Renters will begin occupying the second new apartment building in Glen Lennox between 15-501 and Hamilton Road during the fourth quarter of 2023, with all 304 units ready by the spring of next year.
There are specific differences between the new Link Apartments Calyx and Link Apartments Linden whose 215 units have been nearly fully occupied for two-plus years. Calyx has seven stories and studio, one- and two-bedroom floor plans, whereas the four-story Linden has only one- and two- bedroom plans.
“The studio units are very efficient and have been well-received in other markets,” said Kristen Casper Myers, who is a Senior Director of Development for Grubb Properties of Charlotte. “The units are a key component of our Link brand and we expect them to do well in Chapel Hill. We have a significant number of studios in Calyx, 36% of all the units, so that would be the biggest differentiation. There’s not a lot of studios in that market.”
According to Grubbproperties.com, “We believe we have found a solution to the housing gap that serves all . . . potential residents and our broader community. Our Link ApartmentsSM brand is focused on intelligent design and desired resident amenities to provide a lower-cost, urban infill living opportunity.
“In developing our national Link ApartmentsSM brand, we focus on two key differentiators: location and price point. We choose urban locations that are near community amenities, transit options, and major countercyclical employment anchors such as research universities and medical centers. We also target locations where rents we can offer are affordable to residents earning 60-140% of local area median income.”
Myers said the company is working through design and permitting for Link Apartments Calyx 2, which will also have six stories with retail on the ground floor and more multi-family units. “It will be on the open space that is now next to Calyx 1, but the difference will be a retail component on the ground floor.” Additionally, the project is expected to be across from common-area green space.
The original concept for Glen Lennox redevelopment called for seven phases over the next 10 years, but Casper says the planned renovation of the shopping center and townhouse units along East 54 is still on the drawing board. That means much of the original iconic apartment community will remain in place until the local apartment boom levels out and developers can better assess what housing needs remain for the community.
“We’re working through all of that now to see what makes the most sense with other housing in Chapel Hill,” she said.
At this point, some original apartment homes on Maxwell Road have been taken down due to the construction of the Calyx building, while other units along the east side of Hamilton Road are awaiting future redevelopment.
Grubb is working closely with the town to make sure a project of such magnitude will continue to be as minimally evasive as possible, since many residents remain who have lived in the neighborhood for years, some for decades.
“In our development agreement and compliance permit, we do have that approval from the town of Chapel Hill,” Myers said.
“Given the economy and where we are, I think once we are ready to start something new, that would be the next area we’d work on.”
It remains important for the Grubb team to be in touch with current residents, through senior property manager Vanessa Blackwood-Spinks, so other homes that will have to be vacated will be done with extended notice. That has made much of the 72-year-old neighborhood seem largely unchanged.
“With Vanessa, we meet with the neighbors on a quarterly basis,” Myers said, “and the message we’ve been sharing is that everything has been on pause because of the economy and construction pricing and interest rates. We’re still planning and working through that, and right now most of that is on hold.”
In the meantime, focus remains on completing Calyx 1 and getting it leased by early next year. Myers says the new website for the additional building will be live by the end of August, with leasing information, floor plans and prices.
(featured image via Grubb Properties)
“Glen Lennox Stories” is a series on Chapelboro sponsored by Grubb Properties
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