New tenant in Chapel Hill development could bring a long-awaited ice rink, arena
A chance inquiry about undeveloped land in northern Chapel Hill could land a permanent arena for the UNC Tar Heels men’s hockey team and a 2,000-seat arena for the town.
The N.C. Ice Hockey Booster Club still needs to close on the purchase of the 4-acre parcel at Carraway Village, behind the Chapel Hill Transit park-and-ride lot and west of a new self-storage building and the future Putt-Putt Fun Center off Eubanks Road.
The 2,000-seat arena is still being designed, but could include six to eight luxury skyboxes, administrative offices, locker rooms, a skate rental facility, and concessions area, Booster Club President Greg Morey said. A bar and grill also is possible, he said.
“I only feel like we just started,” Morey said. “We’re very, very excited about the project, and I think very happy that the town is happy. It’s all win, win, win.”
The final design would go through the town’s administrative process, which includes working with staff to meet the Carraway Village special use permit and town requirements and getting approval of exterior designs from the Community Design Commission.
Booster club searches for home ice
The Booster Club provides about $80,000 a year to fill the gap between what the university budgets and the cost to keep club hockey going, Morey said. He’s been seeking a permanent home for the Division II team, which is now based at the Orange County SportsPlex in Hillsborough, for a few years.
The SportsPlex remains a good partner, but the high demand for rink time means the team has to reapply each year. It also creates significant challenges in scheduling games and practice times at a reasonable hour, Morey said.
Besides the 30-member UNC men’s team, the SportsPlex is home to Elon University and Triangle Youth Hockey of NC teams and several hockey leagues and clubs. It also has public skating times, classes, private lessons, and figure and synchronized skating.
“Ice time itself has become difficult to find just because of the popularity of the sport, and we certainly love and support that,” Morey said.
“This is little bit about us controlling our own destiny in the sense that we have a desire to grow a women’s hockey team, for example, at UNC, and we have a desire to see the UNC Hockey Club flourish a little more, so in order to do those things, we believe a fan base and a fan experience is important,” he said.
After inquiring about the land at the Carraway Village leasing office, he was connected with Adam Golden, Northwood Ravin’s vice president of development.
“This was a good use of the space for them, and it was a great opportunity for us to put a home for UNC Hockey,” Morey said.
UNC team plays about 18 games a season
As a nonprofit, the booster club could petition the county tax assessor to waive property taxes on the land. Even then, “their economic impact would still be significant,” said Dwight Bassett, the town’s director of economic development and parking services.
“It would be a great addition to the community both from an economic and recreational opportunity,” Bassett said.
The Tar Heels hockey team, founded in 1974, is a member of the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League and the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II. Home games and tournaments could generate tax revenues from concessions, retail sales, and food and lodging, and also support many of the businesses in that growing part of town.
The permit for Carraway Village’s 55 acres, only about half of which has been developed, includes the option to add a hotel and other commercial uses. Only a few businesses have been added so far, but none of the big retail draws that were expected.
The UNC team plays about 18 games a year, and the arena also could provide public skating and other activities, Morey said.
“It obviously can’t be the PNC experience,” he said. “But I don’t see any reason why we can’t create a wonderful hockey experience or a competitive game experience at this place for everybody.”
