Schedule depends on Council

The Chapel Hill Town Council will respond tonight to a pair of requests from a developer who wants to convert a Franklin Street apartment building into condominiums.

213 E. Franklin Street LLC plans to convert the 35-unit Village Apartments building, constructed in 1937, into an eight-condominium affair called McCorkle Place.

The proposed renovation requires a special use permit because the property was rezoned for low-intensity office and industrial use in the 1980s, said Joe Patterson, a partner of the developing agency.

"It needs a great deal of renovation and repair to bring it back to its original condition," he said.

Patterson's agency acquired the Village Apartments in May. The agency petitioned the council to either alter the town's Land Use Management Ordinance so it would not have to secure a special use permit or expedite its application for that permit.

The town staff recommended that the council act on neither petition.

An expedited permit application is given priority over nonexpedited applications in every step of the approval process, Town Manager Cal Horton said.

Patterson said his company hopes to begin renovation within a month after tenants' leases expire in July.

But if the council follows the town staff's recommendations, Patterson's company likely will not be granted the necessary permits for 13 to 17 months from the request for a special use permit. Patterson submitted his application Sept. 17.

In his report, Horton said the staff thought the project did not meet the criteria for expedition. The report also said that because so many projects already were prioritized, approving the project's expedition would have little practical effect.

But amending the LUMO to exempt Patterson's project would be inadvisable because it would allow significant unregulated development, the report states.

Patterson said permit delays would force his company to let the building sit empty, which would cost money. He also pointed out that a delay in the permits would force the company to wait longer to be paid.

The petition for expedition of the special use permit states that renovations would "maintain the historic character of the building" and "leave the footprint of the existing structures unchanged."

The project will not displace long-term residents. The petition for expedition characterized the apartments as "student-oriented," and Patterson noted that the none of the residents had been there for more than three years.

If all the necessary permits are granted, renovation should take eight or nine months, Patterson said. His company hopes to pre-sell the units, which will include seven three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath units to be sold to any buyer, and one rental unit for a family meeting affordable housing guidelines, he said.

Patterson said the project is part of a larger trend. "The renovation of existing properties will be key to the rejuvenation of the downtown."

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