Developer eyes possible retail, offices and storage-space project in Carrboro
A Wilmington developer is exploring the idea of bringing office, retail and storage space to just under four acres in a mostly residential neighborhood in southern Carrboro.
The Morgan Creek Commons plan is one of two potential projects under review this summer. The other is a 19,000-square-foot, two-story ArtsCenter building at 303 Jones Ferry Road. The Carrboro Town Council could review the ArtsCenter plan later this year.
The concept plan for Morgan Creek Commons is very preliminary, said Deans Hackney III, managing partner with Hackney and Co. The land, which is under contract, is located opposite Culbreth Road at the Smith Level Road intersection.
“It’s one of the last real infill sites in Carrboro,” Hackney said. “Right now, it’s an assemblage of three parcels — one’s vacant land, one an older house and one’s a newer house — but we just think it would be a higher, better use being repurposed to commercial.”
Hackney said the plan could be modified once he gets written feedback from the town’s advisory boards, which reviewed the plan in June. They also have talked with some of the neighbors, but wider conversations won’t happen unless the project advances, he said.
“It’s not at the point where we really are delving too far, because we still don’t know if it’s going to happen,” he said.
The initial site plan appears to show a two-story, main building with a slightly taller central tower and three additional buildings situated along a tree-lined entrance aligned with the traffic light at Culbreth Road. A second entrance and bus stop are sited north of the intersection.
The developer is proposing permeable pavement for the driveways and roughly 128 parking spaces, which would allow some of the stormwater runoff to return to the soil. A stormwater pond is shown along the southern boundary near The Villages apartments.
An application for the project would seek a rezoning, as well as a development permit, Hackney said. The current zoning only allows residential construction.
There is no timeline for submitting an application to the town or bringing the project to the council, he said. Once an application is submitted, it would face multiple advisory board, council and public hearings.
This story was originally published July 8, 2020 at 3:58 PM.
