CBA Calls on Carrboro Town Council to Help, not Hinder The ArtsCenter

*This letter was sent from the Carrboro Business Alliance to the Carrboro Mayor and Town Council on February 22, 2021 encouraging them to approve the stormwater text amendment and conditional use permit for The ArtsCenter. 

Dear Carrboro Mayor and Town Council, 

On behalf of the Carrboro Business Alliance, including more than 100 enterprises committed to a thriving Carrboro, we encourage you to approve the tightly worded text amendment and proceed with the conditional use permit so that The ArtsCenter can continue adding tremendous value and benefit to our community. 

We know you share our appreciation of The ArtsCenter, are thoughtfully wrestling through the tradeoffs in this decision, and are sensible to how critical your vote is for ensuring The ArtsCenter remains in Carrboro. As such, we will limit our advocacy to three simple points that we believe help make the case for approval. 

First, the parcel. This lot is nestled among some of the lowest income residents of our community and when activated, will bring to life an extended downtown, drive economic development, and provide increased access to the arts for some of our most disadvantaged neighbors, including many black and brown residents. Achieving this is complicated as the site is riddled with easements and constraints, which severely limit what is possible, but The ArtsCenter is committed to finding a way that works for all.

Second, the building design. The ArtsCenter designed a spectacular building with sustainability at its heart. This was no easy feat given the site limitations (i.e. insufficient square footage for a surface stormwater pond and other standard above ground stormwater management interventions). The ArtsCenter successfully navigated these constraints by incorporating impressive underground storage vaults and sand filters into their design along with pervious pavers and other environmentally friendly measures. These masterful efforts mean The ArtsCenter meets and exceeds state and local requirements for a 25-year event, and actually detains and controls the rate of runoff for a 100-year event. 

Third, the text amendment. While The ArtsCenter’s design effectively manages stormwater runoff quality and peak rate runoff, the annual volume of runoff has proved an impossible hurdle. This third expectation in Carrboro is over and above what is required in neighboring townships and counties, and we believe no other small, undeveloped site in Carrboro with similar constraints could meet this third requirement. As such, the proposed text amendment, particularly “Modified B,” is a tightly worded amendment that would only apply to a very few properties in Carrboro and is anything but a "free pass" in stormwater management. Approving this text amendment would make it possible for The ArtsCenter to deliver an exceptional, environmentally friendly, green building that mitigates stormwater issues despite the daunting design challenges for this parcel. 

In closing, we urge you to vote in favor of the narrowly defined text amendment and approve the conditional use permit for the ArtsCenter's new building, and ensure their $2.5 million positive annual economic impact continues. They are the largest private employer of artists in Orange County, an anchor for Creative Carrboro, and the hub for our regional artistic community - let’s make sure they continue in Carrboro for another 50 years. 

Sincerely, 

Rae Mosher
Chair, Carrboro Business Alliance Leadership Council

David Jessee
Chair, Carrboro Business Alliance Policy Committee

CC: Town Manager David Andrews, Planning Director Patricia McGuire, Economic Development Director Jon Hartman-Brown, and Stormwater Utility Manager Randy Dodd