Carrboro ArtsCenter submits plan to build new theater, studios on Jones Ferry Road
A public hearing could be held this fall for the new ArtsCenter building being planned for land just west of downtown on Jones Ferry Road, the town’s planning director said Tuesday.
It’s one of two potential projects under review this summer. The other is a concept plan for Morgan Creek Commons, a proposed retail, office and storage space development west of the Smith Level and Culbreth roads intersection. The site plan could be revised before the developer submits a formal application to the town.
A Durham consultant with Coulter Jewell Thames applied for a conditional-use permit for the ArtsCenter last month. The two-story, roughly 19,000-square-foot building would cover less than half of a 1.35-acre site at 303 Jones Ferry Road. A site plan shows it adjacent to ACR Supply and Wilkinson Supply, two businesses on nearby Barnes Street, across from the Orange Water and Sewer Authority.
Town advisory boards recently reviewed the project, which Planning Director Trish McGuire said could come to the Carrboro Town Council later this year. The ArtsCenter got a $1.6 million grant from The Nicholson Foundation earlier this year toward the $5.5 million cost of construction.
Although town rules require a building of that size to have 62 parking spaces, the ArtsCenter is seeking an exception to provide only 36 spaces. Additional parking could be available after hours at OWASA and Wilkinson Supply, or about a five-minute walk away at Carrboro Town Hall.
The surrounding neighborhood includes a mix of apartments and modest homes, parts of which are accessible via a footpath through the site from Jones Ferry Road.
Trees would be preserved along stream
While the application notes a significant portion of the site would be cleared for the new building, at least 30% of the existing trees would be preserved, largely surrounding a stream that cuts across the eastern half of the site.
Buffer rules prohibit development within 60 feet of the stream banks on both sides. The developer plans to build a wetland and an underground sand filter to help filter stormwater runoff from the site, the application states.
ArtsCenter executive director Dan Mayer has said the new building would take advantage of its natural setting. A rough drawing shows the main entrance, a second-floor porch and rows of windows facing the stream and trees.
The final plan will face several reviews and a possible November public hearing, and it could change before being approved.
The ArtsCenter, founded in 1974, provides classes, art exhibits and performances for more than 100,000 students and residents each year. It currently occupies an old Piggly Wiggly grocery store on East Main Street near the Cat’s Cradle.
The new building would be roughly the same size, with updated arts studios and a 140-seat theater, compared to the existing ArtsCenter’s 350-seat theater.
The Jones Ferry Road site is the third location proposed for the news ArtsCenter. Plans to partner with Kidzu in an Arts and Innovation Center on East Main Street and with the town in a new Orange County library branch on South Greensboro Street did not work out.
The InterFaith Council for Social Service previously considered the Jones Ferry Road site for its new FoodFirst community kitchen and pantry. FoodFirst is now under construction at the IFC’s former storefront at 110 W. Main St.
This story was originally published July 9, 2020 at 12:56 PM.
