UNC Briefed on Possible Joint Development with Chapel Hill

Preliminary discussions are moving forward regarding a possible joint development between UNC and the Town of Chapel Hill.

The UNC Board of Trustees Finance, Infrastructure and Audit committee received a briefing on Wednesday about a potential joint development, which could include a new Chapel Hill Police station on university-owned property.

UNC associate vice chancellor for university real estate operations Gordon Merklein told the committee that it was too early in the process to know what, if any, operations UNC would move to the potential site

“We have not done any programming around prospective uses that could move out there nor made any kind of final decision about whether we would move any groups out there,” Merklein said. “But we just wanted to bring this to the board’s attention that we are looking at this with the town.”

UNC Police chief Jeff McCracken said a new facility for Chapel Hill Police would benefit all of the town’s residents.

“I know it appears to be a good opportunity for the city,” McCracken said. “I know that there has been some concern about their facility that they’re in now for some time. If it will enable them to have a better situation, I think that would be good for the community as a whole.”

McCracken added that the UNC Police and Chapel Hill Police departments have a very good working relationship.

“As far as our interaction with the Chapel Hill Police Department,” McCracken said, “we have a great relationship with them now and would continue to work with them no matter where they’re located.

But McCracken said there were potential opportunities to co-locate some pieces of each department’s operation, but he cautioned it was too early to know what would be possible or most beneficial for each department.

“I think there are some things that the department’s could do together that both communities – the campus community and the larger Chapel Hill community – could benefit from, such as training and things like that,” McCracken said. “But I don’t know how well everything could be shared and distributed between both departments.

“So that’s a conversation we’d have to have and see what that looks like.”

Merklein told Wednesday’s committee meeting that the development process in Chapel Hill was very public and that any proposals would have to go through the standard channels.

“Everything from the disposition with the town to the site approval and design approval,” Merklein said.

The Chapel Hill Town Council authorized town staff to continue conversations with the university at Monday night’s council meeting.