Interest in the sale of the land has been promoted by developers who are creating a mixed-use housing property known as Winmore on a site neighboring the Horace Williams tract.
Such a purchase would double the acreage of the Winmore development and make use of an otherwise inaccessible piece of UNC property, said developer Phil Szostak.
Should UNC sell the land, it is anticipated that a percentage of the Winmore homes would be reserved for UNC employees, Szostak said.
But he cautioned that planning for use of the UNC land has so far been strictly noncommittal.
"It's just something that has been talked about as a win-win situation, especially as far as faculty/staff housing," he said.
Bob Knight, assistant vice chancellor for finance and administration, said the decision-making is mostly in the hands of the UNC Board of Trustees, which has yet to receive a formal proposal for the purchase.
But some BOT members are not jumping to endorse the housing plan. "Any property that we have is a very, very valuable asset," said BOT member Stick Williams. "There is a lot of reluctance on the part of the board to give up real estate, but at the same time the board would be very interested in affordable housing for faculty and staff."
Knight said the idea appears to be an effective way to address the University's need for inexpensive housing. "We're looking over what (the developers) would like to do," he said.
Szostak said his plan is to create reasonably priced housing, with homes selling for as little as $90,000 and rentals for as little as $500 per month. "The policemen, the firemen, the town staff, the hospital staff, the University staff -- they can't afford to live here, and they're the people who make this place run," he said.
