A half-acre of weeds and pavement enclosed by a chain-link fence will give way to a modern office and retail building in the heart of downtown Carrboro over the next few years.
The Carrboro Town Council unanimously approved plans Tuesday for the three-story, 16,186-square-foot commercial building and an adjacent 40-space parking lot at 201 N. Greensboro St. The building would be about 42 feet tall and have wider sidewalks than what’s currently there today.
The site, often a spot for protest signs, some of which memorialized Black lives lost to police violence, is across the street from Weaver Street Market and the town’s Century Center building.
Potential tenants could include a restaurant and some retail, however, a restrictive covenant prohibits tenants from operating a business that competes with CVS Caremark Corp., such as a health and beauty aids store, a pharmacy or vitamin store. It also prohibits the selling of alcoholic beverages, general merchandise or convenience items.
Property owner CKE III LLC, agreed to the covenant when it bought the roughly half-acre site from CVS Caremark subsidiary Revco in 2019.
CKE III is a subsidiary of Chapel Hill-based developer Beacon Properties.
Council members did not comment before approving the project Tuesday. Public hearings were held April 26 and June 7.
Here are more details about the project:
201 N. Greensboro St.
Developer: CKE III LLC (Beacon Properties)
Location: Roughly half an acre at North Greensboro and West Weaver streets
History: The site, previously home to a bank and then WCOM community radio station, has been vacant for over a decade. In 2010, Revco, a subsidiary of CVS Caremark Corp., paid Weaver Street Market $1.35 million for the project site and a house on Center Street.
The company’s plans encountered community opposition, and activists briefly occupied the building until threatened with arrest in 2012. CVS boarded up the building and erected the fence. In 2013, the company withdrew its rezoning request.
In 2017, the building was demolished after the Town Council approved rules for dealing with blighted buildings.
Proposed use: 3-story, 16,186-square-foot commercial building with retail and office space
Parking: 40 spaces
2023 Carrboro budget, property taxes
Carrboro’s council also approved a $90.5 million town budget.
The 2022-23 budget includes $50.8 million for big-ticket purchases and construction projects, such as the new civic and library building at 203 S. Greensboro St.
The budget sets a property tax rate of 60.44 cents per $100 in property value. The town tax bill for the owner of a home valued at $400,000 will be $2,417.60. Carrboro property owners also pay county and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district taxes.
The budget also sets a living wage of $15.85 an hour, gives raises up to $3,000 to all part- and full-time employees, and gives elected officials a 2.9% cost-of-living increase.
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