Members of Carrboro’s Alabama Avenue community will speak out against a proposed Family Dollar store tonight when a concept plan goes to the town's advisory boards for joint review.
Stronach Properties plans an 8,000 square foot store on Alabama Avenue, near the intersection of Jones Ferry and Highway 54. The plot, about an acre, is wooded with an ephemeral stream. Last month, the company told residents that construction would require them to cut all the existing trees and pave the wetland area, according to a statement from the residents.
Alabama Avenue is a mostly black neighborhood (see resident Anissa McLendon's letter to The Chapel Hill News), and some families have lived there for generations. Residents have raised concerns about traffic, overflow parking, noise and light pollution, among other issues. According to the Town of Carrboro’s planning department, an 8,000 store should have 40 parking spaces; the lot only allows for 26 spaces, raising concern among residents about overflow parking on the narrow street, according to the statement.
The developers already have the zoning the project needs, town planner Jeff Kleaveland says. The project does requires a special use permit from the Board of Adjustment because of the need to relocate the stream on the property. That board will hold a public hearing after developers revise and formally submit their plan after getting feedback tonight.
