As UNC is working to adjust its admissions approach to expand undergraduate student enrollment, it also is planning on revamping its on-campus housing to accommodate more people. The first step was already approved in May, as the university will build its first new dorm on campus in nearly a decade along Country Club Road.
The following phases of the housing renewal project recently took a key step forward during the Board of Trustees’ meeting in July. The group approved $8 million in advanced spending authority for its housing and planning departments to search for a designer of another new dorm. Unlike Residence Hall 1, which will replace the old admissions building of Jackson Hall, this new building would replace two existing mid-campus dorms: Parker and Teague.
Both residence halls opened in 1958, and despite the bedrooms being remodeled in 2013, the buildings have never had comprehensive renovations to add central air ventilation or elevators. Carolina Housing and the university’s 2019 master plan, which was revised in January, identifies the dorms as primed for replacement – with previous versions also targeting them as facilities that could provide more opportunities for building differently along Stadium Drive.
In an interview with Chapelboro, Carolina Housing Executive Director Allan Blattner pointed to Parker and Teague’s surroundings as reason to think about building up. The neighboring six-story Carmichael Residence Hall features far more bedrooms, while Kenan Stadium across the street and the football program’s practice facility means a taller dorm in that footprint might make sense.
“Part of the reason they were selected for tear-down and rebuild is we think we can densify that site quite a bit more,” Blattner said, adding that a massing study in the design phase will help determine how tall to go. “Especially at a time when enrollment growth is projected for the campus, we want to make sure we’re housing as many students on campus as we can.”
Once a designer joins the process, Blattner said details of how to fit a new dorm in the footprint of the existing buildings – and maybe using the space differently – will begin to take shape.
Taking two residence halls offline for demolition at a time when Carolina Housing is experiencing high demand for on-campus housing could, on paper, create a major housing crunch. But Blattner said this process would not begin until Residence Hall 1’s construction is finished and its 600+ new bedrooms become available for students to use.
“That was a really strategic and important investment to put early in the master plan,” he said. “The other thing we’ll be doing is looking at our Baity Hill graduate student apartments. Part of what we’ll be looking to do is development [of] new graduate housing in the future. So, we’ll pivot those buildings for undergraduate use so we can maintain our undergraduate bed count in a way [and not have] a real shock to the housing market on campus.”
In addition to replacing Parker and Teague, Phase 2 of the housing renewal project includes a South Campus dorm many freshmen Tar Heels have used. Hinton James Residence Hall is slated for full-scale renovation thanks to several infrastructure needs – like moving to central air-conditioning, updates to its plumbing system and cosmetic upgrades. Blattner said construction efforts are tentatively slated to begin in 2028 and aim to have students back into Hinton James and in the new dorm by the fall of 2030.
A slide of the current timeline for Carolina Housing’s construction and renovation plans for its housing renewal project, as presented to the Board of Trustees in January for updating the campus’ Master Plan. (Photo via UNC Facilities and Services/Carolina Housing.)
After that, the other first-year tower dormitories are on the schedule for heavy renovation or demolition. Blattner said Ehringhaus Residence Hall will be next, and a new building may be constructed alongside the renovated tower. Craige Residence Hall, meanwhile, is a candidate for replacement to potentially construct more space-efficient and dense buildings.
“That will eventually mean all four of the high-rises will have been renovated,” said the Carolina Housing director, “[as] we will have added capacity with enrollment growth and taken care of some of the buildings with the most need of some TLC.”
Hinton James Residence Hall is the biggest of the tower dormitories on South Campus reserved for first-year students at UNC. In Carolina Housing’s renewal plan, the dorm would go offline for roughly a year to complete significant renovations before welcoming students back. (Photo via Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill.)
All in all, the housing renewal project would result in at least two new dormitories and three critical renovations all by the mid-2030s. Blattner said the updated master plan presents the opportunity to now prioritize evolving Carolina Housing’s inventory while also meeting the UNC administration’s call to welcome more students.
“We knew we needed to modernize a number of the buildings,” he said, “but to add capacity at the same time is really exciting. I think we’ll be in a better position to serve our students well, and we’re just excited for the process to be underway.”
Meanwhile, another mid-campus dorm from the 1950s is almost finished with its own renovation. Avery Residence Hall was shut down in the 2024-25 academic year for the addition of central air, elevators, ADA compliant units and upgraded amenities. Blattner confirmed to Chapelboro the dorm is in its final stages of work before permitting walk-throughs to approve its condition before students arrive for the new academic year later this month.
Featured photo via Carolina Housing.
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