Housing, development and local climate-change challenges facing Orange County in 2020
Our reporters are writing about what they expect to be some of the big topics on their beats in 2020.
Orange County residents will see more big construction projects and continued conversations about the future of their communities next year.
A central issue will be how to provide housing and services, and meet traffic, stormwater, and other challenges, without making the county increasingly unaffordable for its longtime residents.
One way to reduce the burden is through continued commercial development. Several projects built in the last 10 years, including Carolina Square (the former University Square), the Greenbridge condominiums in downtown Chapel Hill and the Berkshire Chapel Hill apartments on Elliott Road, already have helped cut the percentage of the county budget paid by residential property taxes from 84% to 80%.
Affordable-housing challenge
Despite creating and preserving hundreds of affordable-housing units, the process of saving money, buying land and working with nonprofit and private developers to provide more will take years.
Housing and utilities are considered affordable when they cost no more than 30% of household income. But in Chapel Hill, a family of four earning just 80% of the area median income — $67,850 a year — cannot afford 75% of the available rental and for-sale housing.
Things to look for in 2020:
▪ Greene Tract: Chapel Hill, Carrboro and the county want to build affordable housing on a portion of the jointly owned 164-acre forest between Eubanks and Homestead roads, but first they must determine how to get there together.
▪ Chapel Hill: The town could finalize plans for a 15-acre housing community on publicly owned land on Homestead Road. Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, meanwhile, is advancing plans for a mixed-income community near East Chapel Hill High School.
Focused on climate change
Every government in Orange County is implementing its own climate-change action plan. Orange County and the towns also have formed a new Climate Council.
Orange County will get its first money in 2020 from a quarter-cent property tax aimed at climate change-related projects, such as low-income home weatherization, energy-efficiency upgrades and solar panels.
The goal is a 100% renewable energy-based economy by 2050.
Confederate controversies
The fight over racism, history, and the future of Confederate monuments and flags will rage on in Orange and Chatham counties next year. Expect continuing protests by Confederate flag supporters and opponents, and at least three cases to head to court:
▪ Hillsborough: Orange County resident Robert “Doug” Hall Jr. is fighting the county for his right to fly a 400-square-foot Confederate flag on his property along U.S. 70, west of Hillsborough.
▪ Chapel Hill: A national civil rights group has joined the lawsuit between the UNC System and the N.C. Sons of Confederate Veterans over UNC’s decision to give the group the Silent Sam Confederate statue and $2.5 million toward protecting and eventually displaying it.
▪ Chatham County: The recent dismissal of a United Daughters of the Confederacy lawsuit may not be the last of Chatham County’s Confederate statue. UDC attorney James Davis has said an appeal of the case involving the statue’s Nov. 19 removal is possible.
Pros and cons of development
▪ Wegmans: Construction is starting on the 99,000-square-foot Wegmans Food Markets between U.S. 15-501 and Old Durham Road in Chapel Hill. The store is expected to open in 2020 and bring thousands of shoppers and cars to the already busy highway corridor.
▪ Southern Branch Library: The 25-year push for a Carrboro branch of the county library system is nearing construction at 203 S. Greensboro St. The final plans are in progress, and the Carrboro Town Council could get an updated construction timeline in January.
How we live, shop, work
▪ Downtown Chapel Hill: UNC will hold public meetings in early spring about the future of the buildings housing the Carolina Coffee Shop and other business tenants on East Franklin Street. On West Franklin Street, Well Dot Inc. is adding up to 400 employees and the town is planning a parking deck. A new hotel and five new office buildings could be coming to West Rosemary Street.
▪ Eastowne: UNC is negotiating its master plan for the 48-acre Eastowne health care campus near U.S. 15-501 and Interstate 40 with Chapel Hill’s Town Council. The first new medical building will open in 2020. Future development could include medical buildings, retail, apartments, and a hotel. A decision is possible by June.
▪ University Place: The years-long process of redeveloping Chapel Hill’s 1970s-era mall to include more public green spaces, retail, offices, and possibly apartments and a hotel will get started this year.
▪ Lloyd Farm: Charlotte-based Argus Development Group could start building the first phase of Lloyd Farm, a 40-acre residential, retail and office community across from Carrboro Plaza anchored by a Harris Teeter.
▪ Chatham Park: The Vineyards, a collection of housing communities, recreation facilities and Thales Academy, is under construction at the 7,000-acre development near Pittsboro. Also in progress is the 92-acre Mosaic, which will include restaurants, retail, office space, a 114-room hotel, eight-screen cinema, 350-seat performance theater, and central green with an outdoor stage.
Tammy Grubb covers Chapel Hill and Orange County government. For smart, reliable and timely coverage of the issues you care about, subscribe to The News & Observer at newsobserver.com/subscribe or subscribe to The Herald-Sun at heraldsun.com/subscribe.
