Council knocks concept plan

The mixed-use development proposed to be built northeast of the intersection of U.S. 15-501 and Erwin Road received a negative response from the Chapel Hill Town Council at a public hearing Monday night.

The public hearing was cut short and will be continued in January.

The council criticized Wilson Assemblage, proposed by Design Response Inc., for dramatically changing the concept plan and increasing traffic concerns with its current plans.

"This (public hearing) takes me back seven years ago when we didn't have a concept plan stage," said council member Edith Wiggins. "We added the concept plan so we could talk to developers about what they had in mind in detail before the public hearing."

All council members reflected this sentiment.

Council member Bill Strom said he thought the dramatic changes to the concept plan only took away what was appealing about the development.

He said the concept plan originally called for 32 units of affordable housing, which was appealing to the council in March 2003 when the concept plan was submitted.

The plans now include no affordable housing, and council members commented on how the site now looks different from the development approved under the concept plan.

"It seemed like we were being offered caviar last year as far as affordable housing goes," Strom said. "Now, it doesn't even seem like we are getting fish food."

Another issue the council and town residents had with the proposed development is that it could further congest busy roadways and dangerous intersections.

Harvey Krasny, resident of Summerfield Crossing, presented his neighbors' concerns about an increased traffic flow.

"It is a pipe dream to think people will walk to places in this area," he said.

"People will drive there, especially the young and old."

The Wilson Assemblage application calls for 402 parking spaces, but the developer is planning on building sidewalks to make the development more pedestrian-friendly and adding a bus stop to reduce automobile trips.

The town planning board said these efforts were still not enough.

"We would like to see a less driving-focused development," said Thatcher Freund, a member of the board. "The best way to do this is to reduce the town's minimum parking standards."

As of right now, Wilson Assemblage is in compliance with that minimum standard.

The potential of traffic increases also caused some to worry about people using neighborhood roads to avoid traffic on 15-501.

"People go to all lengths to avoid traffic," said Rich Harris of the Erwin Village Homeowners Association. "Our neighborhood is an attractive alternative to congested highways."

Jaada Bowens, an Erwin Village board member, said residents' driveways are like their front yards, adding that people usually park on the streets and cause safety issues.

But Peggy Redman, whose house is located on Dobbins Drive, said the council can't deal with traffic problems by preventing development. "Traffic was bad 10 years ago," she said. "And it will only be bad."

She said the best way to deal with traffic problems is to improve roads and make better intersections.

The project is proposed to be mixed use, with 50,000 square feet of retail and office space.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.