Hi all,

Sorry about that; I hit send accidentally. 

Anyway, Rod’s brief write-up doesn’t actually analyze retail/commercial viability at Aura. I hope he can be asked to say more about that last footnote, which asserts that thousands of households are needed to support coffee shops and similar establishments. He offers no support or explanation for this statement, even though it’s clearly foundational to his conclusion. 

Best,

Tim 

On Mar 4, 2021, at 10:04 AM, Tim O'Shea <oshea.tj@gmail.com> wrote:



Hi Jess, Amy,

Thanks so much for your efforts on this issue. Rod’s analysis doesn’t  

On Mar 3, 2021, at 5:03 PM, Jon Mitchell <capt.jdm@gmail.com> wrote:



Thanks, Jess. The analysis that I hoped to see is hinted at but not directly addressed in the final sentence and the brief footnote attached to it. Rod seems unaware that the current Aura proposal contains street-facing retail space designed to draw traffic from the street (and of course pedestrian traffic). The question on the minds of many of us in the surrounding neighborhoods is how much street-facing retail space is reasonably supportable on this plot, in light of both (a) passing traffic volumes and (b) local residential density (neither of which the document attempts to quantify). The "highest and best use" from a narrow economic perspective (i.e., the most profitable use to the landowner and developer) is not the question. I don't doubt that, absent any need for rezoning approval, Trinsic would build 100% residential and make a good deal of money. If Rod believes that street-facing retail is economically viable, even if less profitable than residential units, then that could provide a sound basis to push Trinsic for somewhat more. Pretty much everyone in the community that I've spoken with would support that.

Is it possible to put the question to Rod directly (i.e., as a follow up)?

Thanks to you and Amy for your efforts, which I appreciate very much.

Jon

On Wed, Mar 3, 2021 at 2:55 PM Jess Anderson <janderson@townofchapelhill.org> wrote:

FYI

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: Maurice Jones <mjones@townofchapelhill.org>
Date: March 3, 2021 at 2:50:50 PM EST
To: Pam Hemminger <phemminger@townofchapelhill.org>, Michael Parker <mparker@townofchapelhill.org>, Jess Anderson <janderson@townofchapelhill.org>, Allen Buansi <abuansi@townofchapelhill.org>, Hongbin Gu <hgu@townofchapelhill.org>, Tai Huynh <thuynh@townofchapelhill.org>, Amy Ryan <aryan@townofchapelhill.org>, Karen Stegman <kstegman@townofchapelhill.org>
Cc: Flo Miller <fmiller@townofchapelhill.org>, Mary Jane Nirdlinger <mnirdlinger@townofchapelhill.org>, Ross Tompkins <rtompkins@townofchapelhill.org>, Dwight Bassett <dbassett@townofchapelhill.org>, Colleen Willger <cwillger@townofchapelhill.org>, Ann Anderson <aanderson@townofchapelhill.org>, Jeanne Brown <jbrown2@townofchapelhill.org>
Subject: Commercial Market Study for Estes and MLK

Mayor and Council,

There has been interest in knowing what the commercial prospects are for the site where the Aura project is proposed to be located. In response we asked Rod Stevens to pull together a quick “mini study” for your consideration. His findings are attached.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

All the Best,
Maurice



Maurice Jones
Town Manager
Town of Chapel Hill, NC
(919) 968-2743
www.townofchapelhill.org<http://www.townofchapelhill.org>