These 5 developments will shape Chapel Hill’s landscape in 2026
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Aura Booth Park readies 361 apartments and 58 townhomes at MLK and Estes.
- Project has space for six commercial tenants; ISI Elite advertising its location.
- Adjacent Coker Place adds 107 units with starting prices in high $600Ks.
The first tenants are getting ready to move into Aura Booth Park — Chapel Hill’s latest mixed-use neighborhood at 1000 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. — just days into the new year.
The Trinsic Residential Group project adds 361 apartments and 58 townhomes, replacing a tree farm that had filled the northeastern corner of Estes Drive and MLK Jr. Boulevard for decades.
There’s also space for six commercial tenants, including ISI Elite Training, which has been advertising its future location for a few months. No grand opening has been scheduled yet.
Other spaces, including three available for retail or restaurants with patio dining, range from just over 1,100 to 2,800 square feet.
One — a standalone building with a rooftop terrace overlooking a courtyard — is perfect for a coffee shop or some other “cute,” local café, Aura leasing staff said.
It’s a vision that could unfold over the next six months, as crews put the finishing touches on more apartments, wash off the mud, and complete construction of the outdoor amenities. Next door, the Coker Place project at 710 N. Estes Dr. is adding 107 condos and townhomes with starting prices in the high $600,000s.
Long, controversial road to construction
Aura was the fifth project floated for the 16-acre Butler tree farm since 2010, and followed a community-driven planning process that sought less housing and more retail, including a hotel, to serve UNC-Chapel Hill’s future Carolina North campus on the opposite corner.
But the 250-acre academic and research campus stalled, and project after project proposed for the Butler site failed.
In 2018, the Butler site owner caused an uproar by harvesting 15 acres of mature trees. Chapel Hill police investigated but never learned who hammered long, rusty nails into 30 to 40 trees — an act of vandalism that appeared intentional, a town landscape architect said.
UNC closed Horace Williams Airport that same year on the northwest corner of Estes Drive and MLK Jr. Boulevard, lifting an airport hazard zone that had limited building heights. The council approved Aura in 2021 after two split votes.
The approved project had more housing and less commercial space than the community wanted, and rallied support for slower-growth candidates in two subsequent elections.
Then-Mayor Pam Hemminger said before the second vote that council members had received threatening and hateful emails. Anonymous signs targeting former council member Karen Stegman appeared during the 2021 campaign alleging, “Stegman voted for AURA & Betrayed You!”
Stegman, who left the council in June, is running for Orange County commissioner in 2026. UNC has also revived plans for Carolina North this year, suggesting it could be a replacement site for the aging Smith Center basketball arena.
What to know about Aura Booth Park
- Monthly rent ranges from $1,535 for a one-bedroom apartment to $3,650 for a three-story, four-bedroom townhome.
- Tenants who sign a lease now can live up to two months rent-free. Hard-hat tours are being offered now.
- More units opening up over the next six months.
- Outdoor amenities: a resort-style swimming pool, outdoor cabana with grills, dog park, community park with covered space, and an interactive playground. It’s on Chapel Hill Transit bus lines and is a future North-South bus-rapid transit stop.
- Indoor features: clubroom with kitchen and bar, gaming lounge with billiards table and shuffleboard, two relaxation lounges with indoor and outdoor fireplaces, private library with office pods and conference rooms, and a two-story athletic center.
- Affordable units are available.
More Chapel Hill projects to watch in 2026
South Creek
- Across from Southern Village on U.S. 15-501 South, South Creek is a 123-acre mixed-use neighborhood with an 80-acre nature preserve. A conservation easement is in progress.
- Includes 815 apartments, townhomes and condos on a Chapel Hill Transit bus line and a future bus-rapid transit stop.
- 95 Market at South Creek could be leasing 92 apartments at U.S. 15-501 and Market Street by summer 2026. The Hawthorn has 68 condo homes for pre-sale now.
- The second construction phase starts this year: 24 townhomes (some with rooftop terraces), four condo buildings, and the road and infrastructure network. Townhome residents could select finishes and move in by 2027.
- Over 26,000 square feet of retail and office space. Sounds and Colors, a Spanish-immersion child care center, is the first tenant. Travis Thompson, general manager of Beechwood Carolinas’ Triangle division, said other potential tenants are in talks.
- Amenities: Multiple pools, a clubroom, fitness center, playground, splash pad and parks, coworking spaces, a demonstration kitchen, and a large park that could also be an amphitheater.
University Place
- Construction wrapped up this year on the east end of the mall, built in 1973. That end was demolished in 2023 to make way for new, outward-facing storefronts, a central green space and additional buildings.
- Several new storefronts opened in 2025, including Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, Veterinary Emergency Group, Solidcore Pilates, and Sweathouz. Alfredo’s Pizza, a longtime mall staple, moved into its new space in the 900 Willow building.
- H&H Bagels could open in January, and other tenants are expected, including The Salty, Curry Up Now, and Bliss Nails.
Atlas Blue Hill
- Construction at Atlas Blue Hill — the former Millennium Chapel Hill project — could wrap up soon. Leasing starts in 2026.
- The 1301 Fordham Blvd. project, at the heart of the Blue Hill redevelopment district, replaced the former University Inn.
- The 3.9-acre, six-story building features over 300 apartments and short-term lodging units, wrapped around a parking deck.
- Amenities: Pool, fitness center, skydeck and social lounge, co-working spaces, indoor and outdoor recreation
- Within walking distance of bus stops, shopping, restaurants and schools
Parkline East Village
- Four residential projects could seek permits and start construction this year in Parkline East Village, 50 acres on the Durham-Chapel Hill border surrounded by U.S. 15-501, East Lakeview Drive, Old Durham-Chapel Hill Road and Pope Road.
- The district was a pilot of the new Complete Community strategy for creating more mixed-use neighborhoods and pedestrian- and bike-friendly connections. The work did not deliver on promised commercial space, and affordable housing is limited.
- Chapel Hill Crossing: E.B. Capital Partners is building up to 199 apartments and 130 for-sale townhouses and cottages on 16 acres at Old Durham and Pope roads.
- East Lakeview: E.B. Capital Partners is also building 86 for-sale townhomes on four acres at 5640 Old Chapel Hill Road.
- Meridian Lakeview: Southern Village developer D.R. Bryan said his 16-acre project could start construction in February. The plan calls for 388 apartments with affordable options for seniors and green space for events, pop-up retail and food trucks.
- 11 White Oak Drive: The council approved ZOM Living’s plan for 400 apartments and townhomes on 13 acres in June. The project, north of Old Chapel Hill Road, could have two pools, a dog park, parks, clubhouses and greenways. It does not include land for a long-sought extension of Danziger Drive across I-40 to Mt. Moriah Road.
- The district is within walking distance of UNC Health’s Eastowne campus, Wegmans and The Parkline (former Blue Cross Blue Shield) office building. Bus stops are nearby.
