By: Cara McDonough
CARRBORO -- Just because they've moved out, the
former tenants of 116 Pittsboro Road aren't giving up on their quest to
preserve the 10.5 acres of land they envision as perfect for a
community greenspace.
The problem is, someone could step up any day now and buy the property, currently on the market for $1.4 million.
Then, who knows. Condos? Retail space? Offices? Greenspace supporters
hope not, but the fact that Carrboro is a desirable spot for
development is a constant source of anxiety for them. And because the
site is zoned for residential use, a residential development could be a
reality if the land is sold.
"As tenants, we were able to share our vision for the space with the
larger community," said Sammy Slade in a phone interview this week.
That vision meant keeping the wooded site open to the public. But Slade
and Michal Osterweil, who had been renting the house on the site for
the past two years, were asked to leave August 5.
Property owners Carolann Stoney and April Morris of Pomona, California,
told the two they wanted to fix up the house. The property has been on
the market a little over a year. Stoney and Morris could not be reached
for comment.
Now that they've dealt with the practical struggle of moving out,
Osterweil, Slade and others who make up a group called The Carrboro
Greenspace Collective, are focusing their energies on keeping the land
free for community use, rather than allowing it to become another
development site.
But what, technically speaking, could happen to the land? While no
buyer or developer has yet stepped up to the plate, Slade's concerns do
hold weight.
Carrboro Planning Administrator Trish McGuire said this week that the
land is currently zoned R-7.5 under the town's ordinance, a zoning that
would allow one unit for every 7,500 feet. If a developer was
interested in doing more with the site, such as a retail or office
development, the land would have to be rezoned by the town board.
Typically, developments built on this type of residential zoning site
include a combination of townhouses and/or condos and freestanding
single family homes, in an effort to maximize density while still
meeting Carrboro's 40 percent open space requirement, McGuire said.
Theoretically speaking, if a developer was interested in building on
the site, the first step would be an environmental assessment of the
land -- a four-step process -- which would result in designating
certain environmentally sensitive parts of the property as conservation
areas, not fit for development, she said.
Environmentally sound protection measures aside, Slade and other
supporters are hoping for the financial support necessary to keep the
site open for community use.
The site has been home to the ReCYCLEry, a nonprofit that encourages
bicycle use for recreation and transportation, as well as a community
garden and multiple other community events. Members claim on their
website, www.carrborogreenspace.org, that the house -- "Casa Grande" --
could be used for community meetings, retreats and meals.
Osterweil said the space is special because of it's proximity to
downtown and it's natural beauty, but even more importantly, because it
has become a product of the community.
"People made of the space what they wanted," she said.
She is anxious about the site's imminent future, but she is also, somehow, hopeful, she said.
"Now that people know about it we have a lot of energy," Osterweil
said. "Before we were just a small group of folks who were trying to
fight it."
