Chapel Hill gives parking to land high-paying jobs and keep UNC startup in town
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- Town council may grant $87,000 parking incentive to attract 41 high‑paying jobs.
- Council to approve $7 million bond loan to preserve and rehab 79 affordable apartments.
- Deals lock Section 8 contracts 20 years and aim to complete rehab by spring 2027.
A contribution of 10 parking spaces is going to keep a homegrown concessions delivery company growing on Franklin Street.
The Chapel Hill Town Council approved the incentive, valued at $87,000 over five years, on Wednesday. The deal hinges on the company, Eats2Seats, adding 41 local jobs paying an average wage of $122,683 a year.
Thirty jobs will be consolidated from operations in other states, but 11 will be new, said David Putnam, Chapel Hill’s economic development director. The company meets the town’s goals for downtown businesses to be focused on technology, applied sciences, office and entrepreneurship, he said.
Eats2Seats founder Mary Laci Motley started the company in 2018 while she was a sophomore at UNC-Chapel Hill, working out of the Launch incubator before relocating to the Innovate Carolina Junction hub on East Franklin Street. The company initially served sports fans attending games in Kenan Stadium, but was forced to regroup during the COVID pandemic.
Today, it has over 38,000 employees in 13 states, delivering concessions directly to fans in their seats at sports and entertainment venues. The company also has a growing service mission, providing staff to help nonprofits raise money through concessions sales.
The company had also looked at moving its headquarters to Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; and Atlanta, Putnam said.
“This was a competitive project. They were looking at multiple locations nationally, where this idea of early-stage talent is really prominent,” he said.
The town already owns the parking spaces near 462 W. Franklin St., where the company plans to lease space, Putnam said. A few additional parking spaces are included in the lease.
Bond money for affordable housing projects
The council also heard about a $7 million bond financing proposal Wednesday for two projects that could preserve and update 79 affordable apartments.
Council members gave the deal preliminary approval last year, and are scheduled to vote on it March 25.
The money would be loaned to Elliott Chase Housing Partners, on behalf of Vitus, an affordable housing developer, according to town staff. The town, as a go-between, would not be responsible for repaying the debt or face any legal or financial risks, Affordable Housing Manager Emily Holt said.
The developer would pay the town a $100,000 fee, which could provide more affordable housing or serve another town need, said Amy Oland, director of business management.
Holt noted that other communities, including Davidson and Concord, have used similar deals to preserve affordable housing.
The partnership with Vitus will be a pilot project, so the town can gauge how well it works as an approach to get more affordable housing without taking on town debt.
“This is a new approach for the town to preserve affordable housing rental units in the community,” said Loryn Clark, deputy town manager and housing director. “We want to acknowledge that, and we are learning along the way.”
Vitus will use half of the money to buy and rehabilitate 39 apartments at the Elliott Woods Apartments complex, located at 106 N. Elliott Road. The remainder would buy and rehabilitate the 40-unit Chase Park Apartments, at 1060 N.C. 54 Bypass near Carrboro.
Both complexes were built in 1974 and are in disrepair, town staff said. Half of the units provide Section 8 housing, and the deal will keep them under contract for another 20 years, they said.
Vitus also could seek housing vouchers for the remaining tenants, Holt said. Otherwise, the apartments will serve tenants earning up to 60% of the town’s area median income for 30 years — up to $48,600 for an individual or $62,460 for a family of three.
The current owner of both apartment complexes, Inter Church Council Housing, or INCHUCO, has agreed to sell the properties to Vitus, which will also use low-income housing tax credits to pay for the acquisition.
Existing tenants will be temporarily housed in a nearby hotel for up to 22 days while their units are being repaired. Vitus is paying for the hotel stays, town staff said.
The work could start this summer and be completed by the spring of 2027.
This story was originally published March 4, 2026 at 10:25 AM.
