Developer proposes more housing for growing neighborhood on Chapel Hill-Durham border
A plan to add more housing for individuals and families in a fast-growing neighborhood on the Durham-Chapel Hill border got a good review Wednesday night despite some concerns.
What’s on the table: Ernie Brown of EB Capital Partners showed the concept plan for East Lakeview’s 90 townhouses and apartments to the Chapel Hill Town council.
▪ The 3-acre plan included a four- to five-story apartment building, with a small commercial space at the northeastern corner of Old Chapel Hill Road and East Lakeview Drive.
▪ Multiple two- to four-story townhouse buildings with a central green courtyard would sit farther back on the property.
What’s coming next: The Town Council will review a second plan for up to 350 apartments and townhouses on Old Chapel Hill Road next week. The area is near Interstate 40, in the part of Chapel Hill that lies in Durham County.
Concept plans are rough designs that let the council give the developer feedback before an official application is submitted.
What the council said: Council member Elizabeth Sharp joined other members in praising East Lakeview’s affordable and for-sale housing and retail space, but said there’s a lot of work to do on the project to get more people to walk or bike to their destinations.
“For me, a lot of it lands on whether or not this level of density just (makes) more people ... reliant on cars to do their daily things,” Sharp said. “I worry about that, but I think the design other than that is good.”
Members Paris Miller-Foushee and Amy Ryan asked Brown to also consider smaller units at a lower cost and more outdoor recreation space, especially for parents with young children.
“Sometimes, kids don’t need to have a playground to have a good place for them,” Ryan said. “If there was some way for parents to go get a cup of coffee and hang out while their kids are running around on some grass, that would be awesome.”
East Lakeview project details
▪ Location: 2.99 wooded acres, with an old farm pond at 5640 Old Chapel Hill Road
▪ What’s proposed: 36-50 apartments, 30-40 townhouses, and roughly 1,000 square feet of retail space
▪ Amenities: Greenway and a small courtyard
▪ Affordable housing: Still in development, but 15% of the townhouses could be priced for someone earning 65% to 80% of the area market income — up to $59,360 a year for an individual or up to $84,720 a year for a four-person family.
Planning for neighborhood growth
This is Brown’s third project in the Parkline East Village neighborhood — 41 acres west of Interstate 40, from U.S. 15-501 to Old Durham and Pope roads — where the town is testing its new Complete Community policy of walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods.
What’s there now: Wegman’s and UNC’s Eastowne medical campus are nearby, but the area largely includes older homes, the Nova Chapel Hill apartment complex and The Parkline (formerly Blue Cross and Blue Shield) office building. It’s primarily a commuter corridor between Durham and Chapel Hill, but changes are coming.
What’s coming: Chapel Hill Crossing, a combination of Brown’s two earlier projects, was approved in September for 300 apartments, cottages and townhouses along Old Durham Road near the Pope Road roundabout.
The council also approved developer D.R. Bryan’s 388-unit Meridian Lakeview apartment community in November. That development, off East Lakeview Drive, behind the Red Roof Inn on U.S. 15-501, also has a large green space for events and food trucks.
Council member Theodore Nollert asked Brown to work on a coordinated plan for the entire area, as well as ways to limit parking and ensure a mix of residential and commercial uses.
He is continuing to talk with neighboring developers about how their projects can work together, Brown said.
What neighbors said: Chapel Hill residents Charles Berlin and Linda Convissor said they want to see more trees and green space in the East Lakeview plan. They like the parking and courtyard design, the for-sale and affordable housing, and commercial space, they said, but they share concerns about traffic and a five-story apartment building on Old Chapel Hill Road.
“This property is located at one of the main entrances to the town, and development here should have significant tree coverage and a streetscape that together make a statement about what makes this town special to residents and visitors alike,” Convissor said.
Hearing for new White Oak plan June 12
The next project coming to the council is ZOM Living’s Old Chapel Hill Apartments concept plan for White Oak Drive, located between the East Lakeview site, Meridian Lakeview and part of Chapel Hill Crossing that lies north of Old Chapel Hill Road.
An earlier concept plan — White Oak — failed in 2022 because the 388-apartment project was deemed too big for its 9-acre site. The latest plan covers nearly 12 acres and includes:
▪ Nine to 12 buildings, four to five stories each
▪ Up to 350 apartments and townhouses
▪ About 10% of the market-rate housing units could be priced for residents earning up to 80% of the area median income, or up to $59,360 a year for an individual or $84,720 for a four-person family
▪ Road connections to Chapel Hill Crossing, Meridian Lakeview, and the proposed East Lakeview
The council will review the Old Chapel Hill Apartments concept plan at its June 12 meeting.
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