Chapel Hill looks at selling Homestead Road property

Plots rich with organically grown vegetables scatter the lot on 2200 Homestead Road. Every Saturday morning, members of HOPE Gardens and other volunteers gather to get dirty, tend the garden and foster a community environment.

This could all end if that lot is sold by the town.

A group of local real estate professionals and Chapel Hill town staff are working together to review multiple disposable properties around town to see if they could be used for other purposes. Six properties, including the HOPE Gardens site, were chosen for review.

“There was an old building that is dilapidated and in disrepair on that property that the town has identified, and a number of other properties that we could dispose off and use for other purposes,” said Jason Damweber, assistant to the town manager.

Established in 2009, HOPE Gardens is a student-run community garden focused on using sustainable agriculture to provide food for low-income and homeless people. They also host education programs, potlucks and cooking classes, and manage a Sponsor-Plot Program for community members to rent a plot of land to grow produce.

“Part of our mission statement as an organization is providing a community space,” said Emily Auerbach, senior adviser for HOPE Gardens and a senior at UNC. “Obviously a physical space is a big part of that mission.”

The 14-acre property includes the former Sport Art Gymnastics building, a gravel parking lot and a large lake. 

With permission from the Parks and Recreation Department, the Chapel Hill Town Council and the Active Living by Design Partnership Advisory Committee, HOPE cultivated a community garden to foster relationships among community members.

But despite the vegetable plots, herb garden, beehives and nature trails HOPE volunteers have built on the lot — the property doesn’t belong to them.

“We do not own the land, we have no right to the land,” Auerbach said. “We are simply there by their good graces.”

If the lot is sold, HOPE will have to start from scratch and move to a new location.

“If the land gets sold, we are going to work with Parks and Recreation to find a new location,” Auerbach said. “In the meantime we will continue to provide services.”

In the property evaluation report for the lot, the town listed possible uses of the property, including redeveloping it as a multi-family residential townhouse facility.

“It will ultimately be the council’s decision whether or not to sell the property,” Damweber said.

But there is still hope that the property will not be sold.

“It was on the second list that we studied, so it is not up for sale,” said Ed Harrison, a council liaison for the Chapel Hill Active Living by Design Partnership Advisory Committee.

“It’s on a list to look up consideration for selling.”

Jeanette Bench, a Chapel Hill resident whose family has worked with HOPE since 2010, said she believes the organization is an asset to the community.

“We’ve gotten to know the students and some of the work that they do and its very inspiring,” Bench said.

“The town needs to hear from the citizens and the students, that will get their attention. They need to know that people care. They need to do the right thing.”

Auerbach said the greatest way students can help HOPE is by showing support.

“If you want to help us so that the land does not get sold, come out to town council meetings,” said Auerbach.

On Sept. 8, HOPE participants and community members will wear green and attend the 7 p.m. Town Council meeting.

HOPE Gardens is also hosting an interest meeting for students in the Campus Y’s Anne Queen Lounge Monday at 8 p.m.

Auerbach said students and community members should also write letters to the mayor or the council members.

“We are more than just a community garden, and we want to make sure that all of them are fully informed before they make these types of decisions.”

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