By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
The Carrboro Board of Aldermen voted unanimously on Tuesday to deny an application for Colleton Crossing, a residential development proposed for Reynard Road between Fox Meadow and Highlands, saying nearby roads could not support the traffic the development would bring.
The developer, MBI Development, proposed a 39-dwelling subdivision on 31.6 acres at 8400 and 8420 Reynard Road. Residents opposed the development because of the proposed connections to other neighborhoods, citing unsafe conditions created by increased traffic on roads not designed to handle it.
Plans included a connection from Reynard Road to Tallyho Trail in Fox Meadow, as well as a stub-out to Claymore Road in the Highlands, which could have been connected if a proposed Carolina Commons development by UNC was completed in the future. In addition, developers had investigated a possible connection to Huntsman Court via a utility easement between two homes after the board asked them to look at other possible connections, but property owners resisted the proposed road because of property-value concerns.
Neither Tallyho Trail nor Claymore Road has sidewalks, and residents of both Fox Meadow and the Highlands said the narrow roads would be increasingly unsafe for pedestrians as traffic increases.
Project designer Phil Post said he was extremely disappointed with the board’s decision.
“The developer and the neighborhood have been put through a very, very arduous process for three years,†he said. “I think it’s very tough for the developer to have had to invest for two and a half years without the big issues being confronted. It’s also indicative of a broken system.â€
Post added that large conceptual issues should be addressed at the outset of the design process.
Board member Dan Coleman said he appreciated the efforts made by the developer to make improvements to the project, but that the safety issues were too serious to approve the project.
“I feel like the testimony of the citizens tonight and at the earlier public hearing has really been compelling in regard to the public health and safety issues,†Coleman said.
Board member Jacquie Gist agreed.
“Our number-one job is to look after the health, safety and well-being of our community, of our citizens,†she said. “We’re hearing overwhelming evidence of the residents of the surrounding neighborhoods that it just cannot carry the extra traffic burden.â€
Mayor Mark Chilton said he would be willing to consider the proposal if it were revised; but as it stood, he could not support it.
“I believe that until there’s more than one way in and out of this property, it doesn’t work for that many units,†he said.
More than a dozen residents spoke against the proposed development, mostly citing traffic concerns.
Adittee Narayan, a resident of the Highlands and a pediatrician who reviews child fatalities, said the possible connection to Claymore Road through the proposed Carolina Commons development would bring a dangerous amount of traffic to the Highlands.
“Connecting Claymore Road through the UNC property is increasingly very dangerous to the safety of our pedestrians and bicyclists,†she said. “In order to actually make this safe and reduce the risk to pedestrians, you must have dual sidewalks…. If we do anything less than that, that is clearly substandard, and Carrboro is not substandard, especially in the area of walkability and pedestrian safety.â€
Steve Peck, a resident of Fox Meadow, said he thought the developer had designed a good project, but that the connection options were too dangerous, especially for Tallyho Trail, which is long, narrow and winding.
“We are going to suffer tremendously if this project is approved now as it is being proposed,†he said.
In other town business, the board approved revolving loan fund applications for both The Carrboro Citizen and The Kind Coffee. The Citizen will receive a $50,000 loan, while The Kind Coffee will receive $57,000. The town’s revolving loan fund, established in 1986, provides low-interest loans to local businesses.