Carrboro petition could halt progress on the proposed CVS

A petition filed last week with the Carrboro Planning Department could jeopardize a proposed CVS that would sit at 201 N. Greensboro St.

And after the petition, the odds that the Board of Aldermen will approve the rezoning aren’t good.

Under town law, once a petition is validated, the board needs a three-fourths majority vote to approve the rezoning.

The petition was validated after the Planning Department confirmed that 5 percent of residents within a 100-foot buffer of the property had signed the petition, which protests the potential rezoning of the site for the CVS.

“The general statutes and town’s land use regulations provide this as a mechanism for nearby property owners to protest a rezoning,” said Trish McGuire, planning director for Carrboro.

Alderman Michelle Johnson, who owns property near the proposed location, signed the petition and will not vote on the proposal when it comes before the board.

“In this case, both the house that I own, and a rental property I own are so close to the property in question that it could impact our home values,” she said.

Town Clerk Catherine Wilson said Johnson’s exclusion from the vote means that four of the five remaining aldermen must vote for the rezoning for it to be approved.

And Alderman Dan Coleman said that although the petition does not determine the board’s stance toward the proposal, it will play a factor in his final decision about the rezoning.

“It certainly indicates a higher level of concern from residents, and it puts a higher level of agreement on us as aldermen,” he said.

Residents have worried that the building’s size and the increase in traffic it could cause might destroy Carrboro’s small-town feel.

Mike DeAngelis, director of public relations for CVS, said in an email that the company was aware of the petition and looking forward to discussing the rezoning with the board.

Debra Seaton, who owns a family dentistry office on the property, said she worries other residents won’t see the benefits that an expanded CVS could bring.

CVS also purchased Seaton’s office when they bought the property.

“I hope people are really considering what their goals are and what their hopes for Carrboro are, because if this doesn’t happen, then that property might sit empty for a long time,” she said.

The board will vote on the rezoning at a public hearing on April 17.

“This will be a chance for anyone who has a concern about the proposal to come say something,” Coleman said.

Contact the City Editor at city@dailytarheel.com.