The Chapel Hill Town Council may move the town library into the Dillard’s anchor spot in University Mall.
Discussions began this month, and the mall owner, Madison Marquette, asked the town to consider the space last Tuesday. On Friday, the company offered to sell the town 52,000 square feet for $4 million cash, provided that Dillard’s ends its lease.
The Town Council voted Monday night to delay plans to expand the library on Estes Drive and consider the mall as a permanent location. The town staff will make a report to the council Feb. 14.
Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/11/23/820705/chapel-hill-gets-offer-to-keep.html#ixzz168hVHmXm
No More Department Store in Chapel Hill!
I guess the Town Manager and Mayor Kleinschmidt want us all to shop at Southpoint! Is he the mayor of Durham, or of Chapel Hill?
So much for “Buy Local”, because not only has University Mall’s manager closed most of its stores by terminating their leases, but the ANCHOR store is being shut down!! There’s nothing to buy. A lot of U. Mall’s tenants are subsidized by the town of Chapel Hill. The Arts Center? Deep Dish Theater? They are wonderful, and survive on grants. Kerr Drug’s lease was terminated by the mall’s manager. The Children’s Place lease demanded a doubling of the rent, so they’re leaving. Word is that Rose’s will be terminated. Instead we have pop-up stores selling Halloween costumes, now Christmas decorations, and a travelling “We Buy Gold” office.
And once a fifth of U. Mall becomes town property, real estate tax revenue from that site stops forever, as does sales tax.
That said, the mall’s a great location for the library. Don’t gut the golden goose to put it there!