Plans in place for new shopping complex in Orange County

If plans for a new shopping center are approved, UNC students will have another close retail destination besides the Streets at Southpoint mall.

Money will flow into, not out of, Orange County and help reverse its sad economic state, developers of the mixed-use project told the Orange County Board of Commissioners.

The project hinges on commissioners rezoning parts of the possible construction area where Buckhorn Road intersects with Interstate 40.

But the possibility of Buckhorn Village - Orange County's biggest project since 1989 - doesn't sit well with some area residents.

The plan calls for office, retail and residential space.

Traffic congestion, harm to the environment, decreased residential property value and small business failure were some of their main concerns.

But Mebane Mayor Glendel Stephenson said the proposal was one of the most comprehensive he's ever heard.

The landscape and architectural designs for 128-acre Buckhorn Village have been drawn up and were presented at the meeting.

If the board approves the plan, construction will start in 2010 and finish about five years later.

Builders will take into account which materials they use and how they can efficiently use water and energy in order to create a sustainable shopping center, said Roger Perry, president of East West Partners, one of Buckhorn Village's developers.

Perry noted that 84,000 cars zoom past that location per day.

"This will be a method for Orange County to capture those people, bring them into an economic development district in Orange County and convince them to spend their money," Perry said.

Stephenson urged the board to approve the shopping center and help the project develop further.

"I hope it's done within my lifetime," Stephenson said.

The commissioners will hold additional public hearings before deciding whether to approve the project.

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