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(01/18/06 5:00am)
Though the University will celebrate the Smith Center's 20th birthday Wednesday, few people - even the building's namesake himself - are aware of the town-gown clash it took to bring the arena to fruition.
Microfilm documents at Chapel Hill Town Hall show that plans for the arena stretch back to July 1978, when the University first submitted a request to rezone a 35-acre tract. Administrators later acknowledged that the land would be used for a privately funded student athletics center.
A year later, the UNC Board of Trustees finalized a site and other plans for what eventually would become the "Dean Dome."
The stage was then shifted to the Chapel Hill Town Council, led by then-Mayor Joe Nassif, to hash out acceptable plans for the arena during the summer of 1980.
Joseph Hakan submitted a special-use permit April 2 on behalf of the conglomerate of firms involved in the development process - local consultant Hakan-Corley and Associates Inc.; Atlanta-based Finch-Heery; and Geiger Berger Associates of New York City.
A few days before the request was entered, Joseph Guyton, senior vice president of Memphis-based Harland Bartholomew and Associates Inc., submitted a traffic study that would become a focal point of deliberation through the approval process.
Guyton's memo called the proposal a wise capitalization on a lack of interference with regular traffic flow.
"It's extremely logical for this portion of campus," the memo states.
But in later documents, University administrators expressed heavy concerns about traffic issues - particularly parking.
Residents living in the vicinity of the site first received correspondence from the town April 25. The letter informed them of a public hearing to address any concerns they might have about the seemingly imminent construction.
Some residents, town employees and council members had their doubts. A memo from Bill Morris, former town engineer, to then-planning director Mike Jennings expressed concern about the parking statistics Harland Bartholomew had provided.
"The determination of available parking for this facility, I believe, must be scrutinized very seriously," he said.
Morris proposed that the town conduct a separate certification of parking availability to validate the figures.
At a May 19 public hearing, residents expressed fears about parking and vocalized their anxiety about the proposed building height - which some said would be too excessive - and noise generated by the crowds and the air conditioning systems.
Despite the concerns, town records seem to indicate that the ball already was rolling. Student Government passed a resolution June 3 supporting the plans.
And Jennings, in a June 17 memo, said construction should begin in July 1984 and finish sometime in mid-1988.
Of course, the permit to build the arena had yet to come before the council. When it did, arguments about parking and noise concerns divided the council.
Then-council member Bill Thorpe, who was re-elected in November, told his colleagues he couldn't support the plans unless noise considerations were made for surrounding residents.
"What had happened was that we wanted the noise ordinance changed," Thorpe said in an interview in October. "We wanted that clause in."
Thorpe voted against plans twice before a 6-3 vote changed the ordinance. The council then approved the permit 8-1, with council member Joe Herzenberg as the lone dissenter.
It would be another six years before the product of years of planning would open its doors - and the floodgates to even more discussion.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(10/11/05 4:00am)
Mark Kleinschmidt is no stranger to the spotlight.
(09/30/05 4:00am)
The third of four neighborhoods looking for status with the town of Chapel Hill as a preserved historic district voiced its concerns Thursday night to a town consultant charged with heading up the conservation district process.
(09/26/05 4:00am)
Some of the candidates vying for municipal office this year are taking a progressive approach to winning over an evolving constituency - they're modernizing their communication methods.
(09/23/05 4:00am)
A man who left a lasting impression on both the town and the University passed away Wednesday.
(09/21/05 4:00am)
A series of meetings with residents of Chapel Hill neighborhoods trying to preserve their character is giving town planners a plethora of ideas, project leaders say.
(09/20/05 4:00am)
The development company charged with designing two multimillion-dollar mixed-use developments that could reshape the downtown's face now are completing their final project drawings.
(09/19/05 4:00am)
As municipal campaigns inch closer to Election Day, some candidates are finding friends with benefits - political groups eager to endorse candidates for office.
(09/14/05 4:00am)
Chapel Hill officials took another step toward stiffer affordable housing regulations Monday - a move that could force stricter regulations on developments in a town where the average cost of a single-family home is about $400,000.
(08/31/05 4:00am)
A downtown wireless Internet initiative that has sat idle for several months is slowly booting up.
(04/28/05 4:00am)
A committee charged with organizing this year’s downtown summer concert series now has the backing it needs to move the plans forward.
(04/26/05 4:00am)
Darryl Gless moved to the Greenwood neighborhood 11 years ago seeking refuge from the urban atmosphere that bookends the lush, forested area.
(04/21/05 4:00am)
If asked, the members of First Baptist Church would probably agree: Only God could make a cake large enough to hold 140 candles.
(04/20/05 4:00am)
Wednesdays in downtown Chapel Hill could get livelier if a group’s recommendations for a summer concert series get a warm reception.
(04/14/05 4:00am)
The effects of federal cuts on affordable housing funds nationwide might be more visible locally next year as housing affordability has come to the forefront of area government discussions.
(04/12/05 4:00am)
Three streetscape upgrades up for consideration before the Town Council later this month could help town officials quiet longtime concerns with safety and lighting at several key downtown locations.
(03/31/05 5:00am)
Fees for apartment complexes using large trash bins and relocating a museum to the heart of downtown might be some ways to alleviate Chapel Hill’s budget outlook, area residents charged with reviewing the budget said Wednesday.
(03/29/05 5:00am)
Now that the owners of the vacant Wicked Burrito restaurant are putting the finishing touches on the building’s exterior repair, the town has another favor to ask: Put the building back in use.
(03/24/05 5:00am)
This year’s installment of an annual summer concert series in Chapel Hill could be remarkably different from years past.
(03/10/05 5:00am)
Members of a downtown board said Wednesday that they are satisfied with recent efforts to fix up the long-vacant Wicked Burrito property but reiterated their wish to have an active tenant occupy the spot.