Planning Commission recommends approval of 12-story building at Rosemary and Henderson streets

The Town of Chapel Hill Planning Commission has recommended that the Chapel Hill Town Council approve a 12-story residential building at 157 E. Rosemary Street — at the corner of Rosemary and Henderson streets in downtown Chapel Hill.

The proposed building will have 56 residential units, a quarter of which will be made affordable to residents making under 80 percent of the area median income. It would also have 22 underground parking spaces, according to Elizabeth Losos, the chair of the planning commission.

Losos said that while the Town cannot dictate who will live in this new apartment building, the units will be for-sale designed for long-term residents. She also said she thinks the Town should be more progressive in developing denser, more urban areas that are walkable and accessible to public transit.

"The Town should be more forward looking in developing denser, more urban areas that are walkable and have  public transit," Losos said.

Michael Parker, a member of the Chapel Hill Town Council, said there are a lot of positives about the proposed building. 

“We need more people to live downtown, we need more 365-days-a-year residents downtown and we sure need affordable housing,” Parker said.

Karla McPherson, who lives a few blocks away from the proposed development, said she is upset the Town may not decide to put in more “missing middle” housing on the proposed site.

Missing middle housing refers to housing options in between single detached family homes and large apartment complexes. The new development on Rosemary Street would have 14 units dedicated to remaining affordable to residents living below 80 percent AMI.

The height of the building was a cause of concern for the planning commission, and Parker said he is still unsure if a building that size would fit well into downtown Chapel Hill — especially on the proposed intersection. 

“I certainly want density downtown, I want more housing downtown," he said. "At the same time, you have to also recognize that we want to be mindful of what our downtown looks like — in fact what our whole town looks like — and whether individual projects or buildings fit into the overall scheme of things.”

The planning commission’s recommendation for approval of this project contained conditions for the council to consider, including the building’s consistency with the Future Land Use Map (FLUM).

The FLUM is a part of the Town of Chapel Hill’s Comprehensive Plan which outlines strategies and goals for future land use and development. The Comprehensive Plan also includes six future focus areas that are most likely to change in development over time.

The downtown focus area suggests that developments built on the north side of East Rosemary Street do not exceed six stories at the core height, according to the planning commission staff report. The report includes a recommendation that the council evaluate the impacts this development would have on the community, since it will exceed the height suggestion.

Losos said that the finished building will be similar to height of the other developments in progress on Rosemary Street, like the East Rosemary Redevelopment Project, a new office, wet-lab and innovation space, which will be seven stories tall.

According to the planning commission staff report, this residential building will be just 17 feet taller than the Redevelopment Project.

Losos said she is not concerned about a traffic increase, since the parking garage will only have 22 spaces and the walkability of downtown will draw in people who want to stay off the roads. 

The council will vote on Sept. 27 to adopt the resolution that the legislative hearing and consideration of this project be delayed until Oct. 25.

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