Chapel Hill’s Putt-Putt Fun Center plan expires. What’s ahead for Carraway Village?
Chapel Hill residents who may have been looking forward to miniature golf and go-kart races at a Putt-Putt Fun Center could see more housing options at the site instead, a new plan shows.
Northwood Ravin, the developer of the mixed-use Carraway Village on Eubanks Road, wants to build 124 apartments, townhomes and homes, all rentals, in three “villages” between a recently built apartment building and Interstate 40.
Only about 6.5 acres of the 19-acre parcel can be developed, because the land beside I-40 includes a stream and surrounding tree buffers. The project is within walking distance of a Chapel Hill Transit bus stop and is not part of the approved Carraway Village plan, Northwood Ravin development partner Adam Golden clarified during an Oct. 23 council review.
A concept plan is a rough idea of what could be built. The Chapel Hill Town Council provided Golden with feedback at the meeting that Northwood Ravin can use to revise the plan before submitting an official application.
A previously approved plan for the site — a Putt-Putt Fun Center and self-storage building — was still going through final town staff approvals when the permit expired in March. The developer did not ask for an extension, town spokeswoman Susan Brown said.
The Putt-Putt Fun Center wasn’t Northwood Ravin’s project, Golden said, declining to speak specifically about why it won’t be built. He did note the effect of high interest rates, rising construction costs and labor shortages on all development projects.
The News & Observer’s efforts to reach Putt-Putt officials were not successful.
Commercial construction, social district ahead
Carraway Village continues to grow, Golden said at the Oct. 23 meeting.
In the last year, the four-story, climate-controlled Carraway Village Self-Storage opened at nearby 500 Myrica St., and Northwood Ravin completed The Tower, a seven-story apartment building, bringing the community to 610 housing units so far, Golden said.
The developer has also opened a cafe in a 9,000-square-foot. ground-floor commercial area, which has “been a challenge to lease,” he said. Several new standalone buildings are coming, however, including a Wendy’s restaurant that could start construction next month.
Golden noted that a Chase Bank is also anticipated west of Chick-fil-A, and a third commercial development, which he did not name, is in progress just beyond the Wendy’s site.
On the other side of the neighborhood, the N.C. Tar Heels Ice Hockey Booster Club, a nonprofit organization supporting UNC-Chapel Hill’s Ice Hockey Club, is raising money to build a 3,000-square-foot ice hockey arena.
The final, key piece of the community will be a central social district with a nearly two-acre pedestrian green on land that formerly served as a drive-in theater, Golden said. The district will also include a one-acre dog park and two pickleball courts near the existing volleyball court and outdoor performance area.
Council comments about the plan
▪ Overall design: Council members were disappointed by the loss of the Putt-Putt Fun Center, but “the nature of the current plan completes the picture” at Carraway Village, Council member Elizabeth Sharp said. Council member Karen Stegman called it a “thoughtful design.”
▪ More density: Mayor Pro Tem Amy Ryan and Council member Melissa McCullough suggested trading the single-family homes for more dense cottage court homes, duplexes or triplexes.
▪ Affordable housing: Stegman and Council member Paris Miller-Foushee asked for “a robust affordable housing plan.”
▪ Green space: Council members pushed for public recreation in the woods north of the site. Mayor Jess Anderson suggested active recreation, such as zip lines or a ropes course.
▪ Pedestrian connections: Council members Camille Berry and Sharp questioned how easy it would be to walk from the neighborhood to recreation and shopping.
Despite the nearby bus stop, Sharp said, “describing it as walkable seems like a little bit of a stretch for me, just because it’s so marooned out there next to (I-40) … and walking to a Chick-fil-A just doesn’t make for a fully walkable lifestyle.”
Carraway Village Phase 3 details
▪ Location: 19 acres at 115 Chapel Point Road
▪ Developer: Northwood Ravin
▪ What’s there now: Woods and a stream
▪ What’s proposed: 48 three-story, three-bedroom townhomes; 11 two-story single-family homes; and 65 450- to 550-square-foot apartments in three-story buildings
▪ Affordable housing: Could be included in an official application
▪ Transportation: A Chapel Hill Transit park-and-ride lot is within walking distance
271 Erwin Road project
A small infill project proposed for eastern Chapel Hill would add townhomes within walking distance of shopping and UNC Health’s Eastowne campus.
Durhamite Holdings LLC wants to build 20 two- to three-story townhomes, including three units that would be affordable to a single person earning up to $59,300 a year. The concept plan seeks a mix of for-sale and for-rent housing that would require a rezoning.
271 Erwin Road would have a single driveway off Erwin Road just north of Sage Road and across the street from Chapel Hill Bible Church. The 2.6-acre site is surrounded by a mix of apartments, townhomes and single-family houses and is half mile from U.S. 15-501.
An existing greenway would give residents off-road access to East Chapel Hill High School and Cedar Falls Park on Weaver Dairy Road.
A concept plan is a rough idea of what could be built, not an official application. The Chapel Hill Town Council reviews concept projects and provides feedback to developers, but it does not vote on concept plans.
The town council review has not yet been scheduled.
271 Erwin project details
▪ Location: 2.6 acres at 271 Erwin Road
▪ Developer: Durhamite Holdings LLC
▪ What’s there now: A vacant homesite
▪ What’s proposed: 20 two- to three-story townhomes with a garage or driveway parking, and a walking trail, community green and pond. Townhomes will be for sale and for rent.
▪ Affordable housing: Three townhomes (15%) will be designated for households earning up to 80% of the area median income — up to $59,300 a year for a single person or $84,700 a year for a family of four.
▪ Transportation: Bus stops are within walking distance on Sage and Old Sterling roads.
This story was originally published October 17, 2024 at 1:01 PM with the headline "Chapel Hill’s Putt-Putt Fun Center plan expires. What’s ahead for Carraway Village?."
