The Chapel Hill Town Council was rightfully hesitant to support a proposal for a new luxury hotel on East Franklin Street.
Echoing complaints raised by residents and businesses located near the site of the long-planned project, council members made clear to the developers that there is a small chance of them approving the proposal unless it is changed to better suit the current demands of the town.
Chapel Hill has plenty of luxury hotels already, such as the Carolina Inn and the Siena Hotel. In fact, the latter is just a block down the road from the site of the proposed hotel.
The average hotel in Chapel Hill retains about 67 percent occupancy. Even the high demand on graduation weekend does not fill every hotel room in town.
And with a boutique hotel being built in Southern Village, there is certainly not a demand for luxury lodging right now.
Adding more high-end hotels will not help the town’s economy or expand its tax base.
A more logical move would be to build affordable, short-term housing for researchers and entrepreneurs who are collaborating with staff at UNC for a few weeks at a time.
The University offers affordable on-campus housing for this demographic, but there is limited availability and rooms must be reserved well in advance.
Chapel Hill is kept alive by the constant influx of intellectuals from all over the world, but unless those people can afford a room at the Franklin Hotel for three weeks, visitors are left with few options.
