TO THE EDITOR:
Orange County has petitioned the Town of Carrboro to change the zoning on a Hillsborough Road property from residential to fringe commercial so it may be purchased as a future library site. As someone who lives on property adjacent to the land in question, I feel the need to question the choice of this site.
The type of conditional zoning district that Orange County intends is described as a “transitional district designed to accommodate commercial uses in areas that were formerly residential but that may be more desirable for commercial activities due to high traffic volumes and proximity to other nonresidential districts.” Formerly residential? With the exception of Carrboro Elementary School, all of the adjoining property is owned by the people who reside there. There are no other commercial properties on Hillsborough Road. Anyone who has walked or biked down our street will see that this area is definitely not “more desirable for commercial activities” nor does it currently have high traffic volumes.
Orange County should look for more suitable properties, perhaps ones which are more centrally located and conveniently accessible, in areas that are already zoned commercial. The site currently proposed by Orange County is ill-suited for our long-awaited library.
I urge all concerned citizens to walk or bike down Hillsborough Road and then attend the upcoming public hearing to discuss these issues on the 22nd of March at 7:30 at Carrboro Town Hall.
Kathy Ellis Gunn
Carrboro resident
