Town staff and representatives of Chatham Park Investors presented a proposal on Monday for the developer to accelerate construction of Chatham Parkway South — a state‑managed project on the STIP — by advancing design, permitting and construction at the developer’s expense and requesting reimbursement from NCDOT under state acceleration rules.

Chatham Park representatives said the alignment under review runs from south of N.C. 15501 up to Business 64 and that the parcels impacted by the alignment are under Chatham Park control, which would reduce right‑of‑way acquisition hurdles. The developer team said the plan includes constructing the two‑lane segment and widening existing sections adjacent to the corridor; they proposed phasing, stormwater permits and early environmental work to accelerate the timetable.

Town Manager Chris Kennedy and developer counsel explained the acceleration statute and described a proposed set of agreements: a town‑developer agreement (allowing the developer to step into certain municipal roles for the project), and a town‑NCDOT agreement (defining reimbursement and state requirements for bidding and contracting). The developer would assume project costs and be reimbursed by NCDOT according to the STIP/acceleration process, the presenters said. Representatives emphasized the proposal is structured to minimize financial risk to the town.

Commissioners asked detailed questions about feeder roads, whether the project includes any interchanges or overpasses, right‑of‑way ownership, lane widths and how the project would interact with existing and planned local roads. Staff and the developer’s engineers said the current alignment review is limited to Chatham Park land, noted the project would be built to NCDOT standards (including 12‑foot lanes and a parallel 10‑foot multi‑use path in lieu of bike lanes on the roadway) and that design review and permits would be accelerated if the agreements move forward.

Board members requested further information before formal approval: specifically, (1) a clearer timeline and comparison of the developer’s proposed accelerated schedule versus NCDOT’s STIP schedule; (2) confirmation of how feeder roads and potential property impacts will be coordinated with the draft Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP); and (3) written clarifications in the proposed draft agreements about right‑of‑way, reimbursement and any public benefits (the developer previously offered a possible dedication of 40 acres for a sports complex). Staff and developer representatives agreed to return with refined documents and recommended language at a future meeting, and commissioners indicated they would like NCDOT input on timeline and CTP coordination before voting.

The board did not vote on any agreement Monday but asked staff to return with revised documents and answers to the board’s questions at the next regular meeting or soon thereafter.