Residents of one Chapel Hill neighborhood want to preserve the tree-lined streets and wooded areas of their community.
That's why inhabitants of the Coker Hills neighborhood sat down with former town planning director Roger Waldon on Sunday to discuss turning the area into a neighborhood conservation district - which would set specific zoning limits to preserve the area's distinct characteristics.
"Walking through Coker Hills, there's a seamlessness that we want to try to preserve," resident Janet Kagan said.
After the Northside neighborhood became a conservation district in February, four other historic neighborhoods - Kings Mill/Morgan Creek, Greenwood, Pine Knolls and Coker Hills - all petitioned the Chapel Hill Town Council in April to be granted the same status.
The town hired Waldon and his company, Clarion Associates, LLC, to lead the neighborhood conservation project.
Residents say they love the character of the neighborhood and its homes - modest, set far back from the street and far apart from one another.
Coker Hills was established in the 1960s by Henry R. Totten, a student of University botanist William C. Coker, and the Coker College for Women.
"This neighborhood has a mix of residents - some original owners, some new families and some renters," said Marc LaBranche, president of the neighborhood association.
LaBranche said the average house size in Coker Hills is 2,900 square feet.
