Apartments with parks on Durham border? Chapel Hill council offers some suggestions.

Tammy Grubb
·6 min read

Two projects on Chapel Hill’s Durham border — one with a community green and another with a park — could give people more choices about where to live and play but need a little more work, town leaders said Wednesday night.

Chapel Hill Town Council members were generally positive but offered suggestions for improving the projects:

▪ Meridian Lakeview, off U.S. 15-501 near UNC Health Care’s Eastowne campus, and

▪ Hillmont planned for N.C. 54 near Meadowmont.

Both projects are within the town limits but also in Durham County, and both would replace largely wooded land and smaller homes.

Meridian Lakeview (formerly Gateway) could offer up to 388 apartments on 16 acres, including up to 72 affordable units or up to 24 for-sale townhouses off East Lakeview and White Oak drives.

Southern Village developer D.R. Bryan is asking the council to rezone the 16 acres behind the Red Roof Inn and across from the State Employees Credit Union-owned Parkline building (formerly Blue Cross) for more density and buildings up to four stories.

A site plan for Meridian Lakeview (formerly Gateway) shows the apartment project backing up to the Red Roof Inn on U.S. 15-501. The project could have up to 388 apartments, including some affordable units for adults age 55 and older (in red at bottom).
A site plan for Meridian Lakeview (formerly Gateway) shows the apartment project backing up to the Red Roof Inn on U.S. 15-501. The project could have up to 388 apartments, including some affordable units for adults age 55 and older (in red at bottom).

The tree-lined proposal also includes a community green of nearly a third of an acre for food trucks, performances and other activities.

But it didn’t meet the council’s expectations for the future Parkline East Village district, which includes The Parkline campus, Eastowne, Wegmans, and two more housing projects — one of which was approved last month at Old Durham and Pope roads.

The district is a pilot project of the town’s Complete Community development changes, which calls for walkable homes, shops, and public and private recreation.

Meridian Lakeview (blue) would be part of a new Parkline East Village district in eastern Chapel Hill. A concept plan has been reviewed for the North White Oak Drive apartments (in yellow), and plans for Chapel Hill Crossing (green, at bottom right) and UNC Health Care’s Eastowne expansion (green, at top) have been approved.
Meridian Lakeview (blue) would be part of a new Parkline East Village district in eastern Chapel Hill. A concept plan has been reviewed for the North White Oak Drive apartments (in yellow), and plans for Chapel Hill Crossing (green, at bottom right) and UNC Health Care’s Eastowne expansion (green, at top) have been approved.

The approved Chapel Hill Crossing on Old Durham Road will add over 300 apartments, cottages and townhouses to the district, including about 20 for-sale homes and 26 apartments. Chapel Hill developer Ernie Brown also plans live-work units, pop-up retail space and an inclusive playground for that 16-acre project, which is located north and south of Old Durham Road.

Brown has also agreed to pay for a study of the 250-acre watershed around Clark Lake, a privately owned lake with an aging dam south of the site. The council is pushing for all three projects to handle the stormwater runoff generated by a 100-year storm.

Final plans for a third project, North White Oak Drive, have not been submitted yet. The council reviewed a nine-acre concept plan last year for 338 apartments wrapped around parking garages with a rooftop pool. An affordable housing offer was still in progress.

Hillmont is proposed with two apartment buildings fronting N.C. 54 in Chapel Hill, three more apartment buildings at the core, and townhouses and cottages at bottom left. At bottom right is a roughly 6-acre park that the town would like to be publicly accessible.
Hillmont is proposed with two apartment buildings fronting N.C. 54 in Chapel Hill, three more apartment buildings at the core, and townhouses and cottages at bottom left. At bottom right is a roughly 6-acre park that the town would like to be publicly accessible.

Apartments near Meadowmont

Hillmont, the other project reviewed Wednesday, is in another growing part of town off N.C. 54 East and Barbee Chapel Road, near Finley Forest Condominiums and UNC’s Friday Center. The council approved Barbee Chapel Apartments with 350 apartments and townhouses, including 23 affordable units, in May.

Hillmont could add 390 to 500 for-rent apartments, townhouses and cottages, including at least 36 affordable units, on adjacent land, said Adam Golden, a developer with Northwood Ravin. Rates could range from $1,500 a month for a studio to $3,000 a month for three bedrooms, he said.

The 36-acre site doesn’t work for commercial development because it lacks visibility, is hard to access at N.C. 54 and is bisected by a stream that could be restored, Golden told the council. But it could include nearly six acres of large, natural open space around a pond. along with trails, play space and outdoor sports courts, he said.

Hillmont and Barbee Chapel Apartments will also add to pedestrian trails and sidewalks linking residents with N.C. 54, Meadowmont’s retail center, and transit at the Friday Center. The council had questions about how to make the busy commuter roads safer for pedestrians, get some neighborhood commercial, and offer more for surrounding residents, such as public access to the park.

A central road could connect apartment buildings in developer D.R. Bryan’s Meridian Lakeview plan for East Lakeview Drive off U.S. 15-501 in Chapel Hill. The project also could feature affordable senior apartments and a public lawn for events and recreation.
A central road could connect apartment buildings in developer D.R. Bryan’s Meridian Lakeview plan for East Lakeview Drive off U.S. 15-501 in Chapel Hill. The project also could feature affordable senior apartments and a public lawn for events and recreation.

Meridian Lakeview details

What’s planned: 388 apartments on 16 acres at East Lakeview Drive and White Oak Drive, near U.S. 15-501 North

Amenities: Walking trails, pedestrian connections, pool and clubhouse, about 0.3 acres for a community green

Affordable housing: The council was interested in the plan for up to 72 affordable apartments serving adults 55 and up. The apartments could be rented to someone earning 60% to 80% of the area median income — $1,000 a month for a studio to $1,820 for two bedrooms, based on U.S. Housing and Urban Development guidelines.

Bryan is offering to give 1.7 acres for affordable housing to the town or a nonprofit developer if the project can’t secure federal low-income housing tax credits within five years.

Getting around: The site is near existing Chapel Hill Transit and GoTriangle stops. It could add new street and pedestrian connections. The developer and town could ask N.C. Department of Transportation for a roundabout or traffic light at East Lakeview Drive and Old Durham Road.

Public concerns: Additional traffic, pedestrian safety, stormwater runoff, light pollution and tree loss

What the council said: Council member Michael Parker led the push for less surface parking, and for the developer to get affordable housing tax credits for 72 affordable apartments, rather than give land to the town.

Council member Paris Miller-Foushee also asked for a playground and more recreation space around the stormwater ponds. Council member Tai Huynh asked how to get some retail, although the zoning limits it to elder or child care. Staff will look at the possibility for pop-up retail and more frequent food trucks.

Council member Jessica Anderson asked why talks with Parkline East developers only concerned how people move around without cars, and didn’t consider how to get more commercial space and public amenities. Staff will follow up, but commercial projects usually depend on what the market supports, planner Corey Liles said.

Bryan suggested amending the town’s future land-use planning map to add retail at the corner of East Lakeview Drive and Old Durham Road and at The Parkline campus, where it would be more visible.

Next steps: The public hearing will continue Nov. 15.

A bird’s eye view of Hillmont, at Barbee Chapel Road and NC 54, shows three apartment buildings at the development’s core (left, front) with the approved Barbee Chapel Apartments in the background. A restored stream is at bottom right.
A bird’s eye view of Hillmont, at Barbee Chapel Road and NC 54, shows three apartment buildings at the development’s core (left, front) with the approved Barbee Chapel Apartments in the background. A restored stream is at bottom right.

Hillmont project details

What’s planned: 390-500 apartments, townhouses and cottages in several buildings

Amenities: 6-acre park with a pond, trails and recreational fields; pool and clubhouse

Affordable housing: Up to 36 apartments, with half serving residents at 60% of the area median income and half serving 80% AMI, or up to 26 apartments serving people who earn 60% of AMI. Rents could start at roughly $1,000 a month for a studio apartment.

Getting around: UNC’s Friday Center is a hub for Chapel Hill Transit and GoTriangle buses; the project could add more segments to pedestrian trails and sidewalks

Public concerns: Increasing traffic, pedestrian safety, stormwater runoff; tree and landscaping buffers with existing homes

What the council said: They liked the large park but asked the developer to consider opening it up to the public. Council member Adam Searing suggested Northwood Ravin add over an acre it owns on Littlejohn Road to the park, giving neighbors access. Parker suggested more amenities focused on families, including an inclusive playground and indoor spaces for kids.

Council member Amy Ryan asked the developer to save older trees where possible, instead of clear-cutting like Northwood Ravin did at Carraway Village on Eubanks Road. The council members asked for one or more for-sale affordable housing options and agreed that more work is needed to make driving, walking and cycling safer on the site and on Barbee Chapel Road and N.C. 54.

Next steps: The council will continue the public hearing Nov. 15.