The Chapel Hill Town Council shared some positive reviews Wednesday night of a proposed development off of Weaver Dairy Road.
The local developer EB Capital Partners LLC presented to council members its concept for a mix of townhomes, apartments, and flex space for businesses on a 45-acre parcel at 860 Weaver Dairy Road, which is just south of Interstate 40 and is largely undeveloped land. The initial version of the development suggests around 140 to 220 for-sale townhomes, a multi-family complex estimated to be 475,000 square feet in size, and several “flex” facilities or buildings to hold either restaurants or retail.
Ernie Brown, the founder of the commercial real estate company, acknowledged the constraints of the site which contributed to a different proposed project for the area falling through in 2022. He cited challenging topography and stormwater trends as among the major issues to address, but detailed a design meant to “complete the community already there” by adding housing infill and adding potential connections to the area.
The concept layout for 860 Weaver Dairy Road, a project aiming to bring for-sale housing, rental apartments and space for businesses to a 45-acre parcel directly south of Interstate 40. (Photo via EB Capital Partners LLC.)
“This is a larger development,” Brown described of the concept site plan. “It’s more of a product type where we divided it out into three main sections. We have basically the townhome, mixed housing type that is mostly to the east. The center section, I see, basically as a product type where I envision doing more of a mixed-use [area]. And then we have the apartments that are closer to where the [bus rapid transit stop] is going and also the [existing] grocery store.”
Between the three sections, Brown said, would be a road constructed to connect with the existing Adair Drive and Old University Station Road. To also help with broader connectivity to the surrounding areas — and to fit with Chapel Hill’s “everywhere to everywhere” greenway aspirations — multi-use paths would snake west-to-east through the property.
With it being a concept plan review, Brown said he wanted to the council to share their feelings on several questions about the site design and layout before submitting a true application for 860 Weaver Dairy Road. One of the main one was how to best use the required 100-foot buffer for Interstate 40 to help offset some of the land’s constraints. The developer asked for council to gauge their feelings on having the apartment community’s parking garage along the buffer, which would hide a less-visually appealing but necessary part of the project, as well as stormwater features or utility infrastructure.
Brown’s other questions were largely around the “flex” space proposed, saying he may start with small kiosk areas for businesses before scaling them up into permanent homes for businesses depending on their success. He acknowledged the time it would take for the density of people to grow enough for such spots to be viable, while adding that he believes neighboring office sites would help demand for such spaces “organically grow.” Clearing some of the trees between that site and the existing “Chapel Hill 40” off Vilcom Center Drive would help people working at the office park be aware of whatever business goes into the development.
The council largely approved of the layout and use of the buffer, since the concept has limited housing directly on the buffer and the topography of the site creates dips in areas to the east of the potential apartment buildings. Many members also said they support the idea of the flex space, but wanted both more concrete ideas from EB Capital Partners about what could go there while not constraining the space to only certain uses.
A rendering of the concept for the multi-family buildings proposed for 860 Weaver Dairy Road, which would see its parking deck backed up to the buffer for the interstate and greenway paths between the development and the existing neighborhoods south of the property. (Photo via EB Capital Partners LLC.)
The responses to those questions were part of broader positive feedback the Chapel Hill Town Council members shared about the initial site layout housing options, and goals for connecting this potential development with the existing areas. The largest concerns, however, were about addressing the stormwater flow since the area is already prone to gathering or moving water during storms. Mayor Pro Tempore Amy Ryan called for a “robust analysis” of the stormwater options, while Council Member Elizabeth Sharp said it was the biggest reservation she had over the feasibility of development.
“But for me,” Sharp added, “if you’re able to navigate that — find ways to manage stormwater, and create green space in and amongst the buildings, in between the proposed development and existing development that become functional green space [and] useful space — [the project] is compelling to me.”
Much of the public comment shared about the project on Wednesday came from nearby residents. In addition to stormwater comments, some shared concerns of adding housing density near their existing neighborhoods or losing a buffer between themselves and I-40.
Council Member Theodore Nollert said while he’s sympathetic to disruption for neighbors, he is excited for what the concept could bring to the area. Pointing to the town’s long-term plans of having its bus rapid transit line nearby and the long-term trends for housing demand, he said this could be an “opportunity” for Chapel Hill to responsibly add density in a key corridor.
“I think it meets a number of needs,” Nollert said of the proposal. “It fills gaps – filling gaps in a coherent, accessible, attractive way is what Complete Community is about, and I think that this project is clearly designed with that in mind.”
This project is the third recently proposed to the Town of Chapel Hill by EB Capital Partners. The council approved its Chapel Hill Crossings development off Old Durham Road in September 2023 and provided feedback on a concept for East Lakeview Residential earlier this year — both of which are a mix of for-sale townhomes and multi-family apartments.
Mayor Jess Anderson said EB Capital Partners’ willingness to work with town staff and center the Complete Community’s strategies in their approach helped gain her early support yet again for 860 Weaver Dairy Road, adding there is ample opportunity to figure out how to address the site’s challenges.
“Yes to connectivity, yes to trees – I certainly think the buffer to help with the overall design is fine,” said Anderson. “And I think you can work with staff and with your folks to deal with noise, pollution, and other things that are out there.”
To see the full Chapel Hill Town Council meeting from Wednesday, September 11, click here.
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