Middle-income homes planned

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Middle-income families could find a new home in the Pine Knolls community if a multimillion dollar development is approved by town leadership this spring.

Teachers, health care workers, firefighters and police are likely candidates for the housing, said Jan Dodds, chairwoman of the Pine Knolls Townhomes planning committee.

“We will provide a better way for working people and families to become homeowners in Chapel Hill,” Dodds said.

A plan to build 31 townhomes on three acres of land, crafted by the planning committee, will be presented to Chapel Hill officials in the spring.

Dodds said each home will sell for about $130,000. The total project is predicted to be worth more than $3.1 million and, if approved, will be completed in the fall of 2011.

“We are still in the project’s earliest stages,” Dodds said. “So far, we have only experienced people saying to us, ‘Great idea, carry on.’”

Dodds, an adjunct professor for nutrition and retiree of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, said the homes will be marketed to individuals earning between 85 percent and 130 percent of the median family income of Chapel Hill.

The property, which lies between South Merritt Mill Road and Park Road, is a part of the Pine Knolls neighborhood and is owned by its community center.

Although the land is largely undeveloped, two houses stand on the property, one of which is inhabited. Its current residents will not be asked to move or sell their property.

“Our development will be friendly to the community,” Dodds said.

She said she is optimistic about the project’s chances for approval.

“It is my belief that the town has wanted to do this for a long time,” Dodds said.

Mayor Kevin Foy said the town has in fact been searching for affordable housing options for nearly 15 years.

“Our goal is to provide a diverse mix of housing with regard to affordable housing,” he said.

The Pine Knolls proposal will likely coincide with the completion of Greenbridge Developments in the Northside community, which is scheduled to open in June.

Throughout each stage of its construction, Greenbridge and its founder, Tim Toben, faced criticism over gentrification, which occurs when high-income patrons move into a low-income area.

In an attempt to avoid similar controversy, Dodds and community center board president Ted Parrish said they sought advice from Toben and his partners.

“I don’t know how to build a house, but I know this project will help others,” Dodds said. “In saying that, advice from others can only help us.”

The planning committee has assembled an advisory group, which includes Toben and another Greenbridge partner, to sort through the project’s finances, conceptualize a proposal and identify possible contractors.

Foy, who has been asked to join the advisory group but has yet to accept, said he looks forward to considering closely any plans for affordable housing.

“If you think about how a community works, you need a broad range of affordable housing,” he said.

“That will connect residents to work, to school, and to help them become a full participant in the community.”

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.