Some residents liked the proposed apartments with commercial space below, preferring it to the abandoned buildings that have been on the site since Kingsdown moved its offices and manufacturing out several years ago.
Among the comments:
Dave Roth said he was “very much in favor” of the project, terming the existing conditions “derelict” and “abandoned.”
Steve Krans, the co-president of Destination Downtown, a merchants’ group, also expressed support for what he considered the improvement in the location.
Dan Shannon said the new project was a “phenomenal opportunity” for the city.
Becky Beedy focused on the need for more handicapped spaces and handicapped accessibility.
Josh Woodard was concerned over the entirely rental nature of the proposed residential units. He considered it a “missed opportunity” not to include some availability for ownership, in the form of condominiums. He also expressed concerns about parking, which he suggested “won’t just be overflow,” but would take up spaces throughout the day.
Roger Halchin also expressed concerns about what he considered the likelihood more traffic would be generated on Third Street, just after traffic has been lessened there by the opening of the NC 119 bypass earlier this summer.
Gene Jester, who lives across Holt Street from the proposed development, worried aloud about the “very high density housing” proposed by the developer, as well as its likelihood of attracting “transient” residents, rather than those who could put down roots in the city.
Jester also said four stories was too high for apartments across from the single-family residential homes in the area.
Mary McFarland emphasized that the vision plan adopted by the city did not envision the number of buildings shown on the developer’s plans. “This is too dense, too tall,” she summarized.
See other coverage of the planning board’s consideration of the mixed-use (apartment/retail) project on former Kingsdown lots:
- Planning board unanimously recommends against rezoning to accommodate the apartments and retail space: https://alamancenews.com/planning-board-ok-with-single-family-townhouse-projects-but-opposes-268-apts-in-downtown/
- Who’s in charge of deciding whether Mebane Public Library can enter into agreement with private apartment complex for “overflow” parking? https://alamancenews.com/who-decides-whether-library-parking-lot-can-be-used-for-apt-s-overflow-parking/
- The 2018 “downtown vision plan” was frequently cited as rationale for some aspects of the developer’s mixed-use development; but how similar is it? https://alamancenews.com/how-does-apt-proposal-compare-to-vision-plan-from-2018/
