The Chapel Hill Town Council discussed proposed developments and zoning at its meeting on Oct. 11.
What’s new?
- D.R. Bryan, a Southern Village developer, presented a conditional zoning application for the Meridian Lakeview development, formerly called Gateway, at 19 E. Lakeview Dr.
- The development would provide 72 affordable senior units using low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC) or 24 for-sale townhouses, depending on which option the council approves.
- The development would give 1.7 acres for affordable housing to the Town if it cannot secure federal LIHTC within five years.
- “The problem is that if it doesn't get built, turning these 1.7 acres over to the Town is not really very valuable to us because if you can't get the 72 units through LIHTC, we're not going to be able to do it either,” council member Michael Parker said.
- The plan for the development includes two retention ponds which would have underwater circulators to aerate the ponds to keep the water moving.
- Council member Adam Searing said he was not a big fan of retention ponds in developments since they get muddy, but that he liked the green space the plan offers.
- Council member Amy Ryan said the five-foot sidewalks that the development proposes seem tight in a walkable community.
- “I have some friends who are visually impaired, so for them, tight sidewalks are a problem,” Ryan said. “Also, I assume there will be families here with kids and strollers.”
- Council member Tai Huynh said he thinks the neighborhood-level retail and bikeability within the proposed development need a lot of improvement.
- Parker said he was not thrilled by the amount of surface parking in the project.
- “We are committed to sort of a more urban type of framework, and I think that getting cars out of parking lots is an important first step toward that,” he said.
- Council member Paris Miller-Foushee said this development is competing with other projects, specifically those in Durham.
- “We need units, and we want to see those units,” Miller-Foushee said. “And if it can't be done in a timely fashion, there needs to be a better second option.”
- Adam Golden, a development partner with Northwood Ravin, presented a conditional zoning application for a proposed development at 138 Stancell Dr.
- The project — called Hillmont — would have 390 to 500 apartments, townhouses and cottages.
- For the affordable housing portion of the development, one option is that 10 percent of the market rate units would be serving people at 50 percent area median income (AMI) and half serving 80 percent AMI.
- The second option for the development would be that 7 percent of the market rate units would be serving people at 60 percent AMI.
- Rent rates could range from $1,500 to $3,000 a month based on the number of rooms a unit has.
- The project includes some buildings that will have surface parking to lower the cost of development, a six-acre park, a stormwater pond and a trail.
- Searing said developers could add about an acre they own on Littlejohn Road to the park, giving neighbors access.
- Parker said he did not notice a kid’s playground in the plan.
- “I think we need to do a better job of making our developments really oriented towards family and kids,” Parker said.
What decisions were made?
- The council unanimously approved a conditional zoning application for St. Paul Village at 1604 Purefoy Dr.
- Mayor Pam Hemminger said the process took longer than they hoped and thanked everyone for persevering.
- “I’ll just say it’s been a long time coming,” she said. “It's been a pleasure to work with the folks from St. Paul Village, the community and the idea and putting it all together.”
What’s next?
- The council moved to continue hearings about the conditional zoning applications of Meridian Lakeview and Hillmont for Nov. 15.
- The council's next meeting will be held on Oct. 25 at the Town Hall.
