The Town Council will vote on UNC's Development Plan at the meeting, which will be held at 7 p.m. at the Chapel Hill Town Hall.
The council also will consider abandoning a special-use permit that requires a vegetative buffer between the Smith Center and Mason Farm Road -- an area slated for development in the plan.
Bruce Runberg, UNC's associate vice chancellor for facilities services, said the special-use permit will be brought before the Town Council with the Development Plan -- a guideline for campus growth during the next eight years -- because of the relationship between the two issues. "We hope they'll tie the two together in their action (Wednesday)," he said.
The special-use permit, originally approved in 1980, provided conditional approval to the construction of the Smith Center. The permit has been linked to the University's Development Plan because it requires a vegetative buffer between campus and the neighborhood along Mason Farm Road.
"If the council approves the Development Plan, then we believe the case could be made to abandon the (special-use permit) because the Development Plan would have superceded it," said Town Manager Cal Horton.
Runberg said the University requested the abandonment of the special-use permit last September because all the permit's stipulations have been met. He also said current zoning does not require a special permit for the area.
"The reason we're trying to (abandon the special-use permit) is because the Development Plan has housing being built along Mason Farm Road that goes into the buffer," Runberg said.
He also said the additional housing will provide an adequate buffer between the Smith Center and the neighborhood.
But several residents have said they disagree and met with University officials last week to discuss the development of the area around Mason Farm Road.
