There are numerous developments in various stages of the planning process in both Carrboro and Chapel HIll, so many that it is hard to keep track of them. Here we provide a rundown of the status of developments of most interest in Southern Orange County.
Carrboro
A summary of active development applications can be found here and is updated monthly. The Town staff also created a map of the active developments. Active or recently approved developments are:
- The Shelton Station (410 N Greensboro St) Conditional Use Permit was approved on 4/2/2013, but a construction plan has yet to be submitted to the town. The approved plan calls for a commercial building and residential buildings including 20 affordable units.
- The application for the CVS (201 N Greensboro St) Conditional Use Permit was pulled by the applicant after the CBOA failed to rezone the property at a public hearing in 2013. The applicant is currently considering a re-application.
- The application for a conditional use permit for the Lloyd Farm Property (700 and 706 Old Fayetteville Rd, adjacent to the post office in Carrboro) is on it’s third Conditional Use Permit submittal and permission has not granted. The CUP includes multiple commercial buildings on multiple parcels, an anchor grocery store, a 293 unit residential apartment complex and a 15 unit townhome area.
- The application for the South Green/“Triem Lot” (501 South Greensboro St) calls for multiple commercial buildings, but has substantial flooding issues that must be addressed.
- An application for the construction of 57 condominiums on the The Butler Garage property (120 Brewers Ln) was approved in 2008. The permit has been renewed every year since with no construction permit yet submitted.
- The first phase of 300 East Main has been completed with the Hampton Inn and Parking Deck. The second phase, the Fleet Feet Store and Headquarters, is currently under construction. The ArtsCenter building, closely adjacent to this development, is privately owned and operated. No detailed plan for it’s redevelopment has yet been submitted.
Chapel Hill
A summary of active development appliations can be found here. This webpage, maintained by Town staff, contains many documents pertaining to each development application, but the information to determine the current status of each application could use some clarification. Active or recently approved developments are:
- Chartwell, formerly called Carolina Flats @ Estes (850 N. Estes Drive on the northeast corner of N. Estes Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd) is a 16.2 acre site with plans for 4-story hotel with 125-145 suites and parking deck, and 190 apartments in seven 3-story buildings and 532 parking spaces. Applicant received comments on their application in 2012 and the application is still pending.
- Weaver Crossing (at the southeastern corner of Weaver Dairy & Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd) application includes the following construction of 38,689 sf. of office and retail space (including a Walgreens and bank); new access points on Sparrow Road, Weaver Dairy Road, and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.; and parking for 136 cars. A concept plan has been submitted and reviewed by the Chapel Hill Town Council in May, 2014.
- The Graduate Apartment Development (behind the Franklin Hotel) includes 76-97 units plus 124 parking spots. The plot is currently public and private parking lots. The application was reviewed in 2013 and is still pending.
- The Hotel at Southern Village (US 15-501 South) was approved in 2013. Their website states that construction will begin in early summer 2014.
- The Park at Chapel Hill Apartments, formerly known as Colony Apartments (1250 Ephesus Church Road), where a number of lower income residents were pushed out to make way for higher cost units. The application includes the demolition of fifteen, 2-story apartment buildings (198 dwelling units); construction of four, townhome buildings and three 5 and 7-story apartment buildings (800 dwelling units), a 10,000 square foot commercial building; and parking for 1,060 (!!) vehicles. At the applicant’s request, the plan is on hold. This development featured prominently in the discussions of the Ephesus-Fordham Redevelopment Plan.
- Obey Creek is a 120-acre site on 15-501 South, across from Southern Village. The proposed development is currently in the development agreement process with the Town Council. The latest proposal from developer East West Partners would develop 35 of the 120 acres with 1.6 million square feet of mixed-use space, preserving the remainder of the site in perpetuity. Proposed uses include residential, retail, office space, and a hotel. You can read more about the continuing Obey Creek process at http://www.townofchapelhill.org/obeycreek.
- Lux Apartments (previously Bicycle Apartments) is a student housing development of 301 units on just over 9 acres located along Martin Luther King, Jr Blvd between University Apartments and Townhouse Apartments. Though scheduled to open August 17, construction delays mean that some residents may have to live in a hotel (at Lux’s expense) for several weeks this fall (Daily Tar Heel).
- By contrast, Shortbread Lofts, another housing development designed to attract students, is scheduled to open its 50 units located at 337 West Rosemary Street right on time this August. Shortbread will also add ground-level retail space to West Rosemary Street.
- University Square (now 123 West Franklin) will bring 3 buildings with 580,000 square feet of mixed-use floor area that includes 210,000 square feet of office space, 75,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 300 apartments, and 1,023 parking spaces (in below ground and structured parking) to downtown Chapel Hill to replace the current aging, 40-year-old, suburban-style University Square complex. Also included in this redevelopment is a new through street connecting Cameron Ave to Franklin St; however, Granville Towers will not be redeveloped at this time. Construction is expected to begin as early as this fall.
- Controversial development Charterwood, located near the intersection of Martin Luther King, Jr Blvd and Weaver Dairy Rd Ext, sparked a lawsuit (Daily Tar Heel) after it was approved in 2012. That lawsuit was settled earlier this year (Chapel Hill News) with some modifications made to appease the strongly opposed neighbors who filed the lawsuit. While it appears construction has not yet begun in any substantial way, developer WCA Partners is now in the clear to begin that construction. Charterwood is a mixed-use development that will bring 278,270 square feet in 6 buildings, including 154 dwelling units, 28,500 square feet of specialty retail, 40,000 square feet of office space, and a bank.
- Glen Lennox, an existing mixed-use development located at Raleigh Road and Fordham Blvd, sought to redevelop within the parameters allowed by the recently approved Neighborhood Conservation District. The Chapel Hill Town Council unanimously approved it’s Development Agreement on June 23, 2014.
- No development plans have been submitted for the Ephesus-Fordham area since it was rezoned this spring.
These are the updates we were able to determine. If you have more up-to-date information, please share it.
