Officials dedicate Baity Hill

University administrators Monday dedicated Baity Hill, the new student family housing located off Mason Farm Road, as a part of UNC's growing campus.

"We are proud of how this project came together," said Larry Hicks, associate director of Housing and Residential Education. "I think we've given (student families) a pretty decent accommodation for pursuing their studies."

Once construction is completed, Baity Hill will have 398 one- or two-bedroom apartments in a nine-building complex.

Students already have begun to move into the apartments, which are temporarily being used to house students displaced by delays on the Cobb Residence Hall renovation.

Baity Hill is closer than most housing alternatives, and it is safe and affordable, which is exactly what students with families need, said Mike Brady, president of the Graduate and Professional Student Federation.

"In the Chapel Hill area, that can be hard to find," he said, adding that he is a husband and father himself. "It can be very taxing, and I think it's refreshing for them to know that they aren't alone."

Baity Hill was created to bring a sense of community to the students living there, said Margaret Jablonski, vice chancellor for student affairs.

The area will offer a common space for the community in the form of the Baity House, a 1940s home located atop a hill in the center of the complex.

The community features a playground and a sidewalk that runs along Mason Farm Road - something with which many nearby Chapel Hill residents are pleased.

"I think changes were made that made it more compatible with the community," said Diana Steele, who has lived on Mason Farm Road since 1967.

With tension between the town and the University running high as construction on UNC's Master Plan continues, many residents initially were concerned about the apartments.

"At the beginning, it looked as if they were going to destroy a lot of the neighborhood," Steele said.

But underground parking lots and a new sidewalk have helped preserve the appeal of the neighborhood.

"(The University) may be able to pull it off, which will make the people down here feel closer," Steele said.

Steele, who owns a day care center near the new apartments, said she is looking forward to meeting her new neighbors.

"I think they're wonderful. Families are my bread and butter."

Chancellor James Moeser said at the dedication that the new student family housing is a reflection of how the town and the University can come together.

He said the new community will offer an affordable place for students to live while they focus on their education. "What we are doing here is literally planting seeds."

 

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.