The future of development projects and the Chapel Hill Bike Plan were the main topics on the plate of the Chapel Hill Town Council at their Monday night meeting.
The development plans discussed were the Timber Hollow Apartments at 101 Timber Hollow Court and an AutoZone proposed for 1790 Fordham Blvd.
The plan for Timber Hollow was last seen in October of last year and has since been amended to decrease the amount of buildings to be relocated, as well as increase the population density.
Kay Pearlstein, a senior planner with the Department of Planning, said the apartments haven't been touched since they were built in 1985.
Michael Fiocco, a principal of Civil Consultants, Inc., said the apartments were made to support 378 housing units but currently only hold 198.
“Timber Hollow Apartments are suitable and desirable for additional density,” Fiocco said.
The proposed plan would add three buildings in the same style as the rest of the apartments with 69 living spaces, as well as an additional two along Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd that would provide 20 living spaces and 10 garages.
The proposal was not without its opponents. Some worried adding onto the apartment complex could hurt affordable housing.
Don Evans, a Chapel Hill resident, said the current plan would allow the developers to raise the price of a unit to market values after 30 days of vacancy.
Council member Jim Ward said he was also concerned about where low-income tenants would find housing.
“I would appreciate knowing where they would be shifted to over time,” Ward said.
Notable:
Garrett Davis, project manager for the Chapel Hill Bike Plan, presented the plan in its current form.
The plan stressed bike infrastructure as a priority with an emphasis on creating a culture around biking, integrating off-road pathways as well as bike lanes to increase connections in central Chapel Hill.
Davis said one major obstacle to the plan was safety concerns, and a survey of bikers showed many claiming biking in Chapel Hill was dangerous and stressful.
“Sixty percent of adults are concerned with biking safety,” Davis said.
The plan also rated streets in Chapel Hill for biker safety on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the most dangerous. Both Franklin Street and Rosemary Street were given a rating of 4.
The Bike Plan is set to return to the council June 9 for public action.
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