Morrisville and Preston Progress. Wednesday, Scntciniier j• 3
Developer,
landowner
work it out
By Mary Beth Phillips
Staff Writer
After the board of commission
ers in March' voted not to con
demn land so that a road in
Paramount Center office park
could be built, Weeks/Lichtin
developers moved the road to sat
isfy landowner Jesse Marcom and
the first site plan came forward
for approval at the August 24
town board meeting.
The road alignment will be
“more curved, not quite as good
as it would have been, but it still
works," said Bob Yelverton of
Weeks/Lichtin,
“The road shifted to the west
and closer to his property line,
according to what he (Marcom)
wanted. We were able to work
with him and work with the
design,” he said. “We are very
pleased we were able to work
with the Marcoms and hopefully
do something that provides less of
an impact on his property and still
satisfies us,” he said.
In March, developers said they
had been trying to negotiate with
Marcom for six months but his
only response had been that he
did not wish to sell the land. The
road alignment that took more of
Marcom’s land had been on the
town’s thoroughfare plan since
1987. But Commissioners Bill
Case, Jan Faulkner and Mark
Silver-Smith voted to table the
condemnation proceedings on
March 23.
At the time, Yelverton had said
the road could not be moved.
The board approved the two
proposed two-story buildings, at
150,000 square feet each, to be
built on 24.4 acres in Paramount
Center with 700 parking spaces.
The board also asked that the
roads be built before the buildings
be occupied and that a traffic light
be put in at the intersection of NC
54 and the new road. The proper
ty must also be annexed, and turn
lanes must be provided on Chapel
Hill Road at the new road.
World class arts center may come to Morrisville
Continued from page 1
Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh
almost equally over 540 and 1-40.
The rail will be there. They plan a
stop in that area.
“To me, for the sort of thing they
are talking about, having it in an
undeveloped area where it can
develop its own character gives it
special appeal. For training people
for dance and acting and so forth,
what can be nicer than having a
location with their own campus.”
Everett added that, “I like the idea
that its in the Shiloh community,
which I think is a very remarkable
community, for tradition, for history.
It would be nice to have something
in that vicinity which everyone in
Morrisville will be proud of.”
Everett said he feels disloyal to his
hometown of Durham, who is anx
ious to bring the institute to its
downtown area to help it revitalize.
“In terms of what would be the
best center for everyone, a major
national attraction, if it’s in down
town Durham, a lot of people will
say it’s a Durham project. If it’s out
in the middle, everyone can say, we
have an interest in it too.”
Everett has hired an architect to
put a site plan together. M. J. (Joe)
Hakan is also the architect for the
Dean Dome, South Square Mall,
Crabtree Mall, the Siena Hotel, and
the City Market in Raleigh.
“He knows this area pretty well,”
Everett said.
He said he was encouraged by the
reaction of the town board.
Mark Silver-Smith at the meeting
said, “I would be delighted to have
that kind of center here. I’m pleased
to see the arts come here.”
After the meeting, C.T. Moore
concurred. “It sounds pretty excit
ing,” he said.
Leavy Barbee, whose constitutents
live in the vicinity of the land, said
“I think it’s a splendid idea. I would
certainly love to see it come.”
Asked about the affect on his con
stituents, he said, “I don’t see why
they wouldn’t be pleased, with a nice
facility like that. It’s going to be state
of the art and should help out the’
value of the properties around here.
“I certainly hope that we could put it
together—it would be different from
the industry, warehouses, big office
complexes, and concrete places, a
centerpiece really to show off, to
draw folk from all over America,
maybe the free world. I’m hoping the
judge can sell it to the folk.”
Jan Faulkner said, “I’d love to see
it. I think it would be great for
Morrisville. It would be centrally
located for the Triangle area cities,
and actually the state. It would be a
great plus for the area.”
Bill Case said, “I’m very excited
about it. I think it’s definitely going
to make a landmark for us in
Morrisville. I think the citizens of
Morrisville probably would enjoy it
very much, also.”
Because the land is held for the
benefit of the Duke and UNC
schools of law, it will have to be sold
or leased, Everett said, so there
would be something that would go
to the schools of law.
He said the cost of the land should
not be the decisive factor in a $100
million project.
He said he has owned the land for
years, that it was rezoiied to indus
trial about 15 years ago, but he had
been waiting for water and sewer
before developing it. His mother,
Kathrine Everett, died in 1992 and
left the land to the law schools. He
said she would like the idea of the
performing arts institute.
Everett said he would welcome the
endorsement of the town board and
the chamber of commerce and per
haps even the Wake County eco
nomic resources committee, since it
is the only one of the five sites in
Wake County.
“The Terry Sanford Institute is a
great concept, not just for North
Carolinians, but for the whole south
east, for the whole nation. I knew
Terry Sanford, I had great regard for
him. I’d like to see it succeed,”
Everett said.
Town board approves 180-foot high communications tower
Continued from page 1
mous.
The public hearing was held on the
request by SpectraSite
Communications for a 180-foot
tower to be located on the west side
of Melsie Road, about a mile north
of McCrimmon Parkway near Davis
Drive.
SpectraSite also proposes to lease
land for the tower—an approxi
mately 75-by-75-foot section will be
needed for the tower and its equip
ment..
The site is heavily wooded, and
developers pledged to cut down as
few trees as possible.
“What does the town get out of
this?” asked resident Alan Klimeck
during the public hearing on the pro
posal. “Is there any taxable rev
enue?”
“Very little,” replied commissioner
Moore. The equipment is not tax
able, only the property.
Klimeck referred to the towers as
“bistering our countryside like
acne.”
Moore questioned whether the two
towers could not be combined.
Towers cover approximately a one
mile radius. Because of the towers
already set up for each company, the
coverage could not be complete for
either without both the towers,
which would be located about a mile
and a half from each other.
“Our town is three miles square,”
Moore argued. “Three towers
should cover the whole town. Why
do we need seven or eight? Maybe
we’re not getting them in the right
places.”
SpectraSite’s request will be for
warded to the planning board and
return to the board of commissioners
in October.
In other action, the board held pub
lic hearings on the following
requests;
□A rezoning from agricultural
district to industrial management by
Barbara C. King, for 8.49 acres
located on the east side of Chape!
Hill Road, approximately a quarter
of a mile south of Perimeter Park
Drive.
□A rezoning by Joe Satterthwaite
from low density residential to vil
lage core for .34 acres located on the
west side of Page Street, directly
south of Morrisville-Carpenter
Road.
□An annexation request by
Summit Westwood Apartments for
27.53 acres on the west side of
Chapel Hill Road, directly across
from Weston Parkway.
□An annexation request by
Horizon Homes, representing the
Groves Apartments. The 10.31 acres
is located on the south side of
Morrisville-Carpenter Road about
three quarters of a mile west of
Chapel Hill Road.
No public comments were made
during any of the hearings. Both
annexation requests were later
approved by the board.
The board also:
□Approved an extension for
Carolina Quality Concrete until
November 12, 1998.
□Set public hearings for two
annexation petitions for October 12.
Paramount Center wants to annex
51.16 acres approximately 400 feet
east of Chapel Hill Road and about
half a mile north of Watkins Road;
Shemin Nurseries wants to annex
5.53 acres located at 508 Church
Street.
□Tabled a request for a pool bubble
by the Morrisville Parks and
Recreation and Cultural Resources
Department so the commissioners can
study further the expense involved in
putting up and taking down the bub
ble each Spring and Fall.
□Signed a concurring ordinance
with the NC Department of
Transportation to reduce the speed
limit along Morrisville-Carpenter
Road cast of Davis Drive to 45 miles
per hour.
□Approved plans for a rezoning
for Manhattan Bakery from agricul
tural district to industrial manage
ment district, after the applicant
specified in writing that a bakery
would be built there. At the August
24 meeting, the board asked for
assurance that no other industrial
use would be put on the site. The 2-
acre site is at the northeast corner of
Airport Boulevard and Watkins
Road.
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