The fate of a freestanding library in southwest Orange County remains unknown.
On Tuesday night, the Orange County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously not to purchase a highly contested site at 210 Hillsborough Road, which would have been used for the construction of a southwest branch Orange County Library.
The site is a 2.69-acre property located near Carrboro Elementary School.
Alderman Joal Hall Broun said she is hopeful the commissioners’ decision will not be a major setback.
The board held a special vote Tuesday to continue to search for a new location for the library.
“I consider it a bump in the road,” Broun said.
The proposed site had drawn criticism from neighbors and county officials due to its location in a residential area, its cost and several title issues.
Orange County would have had to pay more than $600,000 to construct the library.
And even after the area was rezoned for the library, neighbors threatened to sue the county about breaking building restriction agreements if the library was built.