill has several locales containing granite underground.

"There are a few places in the community where you encounter some rock and some water underground," Didow said. "The only way you could rule these out is by thorough soil borings."

Stainback said he will be present at the Oct. 27 council meeting.

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