Community opposition to a proposed development at Lloyd Farms in North Carolina has led the Board of Alderman of Carrboro to consider bringing residents and the developer together in mediation.  Community members have expressed concerns over traffic patterns, drainage, and other infrastructure issues they feel the developer, Argus Development Group, has not sufficiently addressed.

Calling the mediation a “facilitated discussion,” the Alderman described it as a way to bring all interested parties – residents, property owners, local businesses, and the investors – together for a dialogue to alleviate concerns.  Andrew Sachs of the Dispute Settlement Center has been named as a possible mediator for the talks.

The Board of Alderman were divided on the mediation proposal, however, with several citing concerns over costs that would be incurred during an initial stage of mediation where Sachs would be paid to investigate the issues and bring a recommendation to the town as to whether further mediation would be fruitful or not.  The requirement of investment before any substantial negotiations even occurred made several board members hesitant to endorse the idea.

The Lloyd Farms project would build apartments and townhomes and a shopping center in a $100 million project expected to earn Carrboro more than $600,000 annually in property taxes, plus additional revenue from sales tax.  Many residents believe the town’s government has been blinded to the downsides by these earnings projections.  Argus Development has revised the proposal several times since its initial submission in 2011 in an effort to appease community concerns.