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Hillsborough projects

NCMike1981

By NCMike1981
in The NC Triangle

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urbanesq Hamlet

urbanesq

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my favorite bit from today's article has to be:

"The two members who didn't approve the plan, Paul Newton and Al Hartkopf, said they were concerned about the amount of pedestrian and vehicle traffic the market could generate. The center is supposed to be built at the south end of Churton Street, Hillsborough's main north-south connector. "

Geez! i mean REALLY!! Just imagine what a damn nuisance all that pedestrian traffic on the town's main friggin street would be. Thank God these bozos are there on the Board of Adjustment to protect us citizens of Hillsborough from all that damned street-level activity, otherwise, our sleepy little downtown might become a vibrant, exciting and attractive place to live, work and shop, and who the hell wants THAT?!? :angry:

It's also just pure-t stupid that a simple site plan amendment went to the Board of Adjustment to begin with. This is the type of pointless, mindless, brainless bureaucracy that gives government a bad name and makes a mockery of anything that resembles good planning. The two people who voted "no" should be dismissed from their duties effective immediately and replaced by somebody with some damn sense.

[end of rant]

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pack-man Hamlet

pack-man

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I want to believe that Hillsborough is going to be ok here. They will get the market and those two idiots will eventually get the boot as a new influx of "smart" people move in. The town council will eventually change(ie Carrbor) and the town will continue to develop intelligently. I'm excited to see what happens to Hillsborough. I always thought that town had a lot of promise.

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Jones_ City

Jones_

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my favorite bit from today's article has to be:

"The two members who didn't approve the plan, Paul Newton and Al Hartkopf, said they were concerned about the amount of pedestrian and vehicle traffic the market could generate. The center is supposed to be built at the south end of Churton Street, Hillsborough's main north-south connector. "

Geez! i mean REALLY!! Just imagine what a damn nuisance all that pedestrian traffic on the town's main friggin street would be. Thank God these bozos are there on the Board of Adjustment to protect us citizens of Hillsborough from all that damned street-level activity, otherwise, our sleepy little downtown might become a vibrant, exciting and attractive place to live, work and shop, and who the hell wants THAT?!? :angry:

It's also just pure-t stupid that a simple site plan amendment went to the Board of Adjustment to begin with. This is the type of pointless, mindless, brainless bureaucracy that gives government a bad name and makes a mockery of anything that resembles good planning. The two people who voted "no" should be dismissed from their duties effective immediately and replaced by somebody with some damn sense.

[end of rant]

Isn't there a Wal-Mart in Hillsborough?? That sucker got through :sick:

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NCMike1981 Burg

NCMike1981

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^There was a Wal-Mart built in Hillsborough somewhere between 1987-1989, and by 2002/2003 it had become "cramped and outdated" so I think the store threatened to pull out of Hillsborough if they weren't allowed to open a new, modern store. Apparantely the majority of people in the town wanted to keep the store because otherwise their only other options for shopping would be Lowes Foods, Food Lion, Maxway and Dollar General for their everyday shopping needs. If Wal-Mart had just decided in 2002/2003 that they wanted to enter the Hillsborough market would it have been approved? Probably not. I think the fact that they were allowed to build a store in the late '80's during a "mini boom period" (when alot of the fast food joints popped up along Churton St) they were allowed to build the supercenter yrs later.

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urbanesq Hamlet

urbanesq

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^There was a Wal-Mart built in Hillsborough somewhere between 1987-1989, and by 2002/2003 it had become "cramped and outdated" so I think the store threatened to pull out of Hillsborough if they weren't allowed to open a new, modern store. Apparantely the majority of people in the town wanted to keep the store because otherwise their only other options for shopping would be Lowes Foods, Food Lion, Maxway and Dollar General for their everyday shopping needs. If Wal-Mart had just decided in 2002/2003 that they wanted to enter the Hillsborough market would it have been approved? Probably not. I think the fact that they were allowed to build a store in the late '80's during a "mini boom period" (when alot of the fast food joints popped up along Churton St) they were allowed to build the supercenter yrs later.

You see? This is exaclty my point. Multi-Mega-Mart on dozens of acres breezes through but a walkable, organic downtown market gets resistance over traffic. Makes no sense at all.

Actually I liked the old Wal-Mart (shhh-- -don't tell; I shop there every now and then against my better judgment).

The new store is located at the intersection of 85 & 86, with a Home Depot and a bunch of little stores in things that look like houses. It's not bad as those places go, and it's hard to argue that it's not exactly what ought to go at highway intersections. It's funny, because I'd have almost no problem with it if it were a Target and a Lowe's instead.

It's a shame that the old store is now a vacant wasteland, but that whole area on S Churton St. needs serious help. Ripe for redevelopment as a movie theatre or something like that, I would think.

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DanRNC Burg

DanRNC

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N&K must be new. What I find interesting is that even with pedestrian and traffic concerns being addressed Hartkopf is still predicting the end of the world. This was a case of not wanting any type of Chapel Hill/Carrboro influence on the town even though its been Chapel Hill folks bringing this downtown back from the proverbial dead.

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sax184 Hamlet

sax184

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N&K must be new. What I find interesting is that even with pedestrian and traffic concerns being addressed Hartkopf is still predicting the end of the world. This was a case of not wanting any type of Chapel Hill/Carrboro influence on the town even though its been Chapel Hill folks bringing this downtown back from the proverbial dead.

So true. The longer this goes on the more it looks political and the clash of the old-timey Hillsborough political culture bumping up against the influx of people who are in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro mold who are looking for more affordable housing in Hillsborough.

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orulz City

orulz

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Saw [http://www.newsobserver.com/161/story/504641.html]this article in the News & Observer which says that Orange County now wants to build a library, a three-story office building, and a parking deck on Margaret Street (This is the land on which Weaver Street Market was first proposed, and is next to Gateway Center and the new Weaver Street Market plan.

A detailed description of the plan can be found on the Orange County Commission's November 2, 2006 agenda.

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urbanesq Hamlet

urbanesq

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Pretty funny considering they didn't want the excess traffic generated by Weaver Street going through that area. Now they want to put a parking deck, library, and offices. :wacko:

Actually I think it was the enlightened Hillsborough Town Council that was so concerned about all that additional pedestrian traffic in downtown. Thanksfully it looks like people have come to their sense... for now! I think it looks like a great plan; it'll be a good anchor for the south end of our little downtown.

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urbanesq Hamlet

urbanesq

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Lots going in in little Hillsborough lately, mostly fueled by Orange County government. A couple of projects include:

*Central Orange Senior Center and Sportsplex renovation/expansion

Located in the Meadowlands complex near 85/86 interchange

http://www.co.orange.nc.us/construction/im...lSize6-7-07.JPG

*Gateway Center

Located downtown where Churton St. crosses the Eno River, will be home to offices and Weaver Street grocery co-op. The project includes Hillsborough's first parking garage

http://www.co.orange.nc.us/construction/im...Size10-1-07.JPG

*Orange County Office Building

Located downtown adjacent to the Weaver St. project, this 3-story building will house Planning and Inspections, Environmental Health, Economic Development, Information Systems, Environmental Resources and Community Development, the County Engineer, and Housing and Community Development.

http://www.co.orange.nc.us/construction/im...ngRendering.jpg

*Orange County Library

Located downtown in the Gateway Center project, the library will relocate from its current downtown location to a new 2-story building.

http://www.co.orange.nc.us/construction/im...ryRendering.jpg

Justice Facility Expansion

Another downtown project that will significantly expand the courthouse facility, both the Clerk of Courts office and the Orange County Sheriff's Department will relocate to the new building.

http://www.co.orange.nc.us/construction/im...otRendering.jpg

http://www.co.orange.nc.us/construction/im...Size7-18-07.JPG

Public Market House and Riverfront Park

Located adjacent to the courthouse expansion, the public market will house the Hillsborough farmer's market and will provide a community gathering place on the river.

http://www.co.orange.nc.us/construction/im...Size9-12-07.JPG

The Waterstone development south of town (I think there's a topic on this development already?) is still moving along, and construction has started on a 225-unit senior housing community and assisted living facility just outside downtown on Highway 70.

It's encouraging to see that so much of the development downtown is going to be architecturally sensitive to the existing historic district. Interesting times for such a small town!

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orulz City

orulz

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The Small Area Plan for the Amtrak station in Hillsborough is coming together. View the town's website to find out more. The site is south of the tracks just east of Churton Street. The first phase calls for just a platform, and a few road extensions into the area. Later phases would add a station building and some kind of mixed use development nearby.

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NCMike1981 Burg

NCMike1981

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Here's a few pics I came across that I had taken from around town in Hillsborough. This shopping center is North Hills (not to be confused with Raleigh's North Hills). Please ignore my new at the time Neon haha. Picture taken December of 1999. Anchors at the time were Dollar General (still there), Heilig Meyers (now Maxway), and Lowes Foods (replacing a Byrds, since closed and replaced with a free standing Kerr Drug):

Hillsborough4.jpg

old Hillsborough Wal-Mart, pic taken around December of 1999 when store was still open:

Hillsborough3.jpg

This was in October of 2005, at which point Wal-Mart had been closed for a while but not yet re-purposed into county offices, also note Dollar Tree has opened in a portion of the old Wal-Mart:

Hillsborough2.jpg

This was the new Wal-Mart supercenter as of Oct of 2005:

Hillsborough1.jpg

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NCMike1981 Burg

NCMike1981

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Any idea on what may go into the vacant Lowes Foods space at Hillsborough Commons? As it stands now the shopping center is in a pretty pitiful state, currently housing county offices, a Dollar Tree, and a few small shops/restaurants clustered around the recently vacated Lowes Foods. What I think is funny is how supposedly Orange County is so starved for retail yet that shopping center has been struggling since Wal-Mart left about 10 years ago. I know the economy isn't helping matters either...but I heard rumors a while back the county was thinking of leasing more space within the complex w/ an option of buying it in the future? I imagine that whatever happens to the Lowes Foods space over the coming months will probably signal what direction the center is taking from here.

Anyone have any ideas?

post-3026-0-27921000-1292644830_thumb.jp

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