Residents from the Villages at Copper-stone were out in force Monday night, to protest plans from Greensboro-based Koury Corporation that has filed plans for a shopping center, 645 apartments (in 12 apartment buildings), and 38 townhouses on a total of 82.921 acres.
Two couples and six other residents outlined their objections to the proposal.
The acreage, now zoned for industrial use, is beside the residential area, and residents expressed fears about traffic congestion, lighting, noise, property values, and even smells.
The proposed location is across from the Trollingwood-Hawfields Road entrance to GKN, a long-standing Mebane industry; beside the Copperstone subdivision; and backs on to single-family homes along South Third Street (across from Governor’s Green); and beside Gregory Poole Equipment Company and a future Duke Health office, both along Gregory Poole Lane.
The cornerstone of the retail portion of the almost 300,000 square feet of retail space would be an anchor with 127,735 square feet. There are 11 other store fronts with a cumulative total of an additional 171,830 square feet beside the largest store, with square footages ranging from 3,500 to 22,250 square feet for each.
[Story continues below graphic of the project’s proposed layout.]
Both the company’s attorney, Mike Fox, and the company president, Richard Vanore, declined to elaborate on exactly which retailers might be considering any of the storefronts in the retail strip or any of the four outparcels.
Much speculation has focused on the possibility of a Target as the primary anchor, although all of the illustrations in Vanore’s presentation about his company’s other developments focused on grocery stores – Publix, Harris Teeter, and the Fresh Market.
Fox said that while the company “is not allowed to name names,” the potential tenants “are retailers preople would like to have.”
Both he and Vanore repeatedly characterized the project as providing “premier” facilities or, as Fox added, “a signature development.”
Vanore stressed that the family-owned company is “fully integrated,” which he said meant from bulldozers to construction, would be fully under the control of the company – not subcontractors whose early morning hours often irritate nearby residents of other projects.
Opponents focused on many of the waivers that Koury is seeking for its Mebane project – to provide less open space than Mebane’s ordinances require, taller builders (for four-story apartments) than are allowed, and narrower buffers between existing residences.
Ashley Sue Bullers said that the buffers were “nearly non-existent.”
Bullers also jabbed at the developer’s and attorney’s effusive descriptions of the “amenities package” associated with the residential portion of the development. “If I hear ‘bocce ball’ (one of those amenities) and ‘elegant’ one more time, I might get physically ill,” she said. “I understand these amenities are going to draw people in, but they’re asking for extensive rezoning at the expense of the community that’s right here.”
Matt Skinner pressed the developer to leave the mature trees that would remain as buffers in an “undisturbed state.”
Neighbors from adjacent subdivision out in force against the rezoning
Kathie Boone said the proposed development is “completely out of character to our neighborhood.” She also said its already “a nightmare getting into and out of our neighborhood” which would only be exacerbated by the entrances into the residential and retail portions of the Koury Corporation’s proposed project.
Lisa Boren took exception to the “walkability” that was described by the developer. Inasmuch as the residential portion of the development was described as being a “gated community,” she said it would “only be walkable to the people who live there.”
Frank Robinson said that the shopping center would bring “unprecedented light and noise” to their quiet residential community.
Kevin Hartzog described the retail center as “building mostly a parking lot.” The shopping center has 1,471 parking spaces in front of it, according to the outline of the plans. Hartzog also urged that the four-story apartment buildings be trimmed to three stories.
After public comments, planning board member Colin Cannell took the lead in going through specific objections to the provisions and exemptions proposed by the developer, spending about ten minutes outlining specific provisions of Mebane unified development ordinance that would be violated by the developer’s proposed plan.
He said the residential portion of the project had a higher density than was justified. He also noted that there was “no dog park and no playground or other area focused on children.” As such, he said the plan “does not integrate adequate recreational space,” contrary to the city’s long-term planning goals.
He said the removal of one of industrial sites “would deprive the city of a large quantity of developable industrial land within 300 yards of the interstate.”
Cannell also said that while the plan was described as “mixed use,” it was, in actuality, “not meaningfully integrated.”
Planning board member Kurt Pearson joined in with concerns, especially about the density of the proposed apartments and townhouses.
Pearson urged that the city should undertake a study to determine a “good ratio” for apartments for a city of Mebane’s size.
Pearson, who has sometimes been characterized as “anti-growth,” said he was “not against growth,” but stressed, “we need good growth, smart growth.”
Board member William Chapman spoke briefly to express his concerns about the added traffic that would be brought by the project.
With several members not voicing any comments, board member Gale Pettiford made a motion to deny the rezoning, which was seconded by Susan Semonite.
Voting in favor of the denial motion were Pettiford, Semonite, Cannell, Pearson, Chapman, board chairman Judy Taylor, David Scott, and Keith Hoover. Edward Tulauskas was absent.
The city may take up the rezoning request at its December 2 meeting.
