GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT
By Adam Powell
Correspondent
CHAPEL HILL – During the Wednesday, September 24, meeting of the Chapel Hill Town Council, the municipal board spent the majority of the meeting listening to public speakers discuss three different development projects being proposed around town. The projects in question are located at 860 Weaver Dairy Road, 115 Chapel Point Road, and 5640 Old Chapel Hill Road.
Most of the public speakers opposed the various projects, highlighting the various anticipated hindrances to their way of life, including traffic, water runoff, and other environmental concerns.
The council began the trio of legislative hearings by discussing the conditional zoning request for 860 Weaver Dairy, which is calling for 350 or more multi-family units and 100-135 townhome units.
The proposed project is situated on an oddly shaped 45.23-acre parcel along the I-40 freeway corridor, on the north side of Weaver Dairy Road. Adjacent commercial and residential communities include Timberline Plaza, the Vilcom Center, and the neighborhoods of Carol Woods, Coventry, Kensington Trace, and Chapel Hill North Apartments. To the immediate west of the proposed development is a Harris Teeter grocery store and an Exxon gas station.
Current plans call for a combination of townhomes, duplexes, accessory dwelling units, and condominiums. Plans also call for two multi-family buildings, and a three- to four-story flex space that could be a potential hotel or future commercial space. The developers are seeking R6 rezoning along the west side of the property. Approximately 30 of the 45.23 acres are proposed for development, with the remaining acreage to be preserved.
In another section of the proposed project, adjacent to the Coventry and Carol Woods communities, the developer is seeking R4 zoning, which allows for lower density to accommodate the proposed townhomes. The townhomes in this area will be two-story, for-sale units, and have a variety of front-loaded and rear-loaded garages. Stormwater mitigation in this lower-density area of the project will focus on the construction of retention ponds. The developer is looking to work with the residents of Carol Woods to establish a greenway connection in that part of the community.
The project includes a 10-foot multi-purpose path and a 50-foot buffer from the I-40 freeway corridor. The multi-use path is proposed to connect from Carol Woods to Harris Teeter, located nearby at 1800 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, avoiding street conflicts.
While the project aligns with Chapel Hill’s community framework, it faces concerns about traffic, stormwater management, and buffer zones, among other issues. For instance, a proposed traffic light at Weaver Dairy Road is unlikely due to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) criteria. Members of the Town Council emphasized the need for thorough stormwater management and community engagement, particularly with the Homeowners’ Associations at nearby communities such as Weatherstone and Carol Woods, among others.
The Council took no action on the proposed project on September 24, opting instead to continue the legislative hearing to the evening of October 22 by a unanimous vote.
The project at 115 Chapel Point Road would be an extension of the existing Carraway Village community, located adjacent to the I-40 corridor along Eubanks and Chapel Point Roads. The project initially held a public forum back in April and was most recently reviewed by the Chapel Hill Planning Commission on August 19.
Thomas & Hutton, a Durham-based engineering firm, is working on behalf of owner Optimal Ventures LLC and developer NWR Development, LLC to construct 155 to 170 multi-family rental units – a combination of apartment buildings and townhouses – close to the I-40 freeway interchange. This is the third phase of expansion to Carraway Village.
The proposed development includes a greenway connector, three-story apartment buildings with 10% affordable units (half at 60% of the Area Median Income and half at 80% of the Area Median Income), and a stormwater retention pond. The site will retain 23% impervious cover, with approximately 77% of the site left undeveloped to impervious surfaces such as building footprints, parking lots, and sidewalks. Parking ratios are nearly one space per unit, and the development will feature micro units, townhouses, and green spaces.
As with the project at 860 Weaver Dairy Road, town leaders agreed to continue the legislative hearing on this newest extension of Carraway Village to its October 22 session.
Ernie Brown of EB Partners came before the Town Council to discuss plans to construct up to 76 townhomes and/or stacked townhomes on the site at 5640 Old Chapel Hill Road. Brown is proposing to rezone the 4-acre property at 5640 Old Chapel Hill Road into R-6-CZD to allow for the townhome community, which would be known as East Lakeview. The project came before the Chapel Hill Planning Commission back in June.
Brown, as developer, is working with Kadre Engineering, on behalf of owners Peng Xu and Dan-Hong Lu to rezone the property from its current zoning of Residential-1 (R-1) to Residential-6-Conditional Zoning District (R-6-CZD). EB Partners is also the developer for Chapel Hill Crossing, located at Old Durham Road, as well as a concept plan for a large project at 860 Weaver Dairy Road that is also in the development stages.
The plan for the townhomes at East Lakeview has undergone numerous modifications over the past couple of years. When Brown appeared before the Town Council in the spring of 2024, East Lakeview was requesting 90 townhomes. On the Town of Chapel Hill’s official website, the project description calls for up to 86 dwelling units on the site. The plans now call for fewer than 80 units.
Characteristics of the current plan include up to eight multi-family buildings, which would allow for the construction of a range of between 68 and 76 residential units. East Lakeview will feature outdoor amenities, including tuck-under and surface parking, as well as courtyards available for resident use. Additionally, the development will include public green space along E. Lakeview Drive and Old Chapel Hill Road, with a connection to a future extension of nearby Cowan Blvd.
The Town Council voted to continue the legislative hearing on the 5640 Old Chapel Hill Road project to its Nov. 12, 2025 meeting.
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
Be the first to comment on "Town Council Opens Legislative Hearings on Development Projects"