Hillsborough rezones undeveloped corner near Walmart. Here’s what we know so far.
A Durham developer wants to bring more retail, restaurants and high-intensity commercial uses to an undeveloped corner of N.C. 86 and U.S. 70-A in Hillsborough.
The Hillsborough Town Board unanimously approved a rezoning request Monday for roughly 15 acres at 1700 N.C. 86 South. A public hearing on the rezoning was held in October.
Owl’s Wood Development LLC will now be able to submit a development plan for town staff approval, avoiding public hearings and a Town Board vote that would have been required without the correct zoning.
The list of land uses that will be allowed now is comprehensive and could potentially add a lot of traffic to one of the busiest intersections in Hillsborough.
Whatever is built will be located within a half-mile of the Walmart and Home Depot at Hampton Pointe shopping center, Tractor Supply, and several gas stations and smaller commercial spaces. A new Hillsborough Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership and an Aldi grocery store are under construction on N.C. 86, south of Interstate 85.
The Orange County Sportsplex and Meadowlands complex lie to the east on U.S. 70A, and downtown is within a five-minute drive.
No official application or building plans have been submitted yet, said Shannan Campbell, the town’s planning and economic development manager.
That step would prompt a traffic study to see if any changes are needed to surrounding roads, she said. One potential change that the N.C. Department of Transportation could consider is a traffic circle at the intersection of N.C. 86 and U.S. 70-A, she told board members Monday.
Development plans also would have to meet other town requirements, including stormwater and lighting rules.
The amount of construction possible at the site is limited by steep slopes, a creek and sewer buffers, but the town’s land-use plan has designated the area for commercial uses.
Owl’s Wood official Mark Trustin noted in an August letter to the town that the property has been under contract four times since the 2008 recession, but nothing worked out because of rezoning concerns, a town development moratorium and other, potential development risks.
The rezoning is expected to make the property more marketable, according to Mark O’Neal of Pickett Sprouse Real Estate, who spoke at the public hearing in October.
A concept plan for what might be possible showed four commercial buildings and a five-story hotel with 142 rooms, meeting space and restaurant on the site.
The land, on the south side of the intersection, across from the Leeland Little auction house and Tractor Supply. is now priced at $2.75 million.
Owl’s Wood applied earlier this year to rezone the land for apartments, but the board rejected that plan in a 3-2 vote in June. In August, Trustin submitted the new request for high-intensity commercial zoning.
Commissioner Mark Bell acknowledged the site’s challenges before Monday’s vote. No other commissioners spoke.
“I just want to note that I think we’re all aware of the difficulties of this property, and I think this is an appropriate change,” Bell said.
The News & Observer’s efforts to reach Trustin for more details were unsuccessful.
