East Lakeview Townhomes Approved by Chapel Hill Council

GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT

By Adam Powell
Correspondent

CHAPEL HILL —On the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 22, the Chapel Hill Town Council approved a conditional zoning application for 5640 Chapel Hill Road, which will allow for construction of the East Lakeview Townhomes — a development of 34 to 68 for-sale residential units on the east side of town near the Orange-Durham County line.

East Lakeview Townhomes will span four acres at the intersection of East Lakeview and Old Chapel Hill Road, and will include a range of townhomes, garage and surface parking, outdoor amenities in courtyard spaces for residents, public green space along East Lakeview and Old Chapel Hill Roads, and a connection to a planned future extension at Cowan Blvd.. 

The approval of this latest residential project brings Chapel Hill one step closer to fulfilling its vision in the Parkline East Village concept, a pilot of the town’s Complete Community Strategy.

For years, town leaders have been seeking ways to make Chapel Hill more densely populated and better connected to local transit. They have also been seeking a variety of methods to make living in Chapel Hill more affordable. East Lakeview Townhomes is intended to aid in both endeavors.

Developer leaves door open for stacked and horizontal townhomes

Ernie Brown of EB Partners, the proposed developer of the East Lakeview Townhomes, recapped the project for town leaders at the October 22 session.

Brown and his team are also working on another residential development approximately a quarter of a mile away called Chapel Hill Crossing, a much larger project at 5500 Old Chapel Hill Road adjacent to OWASA’s Old Chapel Hill Road Pump Station and the I-40 freeway. That project will eventually bring approximately 300 housing units, in addition to the other residential construction underway in the Parkline East Village corridor.

“This (East Lakeview Townhomes project) is roughly four acres on the corner of East Lakeview and Old Chapel Hill Road, which ties into a much bigger conglomerate of projects that are going on with what we had approved back in 2023 with Chapel Hill Crossing, what ZOM (Living) was approved back in June from a conditional zoning (Old Chapel Hill Apartments) and then also what Northview (Partners and Bryan Properties) are doing above us (with Meridian at Lakeview),” Brown told the Town Council.

In his presentation to town leaders, Brown mentioned his desire to be given the leeway to construct stacked townhomes within East Lakeview Townhomes as well as more traditional side-by-side clustered townhomes.

With a range of up to eight residential multi-family buildings within the community, EB Partners envisions placing townhomes vertically as well as horizontally on the ground.

“What we’re asking for is the ability to have a pretty wide range of townhomes,” Brown stated. “And that really comes down to give us the ability to look for stacked townhomes, as well as just regular townhomes.”

“They’re basically stacked units – one atop the other – with parking beneath that,” explained Brian Hatcher of Kadre Engineering, a civil engineering consulting firm based in Birmingham, Alabama that is working with EB Partners on the community’s logistics and planning. “That allows us to minimize the footprints of the buildings, while providing a layout that provides a decent density of residential dwellings.”

No set commitment on number of units, design of units

Plans for the townhomes at East Lakeview went through numerous modifications over the past couple of years.

When Brown appeared before the Town Council in the spring of 2024, East Lakeview was requesting 36-50 apartment units and 30-40 townhomes. On the Town of Chapel Hill’s official website, the project description called for up to 86 dwelling units on the site. At various points, other iterations of the project called for 75 to 100 housing units.

The plans approved by the Town of Chapel Hill on October 22 could mean that fewer than half or slightly more than half of the original number of townhomes will ultimately be constructed.

“What we’re planning on doing is basically, if this gets approved by Council, I’ll work with home builders to figure out the exact product type that we want to be on there,” Brown explained to members of the Planning Commission in June. “So it could be two-story town(homes). Or we’re also exploring how to do stacked townhomes here as well. I’m not under contract with any home builder to buy this off me once we’ve got it ready for them to go. So we’re opening up to and exploring with all different kinds (of home builders).”

“This development brings buildings closer to the street and proposes street trees that are consistent with the nearby developments,” said Josh Mayo of the Chapel Hill Planning Department. “The applicant has also agreed to build a multi-use path to connect to the path to Meridian at Lakeview and along the lakeview frontage as well.”

Development to improve connectivity in rapidly growing part of Chapel Hill

While most of the land for the future East Lakeview Townhomes and Chapel Hill Crossing is undeveloped north of Old Chapel Hill Road and east of East Lakeview Drive, there are residential neighborhoods and businesses along Old Chapel Hill Road to the immediate south, including the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Bouncing Bulldogs training facility.

Roadway and pedestrian connections planned for East Lakeview include a connection to the west at East Lakeview Drive, a connection to the south at Old Chapel Hill Road, a connection to the north through the proposed future extension of Cowan Blvd., and a fourth connection to the east once an adjacent proposed development is constructed down the line. 

“The future Cowan Boulevard extension extends from the north into our property about in the center,” Hatcher indicated. “This project does propose a new bus stop in front of the project on Old Chapel Hill Road, which is served by the D and the DX lines.”

One of the reasons why the Town Council enthusiastically supported the project was its commitment to affordable housing. Brown and Mayo explained that 15% of the community’s total units would be deemed affordable.

With a range of 34 to 68 townhomes planned, that means five to ten more affordable units for Chapel Hill residents will be available in the years to come. Of those affordable units, half will be set aside for local residents earning 65% of the Chapel Hill Area Median Income (AMI), while the other half will be designated for residents earning 80% of local AMI.

Council member Theodore Nollert made the motion to approve the conditional rezoning that will allow for East Lakeview Townhomes, which colleague Paris Miller-Foushee seconded. The project was unanimously approved by the Town Council by an 8-0 vote.

Land grading and construction for the townhomes will likely begin sometime in 2026 or 2027, with the first residents moving in sometime in 2027 or 2028.

Adam Powell has been a correspondent for The Local Reporter since 2023. A 2001 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, Powell has served as managing editor of multiple local publications, including the News of Orange County, the Mebane Enterprise, the Caswell Messenger, and the ACC Sports Journal. Powell has won more than 20 North Carolina Press Association Awards throughout his journalism career for Excellence in Education Reporting, Excellence in Sports Columns and Features, and Excellence in Video Production. He has also been recognized by the North Carolina School Public Relations Association (NCSPRA) for Excellence in Education Writing and for his newsletters representing Rockingham County Schools and the North Carolina Cyber Academy. The author of four books. Adam currently resides in Mebane with his wife Julie and children Colt and Jenna. This reporter can be reached at:Information@TheLocal Reporter.press