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What is the Town planning to do?
The Town proposes to increase the allowable density of R-1 and R-2 zones, which currently allow only single-family detached houses. Under the proposed change, duplexes, triplexes and quadruplexes will be allowed in all neighborhoods that do not have formally adopted design guidelines (e.g., neighborhood conservation districts) or restrictive covenants (e.g., HOAs). To understand what is proposed, take this survey created by the Town government. Link to survey
Why is the Town doing this?
The Town hopes that allowing a single house on a large lot to be replaced by several smaller units, such as duplexes, triplexes, quadraplexes and clusters of cottages, will increase the diversity and affordability of the local housing supply.
Why might this be a problem?
While wealthy neighborhoods may be exempt from the impact of these zoning changes, housing in more affordable neighborhoods will be eliminated and replaced by expensive rental townhomes and multi-family units. Without any provision for badly-needed affordable housing, the council’s plans will only increase the gap between those of wealth and those of moderate and low income.
There is no legal way to ensure that the homes that are torn down will be replaced by less expensive ones — in fact the opposite is happening in Raleigh, Durham, and elsewhere in the US. State law does not allow the Town Council to require a developer to sell the newly built units to someone who plans to live in the house themselves rather than to an investor who plans to rent out the property. In the case of Chapel Hill’s historically African-American Northside neighborhood, investors split up lots and built denser student housing that raised the value of surrounding property, forcing homeowners to leave to avoid the increased taxes. Northside is protected by the first Neighborhood Conservation District in town and neighbors have fought to maintain it. Read more here.
As former Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy has pointed out, the Town has not quantified how the proposed change will impact Town finances, such as by incurring costs to pay for upgrades to water and sewer service, garbage collection, utilities and roads, or schools taxed through Orange County. Read Mayor Foy’s comments here.
What is the schedule for review of this proposal?
The Council will consider the proposal on Wednesday, January 25th and could take action to approve text amendments to the Town’s Land Use Ordinance on on Wednesday, February 22nd. At a recent public information meeting on the proposed change, several people commented on the rushed schedule and noted that many neighborhoods remain unaware of what is being proposed. In these largely virtual sessions, residents asked many questions and just today, Tuesday the 23rd, answers have been posted here.
At present, it is unknown how many neighborhoods would be affected by these zoning changes. CHALT supporters believe that major policy changes require ample time for community discussion. Partly in response to concerns raised at the first information meeting, the Town planning department staff is researching which neighborhoods have home owners associations (HOAs) with covenants filed with Orange County and would thus be exempt from the proposed zoning changes.
Let your elected officials know what you think about the proposed changes.
Articles About the Housing Crisis in Other Towns:
- Ground Zero for Raleigh’s Housing Fight
- City of Durham’s Affordable Housing Goals
- Long Island: Town Leaders Denounce Housing Plan
- Chicago Taps Brakes on Gentrification with a Tax on Teardowns
- Webinar, Partner Program with Shelterforce: Taking the ADU Model to the Next Level. Enabling ADUs to become a local tool for housing affordability and racial equity.
Linda Brown authored this article. Her interests vary from art and music to Middle Eastern, Central and East Asian history with successful experience in creating permanently affordable housing.
Edited by David Schwartz , Chapel Hill native and member of the Chapel Hill Historic District Commission.
Take the Survey
https://publicinput.com/W12678
- The link above contains information on the proposed changes to Chapel Hill neighborhoods.
- Please take the survey that is at the bottom of the link above — you will need to scroll down the page to locate it.
- Only just over 300 people have answered the survey, a very small portion of the individuals that would be impacted by this change.
- Write the Council mayorandcouncil@townofchapelhill.org and ask the town to mail a letter to each homeowner that is impacted, and allow enough time for people to respond with comments prior to taking a vote.