After a lengthy and contentious public hearing, the Chapel Hill Town Council approved Wednesday night a rezoning request and special use permit for a housing development geared toward students.
The Bicycle Apartments, which will be located at 602 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., will be a four- to six-story building with 194 units and 241 parking spaces.
At Wednesday’s meeting, more than 30 residents and council members voiced concerns that the by-design student housing complex might have negative effects on the historically black and low-income Northside area.
Councilman Jim Ward said that while he supports the proposed development, he worries about student housing affecting historical districts.
“We have historic neighborhoods that are suffering,” he said. “The fabric of many of those communities is being torn apart.”
But Travis Vencel, the developer for the project, said the developing company has already taken steps to protect these neighborhoods.
Vencel said he has reworked the property design to shift the building southwest and increased the buffer zone in order to minimize the effects on neighbors.
Chapel Hill resident Deborah Finn said while she isn’t opposed to students living near long-term residents, she is concerned about the size of the proposal.
“There seems to be an impression that the neighborhood doesn’t want them,” she said. “Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s a matter of quantity and balance.”
