Mostly wooded corner of Chapel Hill attracting more attention from housing developers
A largely wooded residential area on Chapel Hill’s eastern edge is facing more pressure from developers looking to build dense neighborhoods of apartments and townhouses.
At least four concept plans have been submitted to the town — three in the last two months — for 41 acres west of Interstate 40, from U.S. 15-501 to the south side of Old Chapel Hill Road.
A concept plan is a rough draft of what a potential project could become. The town’s Community Design Commission and Town Council review concept plans and provide feedback, but do not vote on them.
All four projects will require the council to rezone land for more dense development.
EB Capital Partners submitted the first plan in September for an “urban style” building with 90 apartments at 5500 Old Chapel Hill Road. The council reviewed that plan in October, offering several recommendations. Among them, members suggested moving the parking under the building, constructing condos instead, and making the housing more affordable for working families.
In March, EB Capital submitted a second, larger concept plan for a 9.7-acre tract across the street, at the corner of Old Chapel Hill and Pope roads. The Huse Street project could add 264 apartments, townhomes and cottages, with 415 parking spaces.
A project to the west also is pending.
Davis Development’s concept plan for White Oak Drive was submitted in February for up to 360 apartments in two buildings. Each five- to six-story building could wrap around a parking deck, for a total of 820 spaces.
The site is just south of developer D.R. Bryan’s Gateway apartment community on 15.8 acres off East Lakeview Drive near U.S. 15-501. Gateway could have 308 market-rate apartments and 72 affordable senior apartments in four-story buildings.
The Community Design Commission could review the White Oak Drive project on April 26, with a council review in early May. A CDC review of the Huse Street project could happen May 24, with a council review in June.
The concept plan reviews for Gateway have not yet been scheduled.
Concerns about the projects may include the amount of affordable housing, traffic and parking planned, especially since the projects are within walking distance of Chapel Hill Transit and GoTriangle stops and a short drive from Wegman’s, UNC Health Care’s Eastowne campus and the New Hope Commons retail district.
The town’s land-use plan envisions the area with high-density residential, office and commercial redevelopment, and at one time, the Durham-Orange light rail line was expected to serve that more dense development.
However, the light rail plan fell through in 2019, leaving Chapel Hill and Orange County back at the drawing board. A bus-rapid transit line with regional connections has been suggested as an alternative plan.
Here are more details about the concept plans:
Huse Street
Location: 9.7 acres, 5503 Old Chapel Hill Road
Developer: EB Capital Partners
Current land use: Wooded with roughly a dozen homes
Proposed land use: Office/industrial conditional zoning for multifamily residential use
Housing: 150 apartments, 40 townhouses and 64 stacked townhouses in three- and four-story buildings; 10 single-story cottages
Affordable housing: The developer is talking with town staff about how to make some units more affordable for lower-income residents
Amenities: Pool and clubhouse, plaza, green space and playground, fitness center, co-working space, food court with space for “ghost kitchens”
Parking: 415 surface and under-building spaces
Transportation: A traffic study would be submitted as part of an official application; the neighborhood would have a driveway at Huse Street off Old Chapel Hill Road and across from Olde Coach Road off Pope Road. Chapel Hill Transit stops are nearby.
White Oak Drive
Location: 9 acres at 11 N. White Oak Drive (off Old Chapel Hill Road)
Developer: Davis Development
Current land use: Mostly wooded with an existing home
Proposed land use: Higher-density residential zoning
Housing: Up to 360 apartments in two five- to six-story buildings
Affordable housing: Plan could be developed as part of an official application
Amenities: Two courtyards, pool, clubroom, fitness and business centers
Parking: 820 spaces in two parking decks; 28 surface visitor spaces
Transportation: A separate driveway — one off North White Oak Drive and the other off Old Chapel Hill Road — could serve each building; Chapel Hill Transit stops are nearby.
5500 Old Chapel Hill Road
Location: 6.5 acres, 5500 Old Chapel Hill Road
Developer: EB Capital Partners
Current land use: A vacant home, undeveloped woods
Housing: 90 apartments in a five-story building
Affordable housing: The developer is working with town staff on a proposal.
Amenities: Courtyard with pool; trails, a disc golf course and a dog park in around a stream buffer on the site
Parking: 126 spaces in surface lots
Gateway
Location: 15.8 acres, East Lakeview Drive near U.S. 15-501 and I-40
Developer: D.R. Bryan
Current land use: Wooded, with a few single-family homes
Housing: 308 market-rate apartments and 72 affordable senior apartments
Affordable housing: The affordable units could be priced for households earning up to 60% of the area median income, the application stated. That would serve a single person earning up to $36,300 a year or a couple earning up to $41,520.
Amenities: pocket parks, clubhouse, pool
Parking: 535 spaces in surface lots
This story was originally published March 31, 2022 at 1:33 PM with the headline "Mostly wooded corner of Chapel Hill attracting more attention from housing developers."
