Chapel Hill and UNC community members alike are invited to attend one of several upcoming workshops to discuss the possible redevelopment of buildings surrounding Porthole Alley.

Porthole Alley, the area where the UNC campus meets downtown Chapel Hill, is one of the main, outlined projects featured in the university’s 2019 Campus Master Plan. This plan is defined as “the physical framework that supports the University’s mission as a center for research, scholarship and creativity.”

One function of this newly outlined framework will be to address the role of all UNC landholdings over the next 10-20 years.

UNC’s Master Plan envisions the campus centered around the three broad themes of Welcome, Connections and Hubs. The plan identifies Porthole Alley as an opportunity to explore all three themes.

Located at the intersection of the the town and university, between 128 and 144 E. Franklin Street, the Porthole Alley project aims to maintain its’ retail presence on Franklin Street while housing Undergraduate Admissions and the UNC Visitors Center.

UNC has been working to expand and improve Porthole Alley since 2016.

According to a Town of Chapel Hill press release, the proposed redevelopment will “seek to accommodate the University’s programmatic requirements while working to enhance the existing alley connecting Franklin Street and Cameron Avenue.”

UNC has requested the help of architecture firm KieranTimberlake in developing early planning principles and design concepts. Workshops open to the public will include a project overview by KieranTimberlake and senior university leaders, followed by community discussion and feedback.

Sessions will be held:

  • Jan. 27, 7-8:30 p.m., Chapel Hill Town Hall, Council Chambers
  • Jan. 28, 7:30-9 a.m., Ackland Art Museum, Art& Gallery
  • Jan. 28, 12-1:30 p.m., Frank Porter Graham Student Union, Room 3206AB
  • Jan. 28, 4:30-6 p.m., Ackland Art Museum, Art& Gallery

Click here to learn more about the Porthole Alley Redevelopment Project or provide to feedback.

Photo via Town of Chapel Hill.

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