New affordable housing development, the PEACH apartments, opens in Chapel Hill

On Friday, the air buzzed with excitement as community members gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the opening of the new Pine Knolls EMPOWERment Affordable Community Housing apartments, an affordable housing project created by EMPOWERment Inc..

The PEACH apartments will offer low-income populations a variety of floor plans, including ADA-accessible units. The complex includes two studios, four one-bedroom apartments, three two-bedroom apartments and one three-bedroom apartment. The project provides affordable homes to essential workers and lower-income residents earning between 30 percent and 60 percent of the area median income.

EMPOWERment broke ground on the project in Oct. 2023 and originally announced the plans for PEACH in July of the same year.

As housing prices in Chapel Hill continue to rise, many people have to live far from their jobs, which increases their commuting times and contributes to housing insecurity in the community. PEACH aims to combat these issues by offering stable, accessible housing.

“We must continue to support [local nonprofits], they should not be partisan and we must continue to advocate at the state and federal levels for funding, for housing funding and for policies like increases in the minimum wage, for child tax credits, for fair electoral maps, for restrictions on private investment hedge funds,” Orange County Board of County Commissioners Chair, Jamezetta Bedford said. 

Bedford said the location of the apartments are ideal as they are nestled in the Pine Knolls neighborhood close to Chapel Hill Transit lines, downtown amenities, jobs and within walking distance of the University. Bedford said the PEACH project serves as a model for similar affordable housing initiatives to follow.

“Our community is not complete when we don't take intentional action, to include those who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford Chapel Hill,” Chapel Hill Mayor Jess Anderson said. 

Anderson said the PEACH Apartments are a testament to the strength of the Town’s partnership with EMPOWERment and other community organizations to make affordable housing a reality. 

The PEACH Apartments were made possible in part by a $1.5 million investment from the Town’s dedicated affordable housing fund and the contribution of a third of an acre of town-owned land. Anderson said providing housing for very low-income individuals and families requires a layered approach, combining funding, land and strong partnerships.

U.S. Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-N.C. 4th) said this project is especially important to her because she used to live in the Pine Knolls neighborhood.

“I am pleased that this new housing community is located here, in one of Chapel Hill's oldest historically Black neighborhoods and a place with deep roots, generational strength and a rich legacy,” Foushee said.

Foushee said the opening of the Pine Knolls Apartments honors and carries forward the history of the neighborhood. She said the development demonstrates what is possible when vision, persistence and community come together to address one of the region's most urgent needs: access to safe and affordable housing.

Near the end of the event, attendees clapped along to a song performed by Yvette Matthews and a prayer was offered by Apostle Hattie B. Stancil of Barbee’s Chapel Harvest Word Ministries. Members of EMPOWERment and project supporters held the ceremonial ribbon as Foushee cut it, officially marking the opening of the PEACH apartments.

“For too long, rising housing and rent costs in this area have forced many longterm residents to leave the very community they helped build,” Foushee said. “But growth does not always have to come at the cost of displacement, and the PEACH partners show us that we can choose a path that centers inclusion and honors our community’s roots.”

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