By Gregory Childress

gchildress@heraldsun.com; 918-1046

CHAPEL HILL -- When UNC announced that it was buying the Franklin Street property now known as University Square, it promised to give citizens plenty of chances to express their opinions about how the redevelopment should proceed.

On Thursday residents got their first chance to weigh in on redevelopment of the 12-acre tract during a brainstorming session attended by more than 75 people, including many of the property's current tenants.

"This is that process we developed to engage the public," said Gordon Merklein, UNC's executive director of real estate development.

Those attending the session were asked to place sticky notes on photographs of mixed-use projects to signal things that they liked or disliked.

Adam Lowe said he was impressed by photographs of streetscapes that showed people walking and congregating.

"I'm new to town and this is right in my backyard," Lowe said. "I'm interested in how this develops."

The meeting was the first of three scheduled over the next six to eight months to give citizens a chance to tell the university and the project's developers what they would like to see happen at University Square.

Merklein said the next meeting would occur in 10 to 14 weeks to discuss concept plans for the development, and a third would be held in the spring to discuss plans that will be taken to the Town Council to begin the concept plan review.

While there are no concrete plans for the redevelopment at this time, UNC officials and the developers do have broad outlines for what is likely to take place at University Square over the next five years.

Officials said one priority is to connect the development to the community by placing the fronts of retail shops along Franklin Street.

"Clearly we want to take the retail and engage it back to Franklin Street," said John Goff, senior vice president of development for Cousins Development Group, the company hired to oversee the development. "We don't know how to reconnect it, but that's critical to the project."

David P. Manfredi of Elkus Manfredi Architects of Boston, which was hired to help guide development of the project, said it is important to have the proper amount and right diversity of retail so that University Square becomes a place that is vibrant year-round.

In addition to student housing, some market rate housing and local shops, officials said the project could include national chain stores and a small grocery store, which some town leaders say is sorely needed.

The UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation purchased the 12-acre tract and the existing buildings -- three student residence halls and two office towers -- for $45.75 million from US/GT, LLC, a limited liability company.

The deal did not affect the local property tax base since the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation will keep paying taxes to support local governments and the city schools.