Town Council considering Pi Kappa Phi fraternity house renovation

In late April, the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity at UNC Chapel Hill presented its proposal to the Chapel Hill Town Council to renovate its historic house on East Rosemary Street.

The fraternal organization aims to improve living conditions and meet modern standards in its facility by adding and renovating house sections, including installing more functional multi-purpose spaces. The fraternity is also looking to expand parking for its membership. Its home sits amidst a collection of UNC-Chapel Hill fraternity and sorority houses at 216 East Rosemary Street, within the Franklin-Rosemary Historic District. The fraternity’s proposal also includes environmental improvements and historical preservation.

Pi Kappa Phi, which credits among its alums famed author Thomas Wolfe and former North Carolina Governor Dan Moore, among thousands of others, has existed at UNC since 1914. It is one of the highest-achieving academic Greek organizations on the UNC campus, having ranked first scholastically among more than 160 Phi Kappa Phi organizations nationally two of the past three years, while boasting at least ten Morehead-Cain Scholars over the past few academic years.

“The fraternity’s historic fraternity house at UNC-Chapel Hill has long served as a home for brotherhood, leadership, and academic achievement,” read the fraternity’s concept plan narrative as presented to the Chapel Hill Planning Commission and Town Council. “However, the house has aged, and a thoughtful renovation is necessary to modernize its facilities while preserving its rich heritage. The proposed addition will expand the existing facility by introducing new multi-purpose spaces, ensuring the house remains a comfortable, functional, and vibrant space for its members and meets the evolving needs of current and future Pi Kappa Phi brothers.”

“The Pi Kappa Phi house addition represents a necessary and forward-thinking investment in the fraternity’s future,” the concept plan narrative continued. “By expanding living accommodations, creating a versatile multi-purpose area, and securing off-site parking solutions, this project will enhance the quality of life for members while reinforcing the fraternity’s role in attracting strong students, developing future leaders, and being a valued part of the UNC-Chapel Hill community.”

Fraternity seeking expansion of house, reduction of on-site parking

Before applying for a conditional zoning application, the fraternity had to present a concept plan to town leaders. The April 23 meeting was an opportunity for the applicant to receive feedback on the concept plan, but the council did not make any decisions. On March 4, the renovation project was reviewed by the Chapel Hill Planning Commission.

“The project will be assessed in a more in-depth manner in regards to the complete community goals as the applicant moves through the process,” said Anna Scott Myers, a member of the Chapel Hill Planning Department. “The concept plan provides council with an opportunity to give feedback with these (complete community) goals in mind.”

Mark Krittenbrink, an architect and Principal of Krittenbrink Architecture, specializes in historic and Greek housing and other types of commercial, residential, and multi-family properties. Krittenbrink is assisting Pi Kappa Phi with the renovation concept plan. 

“Unfortunately, they have a house that is letting them down. The house no longer serves their needs, which is why I’m here,” Krittenbrink told council members. “Student housing has evolved so much in the last few years. Fraternities have always had to compete with private sector apartments and what not. But universities have stepped up their game in the last 25 years. I know when I went to school, it was a little bitty room, a fixed window, a heat and air system that never seemed to understand what was going on outside that window, and a group bathroom down the hall that defied the laws of mankind and nature. But now universities have suites, and they have bedrooms, and they have food facilities and such. So that’s what we’re looking at.”

Krittenbrink explained that Pi Kappa Phi’s house at UNC features 20 beds and sleeps 30 students.” 

“Some of the beds are as small as 8 feet by 10 feet, and still house two men in the room. So clearly that’s a problem,” he said. “The concept plan for the proposed renovation project maintains the house’s 20-bed capacity, but enhances room sizes while also adding the multi-purpose rooms.

“We’re not increasing room count. We’re not increasing population,” Krittenbrink explained. “We’re keeping it at 30 (student capacity). We’re just creating better rooms for the men through renovation and repurposing some of the existing space, because it’s a renovation and a new addition, and then creating new rooms in the new edition.”

“To be a healthy fraternity, we need about 90 members. And that’s just about where we are,” the architect continued. “We don’t have room for 60, 70, 80 people to come to this house because it wasn’t designed for that. Part of the reason for this proposal is to create multi-purpose rooms that can serve the men scholastically, fraternally, and socially. And we’ve done that (with this proposal). We have multi-purpose rooms on both floors that will address this purpose.”

Krittenbrink indicated that following Chapel Hill Planning staff feedback, the fraternity proposes to relocate a stairway from the center to one side of the renovated house. The renovations will meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines.

Fraternity seeking adjacent auxiliary parking, Rosemary town deck a strong possibility

The fraternity, which has 90 members, seeks to address parking by increasing the tree canopy on the site from 30% to 40% while also addressing some drainage issues. The fraternity plans to reduce parking adjacent to the fraternity house, but says it intends to secure off-site parking within a few hundred yards of the property. The fraternity will also add trees along some of its existing property to reach the 40% tree canopy threshold desired by the town. 

“They (town planning staff) were concerned about parking,” Krittenbrink said. “Right now we have a parking lot that parks 14 to 500 depending on the creativity of the men, right? But we’re taking that down from 14 to three (spaces). They said we’re going to have to provide some parking. I know Chapel Hill wants to encourage transportation other than vehicular, as do we. So we were asked to find parking, adjacent parking, auxiliary parking, that would be within the linear feet. I think it’s 500 feet or something from the property. And we’ve done that.”

Stuart Hicks, Pi Kappa Phi’s Alumni Building Chair, indicated that the fraternity has identified multiple nearby properties that could potentially provide the organization with auxiliary parking. The potential options initially included sites at 202 Henderson Street – the lot at the corner of Henderson Street and Rosemary Street and the former Bub O’Malley’s tavern – 135 East Rosemary Street – a new town-owned parking deck across from the old NCNB Building – and 401 East Rosemary Street – a quarter-acre tract at the corner of Rosemary and Hillsborough Street. But the town’s new parking deck may be the best option for available auxiliary parking.

“He (Hicks) has talked to the ownership groups, and they will lease us spaces throughout the year,” Krittenbrink explained. “We will have parking for the men, and honestly, it’s such a good location. If you know where this location is, it’s just a block away from the University, and it’s a block away from what I would call the campus area – the retail, the stores, the shops, the restaurants and such. So walkability is certainly an option. But, you know, these are men, and they have those great big honking trucks. So we will address the parking.”

“We’ve had some nice conversations with the town about that (parking deck) location,” said Hicks to the council. 

“Fabulous. We’d love to get your money for that,” said Council member Melissa McCullough. 

The council expressed approval and encouraged the use of e-bike parking.

The council supported the project, emphasizing the need for E-bike parking and discouraging creative parking solutions in this densely compacted area of Chapel Hill.

“I see no reason to object to what you’re showing us here. Thank you for your sensitivity to the trees, parking, etc. It looks like a fine project,” said council member Amy Ryan.

“I know you have some bike parking,” McCullough added. “I’d just like to encourage that you have some parking that is sheltered with electric plugs available for E-bikes, because there are many people out there now with them.” 

“I think we can all probably get behind there being a few more bedrooms for students near campus, and I’m okay with the parking being slightly less accessible just in that might encourage people to get around ways that are not in cars, particularly given, as you said, the convenient location to most things that students would need to do in Chapel Hill. So yeah, I think you guys have done a lovely job,” added council member Elizabeth Sharp.

“Thank you for moving back up to the 40% tree canopy. I agree with the thought about the E-bike parking. I think that would be great,” added Mayor Jessica Anderson.

“As I’m looking at this parking, I would like to make sure that they are not going to try to be creative. So, in any way, you can deter their creativity regarding parking,” added Council Member Camille Berry.

“We have an ADA spot that would stay open, so I believe the majority of, if not all of them, will be parking in auxiliary parking,” Krittenbrink said in response to Berry.

The project will come back before the council later this year for final approval of the conditional rezoning application.