Developers woo Carrboro leaders

Some of Carrboro’s most popular offerings might be housed in a radically different setting in a few years.

Main Street Properties LLC presented a plan to restructure 300 E. Main St., home to The ArtsCenter and Cat’s Cradle, to the Board of Aldermen on Tuesday for informal feedback.

The presentation was the last in a series the developers have offered to various town groups, said project manager Laura Van Sant.

“Basically, we’ve got this huge project going on, and we’ve talked to everyone we can think of to talk to for feedback on it, including a couple of public forums and some of the town planning boards,” she said.

“The only group left is the Board of Aldermen, who are the ones who will ultimately approve the project.”

Van Sant said the group will generate a formal proposal to submit to the town in the spring.

Requesting informal input from the aldermen is an unusual step in the proposal process for new construction, said town Planning Director Roy Williford.

“It’s not in the procedural manual or anything of that nature for a conditional use permit,” he said.

But Mayor Mike Nelson said the aldermen appreciated the consideration of the developers.

“It's so rare that we have this kind of courtesy review,” he said. “It allows us to see what people are thinking.”

Plans include several new buildings that will feature new space for retail, offices and residences.

Current plans are for The ArtsCenter and Cat’s Cradle to stay open during construction. Both will be moved to larger locations.

Jim Spencer, the main architect for the project, said he plans to use a variety of building types and scales to create a unique space.

“I hope it will be mixed-use in the truest sense,” he said.

The core of the design is a central outdoor space that promotes pedestrian traffic, said landscape architect Dan Jewell.

“We want this to be an extension of the Weaver Street area,” he said.

Maintaining the integrity of the downtown was an oft-cited concern of the aldermen.

“The community is deeply concerned with how things will look, how they feel when they walk by,” Nelson said.

Van Sant said the design of the space and the promotion of local businesses should address the community’s concerns. “We don't want this to be Disneyland or the mall.”

Spencer added that developers are taking the community input they have received very seriously.

Van Sant said that input has been overwhelmingly positive.

“This is a project everyone in town is talking about,” Nelson said.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.