TO THE EDITOR:
The DTH omitted critical details and ignored key facts related to the potential Franklin Student Housing project (There needs to be a demand for potential housing, Nov. 20).
The DTH is simply wrong to state, without data, that students have “historically resided in homes.” There are no fewer than 30 large apartment complexes catering to UNC students in the surrounding areas. These complexes would not exist without student demand for apartments.
The DTH is also wrong to say “now is not the right time” for this project. Chapel Hill’s housing remains undersupplied, even with Lux Apartments and Shortbread Lofts opening in fall 2014. This inadequate supply is one of the reasons the town struggles to provide affordable housing.
John McAdams, the project’s engineering and zoning consultant, emphatically stated to the Town Council that “Franklin Student Housing is a concept name to be changed,” and that this project is “meant to appeal to more than just students.”
Unquestionably, adding more downtown apartments is a step in the right direction for a denser, more walkable and more sustainable Chapel Hill. The real question is whether Wintergreen Hospitality will do what McAdams says: Break away from the luxury student housing model.
Resilient, flexible housing options downtown will chart a bold path forward for a better Chapel Hill, but only if developers stop building complexes with pools, gyms, tanning beds and 24/7 security guards, and start building housing options that attract not only students, but residents of all ages and incomes.
Travis Crayton ’13
Chapel Hill
