The Chapel Hill Town Council passed a resolution and zoning ordinance Wednesday night for the development of 306 West Franklin Street, allowing the Longfellow Real Estate Partners to move forward with plans for a new life science center. The council passed the resolution and ordinance 7-1. Council Member Tai Huynh was not present at the meeting.
As amended from their presentation to the town council on October 3, Longfellow’s plan for the life science center development project now includes expanded green space and a commitment by the developer to a minimum of 40 percent transparency on street-level windows. The ordinance now also requires the developer to provide tree cover for spaces in front of the building.
A rendering of Longfellow’s life sciences center for 306 W. Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, as envisioned being seen from Mallette Street. (Rendering via Perkins Eastman and Longfellow Real Estate Partners.)
The Longfellow Real Estate Partners bought the property early in 2022. As a real estate investment company focused on lab spaces, Longfellow aims to use the property to bring wet lab spaces to Chapel Hill. During the meeting, Longfellow provided updated sketches consistent with the proposed land use management ordinance (LUMO) and details about the relation of this development to surrounding businesses. Longfellow also committed to populating the ground level with affordable commercial space for local businesses.
Longfellow has connections to the Triangle because of several developments in the Research Triangle Park and downtown Durham. In collaboration with Duke University, much of the acquired building property in Durham is used for lab facilities and has brought significant changes to the overall landscape of downtown. The developments include new community gathering areas, green space, and retail spaces for small businesses. Director of Corporate Communications for Longfellow Casey Angel spoke on plans to bring similar benefits seen at their Durham property and international portfolio to downtown Chapel Hill.
“We see games and happy hours [there],” Angel said. “We even have fitness classes at the greenspace that’s right up against our buildings in the Durham Innovation District. We have live music and events, and we have a wonderful courtyard and eating space that allows for philanthropic opportunities, volunteerism, and really again, people from the community collaborating with those partners and those people that are working within the building on a day-to-day basis.”
Angel also discussed a mural program included in the development plan. The mural program aims to make the property unique to Chapel Hill by using local artists to decorate the new space.
Members of the Longfellow team addressed conversations with key stakeholders and surrounding businesses. They committed to resurfacing the shared parking lot with the Bicycle Chain after hearing the property owner’s concerns. Jim Rumfeldt, owner of the Bicycle Chain property at 210 West Franklin Street, spoke at the meeting and commended the Longfellow team for trying to achieve easement between the properties, voicing his overall satisfaction in working with the developers.
Council Member Paris Miller-Foushee expressed her support of the development plans for the life science center.
“I remember when this project came before us at our Committee for Economic for Sustainability,” said Miller-Foushee, “and I was super excited, and I am looking forward to supporting this project.”
Mayor-elect Jessica Anderson echoed Miller-Foushee’s excitement about the project and thanked Mayor Pam Hemminger for championing this development. While Council Member Camille Berry cautioned that high developments should consider increased fire safety protocols, she too voiced her support of the project. She urged Longfellow to consider occupying the ground level with a farmers market because she believes it would create a wonderful gathering space for the community.
Council Member Michael Parker shared his enthusiasm for the project in the context of this being his last business meeting as a member of the town council.
“I really would have a hard time thinking of a better way to go out the door,” he said. “So, I am really excited about this project. This is what our town needs and has been needing for a long time. You know, I’ve seen your building in downtown Durham. This is just really exciting and I’m really pleased that we’re able to move this forward.”
A street-level rendering of the 306 W. Franklin Street life sciences facility. (Rendering via Perkins Eastman and Longfellow Real Estate Partners.
A rendering of the 306 W. Franklin Street life sciences facility from the West Rosemary Street sidewalk view. (Rendering via Perkins Eastman and Longfellow Real Estate Partners.
Council Member Amy Ryan offered her support but also asked for some further work to be done regarding defining guidelines for the project. She spoke about concerns she had with the design of the sides of the building facing Franklin Street and Rosemary Street.
“Just as comments to the applicants,” said Ryan, “on the front plaza, I just want to make sure that it feels like a real pedestrian space. I know you have to have that emergency access, but it shouldn’t feel that way. It should feel comfortable. And whatever you can do, again, I’m still not feeling like the activation on that Rosemary side is there yet.”
Council Member Adam Searing cast the lone dissenting vote for the project. He expressed his disapproval of the project because of its emphasis on developing lab space. Searing, who publicly opposed the project during his mayoral campaign this year, talked about his concern that lab spaces around the country are experiencing vacancies. He cited a story he read in the Boston Globe regarding a substantial increase in the amount of unused lab space in Boston since 2020.
“So, while I think this project could be something that might work,” he continued, “it’s in an industry that is experiencing an extreme downturn, and having a large empty building on Franklin Street is not going to create a vibrant downtown.”
Hemminger spoke to the collective excitement of the council and how she believes the development can benefit the Chapel Hill community. She thanked the developers for taking on the project and being receptive to the council’s remarks. She spoke on why she believes this project will help Chapel Hill transition into a 12-month economy and combat urban flight experienced during the summer.
“I do know that the extraordinary research that goes on at the UNC campus is phenomenal and will continue,” said Hemminger. “But we want to keep them here, nurture them here, grow them here.”
“In order to figure out a way to revitalize downtown,” she added, “we had to do something to provide workers who were here 12 months of the year, at all kinds of levels and scales, combining with the energy that comes off of campus, and you listened. You listened to the community, you’ve listened to wanting to make this a great project – not just a building.”
The town council staff recommended approval of the resolution and ordinance because the developers met all checkpoints of the Complete Community Strategy. The strategy includes office space as called for in the Future Land Use Map (FLUM), contributions to the walkability of downtown, and improvements in the public realm.
Angel said, as of now, Longfellow anticipates breaking ground on the life sciences center in 2025.
The presentation Longfellow Real Estate Partners showed to the Chapel Hill Town Council on November 29 can be found on the town’s website. The full meeting can be watched here.
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Wate of chapel hill resident tax payers money for the climate change morons to give them a win on the bad buissness affairs they cause Dems are happy today how bout affordable housing issues? road repairs? Rent caps to make apts affordable in chapel Hill? road improvements? no just more wasteful spending by Dems and RINO types in chapel Hill NC sad it is tragic and pathetic indeed 🤪🤪
Proposed architecture is painfully standard, not aesthetically appealing, and not innovative. Chapel Hill deserves better architecture.