Local developer proposes ‘fresh, modern take’ for old CVS site in downtown Carrboro
Stores, offices, and possibly a restaurant or a taproom could enliven a long-vacant property enclosed by a chainlink fence at the center of downtown.
Chapel Hill-based developer Beacon Properties Group applied to the town recently to build a 16,186-square-foot building standing three stories, or about 42 feet tall, at 201 N. Greensboro St. Wider sidewalks would be part of the project, creating room for patio tables and chairs along two sides of the building.
A proposed site plan shows three storefronts on the ground floor, facing North Greensboro Street. The corner space also would have a storefront facing West Weaver Street. Up to 41 parking spaces could be included in an adjacent lot and next to the building.
It took 18 months to come up with a satisfactory plan, said Edward Lammas, a partner with Beacon Properties Group. They threw away the first set of plans, because it wasn’t good enough for that corner, he said.
The proposed building is a “fresh, modern take” on what people think of when they think of Carrboro, he said. Carr Mill Mall “is a perfect example” of what people think of when they think of Carrboro, he said, and “we wanted to take inspiration and influence from that but didn’t want to create a carbon copy.”
The construction would remove a flowering tree that now shades the intersection in summer, but several new trees would be planted around the the site, the plan shows. The project would add only a small amount of impervious surface, such as roofs and driveways, to the mostly paved land.
Beacon Properties Group is asking for a conditional-use permit, because the roughly half-acre site already is zoned for the proposed types of business. The project still would face town advisory board meetings and Town Council public hearings.
If approved, construction could start next year, Lammas said, and the building could open to tenants in two years.
Vacant land, failed plans
The site, previously home to a bank and then WCOM community radio station, has been vacant for over a decade.
Revco, a subsidiary of CVS Caremark Corp., paid Weaver Street Market $1.35 million in 2010 for the corner lot, an adjacent parking lot and a house on Center Street. The company submitted plans for a new, two-story office and retail building to replace a smaller CVS store beside Harris Teeter at the nearby Carr Mill Mall shopping center.
However, that plan and efforts to improve it ran into community opposition, and activists briefly occupied the building until threatened with arrest during a protest in 2012. CVS boarded up the building and erected a chain-link fence around the property and the adjacent parking lot.
The company withdrew its rezoning request in 2013. In 2017, the building was demolished after the Town Council approved rules for dealing with blighted buildings.
CKE III LLC bought the property from CVS in 2019 for $957,000, according to county records. CKE III managers Lammas, Chris Howlett and Kathryn Howlett Abrams are officials with Beacon Properties Group, which also developed Governors Village and Carolina Pointe.
As part of its sale to CKE III, Revco included a restrictive covenant that prohibits future owners from operating a competing business, such as a health and beauty aids store, a pharmacy or vitamin store, or a store selling alcoholic beverages, general merchandise or convenience items.
Lammas said the new building is taller than what CVS proposed, but it’s also more dense with a smaller footprint.
“This is the epicenter of Carrboro, and Carrboro wanted to promote walkability, and they want to promote this as their town center, and I believe the previous user was looking at a less dense (and) community-focused use,” Lammas said. “Our building has received excellent feedback, and it is consistent with what we discussed with the neighbors in the community for the past two years.”
More neighborhood meetings are planned, he said.
This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 5:45 AM with the headline "Local developer proposes ‘fresh, modern take’ for old CVS site in downtown Carrboro."
