The road to redevelopment is paved with community meetings, as residents in the Rogers Road area 
found out, and residents on the southern edge of the Greene Tract wished they’d found out.
At last week’s Town Council meeting, we received an update on staff’s plans to create a zoning overlay for several parcels of land east of Rogers Road and west of the Greene Tract. The sewer line being laid along Rogers Road will make the land attractive to developers. The overlay would define what that redevelopment would look like. For instance: Which sections would be residential, and how dense, and if any parts are to be commercial, what intensity of business activity? Residents have been meeting regularly for months with town staff and a consultant to work through some options.
Residents listed traffic as their No. 1 concern. They could see duplexes and triplexes, but nixed apartment buildings. Home-based businesses were fine, but no destination retail. They wanted to preserve the “village” ambience. No need for any wide streets that would turn the neighborhood into a cut-through. Residents who spoke were clear and passionate about their vision.
Immediately after that, staff asked council to approve a conceptual master plan for the development of 60 acres owned by Orange County and another 104 jointly owned by the county, Carrboro and Chapel Hill. Although council has seen different density plans at Assembly of Governments meetings in recent months, we haven’t had a chance to discuss them, either jointly or separately within our own municipalities.
Most importantly, the public hasn’t had a chance to weigh in.
The Greene Tract is landlocked, except for Purefoy Road leading out from its western edge that goes through the Rogers Road neighborhood to connect to Rogers Road. The conceptual plan on the table has 45 acres of apartment buildings with access only through Rogers Road, and a school along the southern edge that would require seizing private property by eminent domain to build a road to serve it.
Other issues besides the lack of vehicular access have not had a public airing. As density increases, as it will in the Rogers Road overlay, open green space becomes more important to quality of life. The conceptual plan included 4 acres for a park, but a playground and picnic benches don’t have the restorative power of a walk through the woods.
Council approved combining the various plots to make it one parcel jointly owned by all three governments. Next step: Staff will set up some public meetings at which the community can weigh in on what should be done with the land.
— Nancy Oates
