While Durham citizens will have to wait between 20 and 30 years for a completed transit corridor to improve travel between Durham and Chapel Hill, the City Council's tweaking of the corridor last night may bring two major retailers into the city soon.
At Monday's meeting, the Durham City Council honored the Faison Development Company's request to adjust the corridor's path, which initially ran through a portion of South Square Mall's parking lot, to the perimeter at Shannon Road. The council approved the measure 7-0.
With the completion of the full plan a long way away, Henry Faison, chair of Faison Development, and the city council are concerned with revitalizing the currently devastated South Square area. Faison said knowledge of a future corridor through the shopping center's parking lot may have turned away the potential lessees necessary for the desperately needed renovation.
"If we can get this corridor relocated we will be able to get the demolition of the mall underway by November," Faison said. Though he would only confirm the interest of "two major retailers," others at the meeting implied that the South Square newcomers may be Sam's Club and Target.
Still, council member Tamra Edwards pointed out that there are no guarantees for the space's future. "What type of assurance can we get that if [moving the corridor to the perimeter] were approved, Sam's and Target would develop there?" she asked.
Other members said the change in the transit plan would be so slight that the potential increase in attractiveness to retailers makes it worthwhile.
"These are minor changes," said mayor pro tempore Lewis Cheek. "If we were looking at doing something really major, I could see why we would want additional studies and reviews."
Steve Gaddis, lobbying for the Durham Area Designers, argued against moving the corridor, claiming it sets a poor precedent that will encourage future attempts to alter the plan. He said other affected institutions, such as Duke University and the Durham County School System, could request changes too.
Gaddis also urged the council not to sway in favor of short term achievements, like bringing Sam's Club and Target to Durham.
"We need to be planning a mass transit system," he said. "It is unwise to serve short-term problems while ignoring long-range ones."
Durham Mayor Bill Bell said his experience as former chair of the Triangle Transit Authority gave him confidence in the changed plans, but also said he took into consideration DAD's request to leave the plan unchanged. "I don't take lightly the concerns of the opposition," he said.
This segment of the corridor is part of Phase II of the DAD's plan to reinvent the now blighted South Square Mall area. Its purpose is to facilitate easier transportation on U.S. 15-501 between Durham and Chapel Hill, relieving traffic congestion. The current plan does not specify exactly what mode of transportation will run along the path, though several ideas are being considered from a light rail system to regular automobiles.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.