After being a key project component touted by the developers of South Creek, 80 acres of land near Southern Village in Chapel Hill is now permanently protected from future construction.
Earlier this month, Beechwood Homes said it finalized a deal with the Triangle Conservancy to convey the largest undeveloped and privately-owned tract of land within Chapel Hill town limits. While the South Creek project is one of the biggest housing developments happening in town, it will have a new and publicly accessible natural feature too.
The idea of preserving this piece of property is not new: not only did South Creek include it during the earliest stages of project proposal to the town, but its predecessor Obey Creek also planned to keep the 80 acres from being developed. Part of that is because of the challenging topography and the nature of constructing right next to a creek – but according to Bo Howes of the Triangle Land Conservancy, there are many natural reasons to preserve the property too.
“It has a lot of what we call in the industry ‘conservation value,’” Howes says. “It has a nice stream, it has a bunch of mature, hard wood trees. It does not have a tremendous amount of invasive species. So, it’s attractive from a conservation perspective – but it’s also not particularly attractive from a development perspective.”
Steven Dubb, the principal architect and president of Beechwood Homes, says the Triangle Land Conservancy was always the top option for his company to partner with and own the land, saying the preservation becoming official is the “best possible outcome.” The deal was brokered through the Conservation Fund, a national organization that worked to secure grant funding from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund and pay Beechwood for the parcel.
While keeping the land out of its development area was part of plan from the start in 2021, Dubb says, the deal took years to complete as both sides did their due diligence and environmental checks.
“Everything takes time, unfortunately,” he says. “But we really started this process as soon as we got the approvals for South Creek because it’s such an important part of the value proposition we’re putting forward with the South Creek community. That’s really why we drove so hard to get this done as quickly as possible.”
The mixed-use neighborhood – which was approved in 2023 and broke ground in 2024 – aims to bring up to nearly 800 residential units to the community, most of which will be for sale. Dubb says despite it being a neighborhood, the nature preserve will be another feature that South Creek will offer to the whole community. In addition to several businesses and restaurants that are planning to open, the developers hope a public access point to a trail system will be key feature to draw visitors in. To Dubb, it will be the “perfect marriage” between nature and master-planned development.
“We want our residents to be able to enjoy the views from their side of the creek, so we’ve designed the site plan to maximize views from our homes of the preserve,” the principal architect says. “But we’ve also designed access [to the land] both for our residents and the general public. So, we’re going to build a retail node off of Market Street, and both residents and the public can come and park in front of the retail area. There’s going to be a green plaza there next to some restaurants…and from that plaza you can take a pathway down to the bridge over the creek.”
A neighborhood map of the South Creek development, as shared on the Beechwood Carolinas website as of 2026. The nature preserve’s trailhead and bridge can be seen to the southeast and south of the development. (Photo via Beechwood Carolinas & South Creek.)
Howes says what is atypical in the partnership with Beechwood Homes is the developer’s willingness to help with the amenities and access to the preserve. Triangle Land Conservancy is leading the design of a sustainable, unpaved trail system that Howes estimates will be roughly four miles long. But Beechwood is funding the actual buildout, as well as constructing the bridge across Obie Creek.
While this parcel is smaller than other preserves in the Triangle Land Conservancy’s portfolio, this much privately-owned land being formally preserved within Chapel Hill town limits is rare. Howes is also quick to point out his preference to refer to the partnership with Beechwood as a conservation effort instead of strict preservation. With these changes, he says, it will add to the area’s nearby green spaces and walkways like Fan Branch Trail, Morgan Creek Trail, and Merritt’s Pasture.
“The goal is not for this space to be exactly as it is now – the goal is for it to not be further developed,” Howes says. “So, what I am excited about is that this 80-acre parcel will be a green space that people can use and get to quickly and easily for a fairly large piece of the population in Chapel Hill.”
While there is no immediate timeline on when the conserved land’s trails will be ready for the public, it will likely come around the same time South Creek’s other amenities are available. Dubb says the development will announce some new business and restaurant partnerships soon, while construction is on schedule for the first wave of buildings at the 40 acres along U.S. 15-501.
“95 Market, which is a rental building along Market Street, we’re getting ready to move residents into in September,” Dubb says. “We’re paving our roads now, so you can actually see the pavement as you drive up 15-501 and look down Market Street as it goes into South Creek. We’re putting the roof on The Hawthorn, which is our first condominium building, and I’m hoping to move residents in [during] the first quarter of next year. And then this summer, we’re planning to start The Weaver, which is the second condominium building.”
Editor’s Note: The South Creek development is an advertiser with the Chapel Hill Media Group. This article was written by our news team and is independent from the advertising partnership.
Featured photo via Beechwood Homes.
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