CHAPEL HILL – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill invites local residents to attend community meetings Dec. 3-4 to learn more about Carolina North and comment on a draft conceptual plan for the property.

The Dec. 3 meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Smith Middle School auditorium, 9201 Seawell School Road. On Dec. 4, the meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Orange United Methodist Church fellowship hall, 1220 Airport Road. UNC students, faculty and staff are invited to attend a similar campus presentation Dec. 3 at 3:30 p.m. in Gerrard Hall.

The presentations will describe UNC’s 50-year vision for Carolina North, a living-learning community. The draft conceptual plan outlines concepts for mixed-use development of a 900-plus-acre tract of UNC-owned property one mile north of the main campus off Airport Road. The draft plan proposes development of about one-quarter of that acreage. Such development would promote walking and bicycling to work, home and retail areas.

"We envision these community and campus meetings as the first of many opportunities for public participation in helping shape the university’s plans for Carolina North," said Dr. Tony Waldrop, vice chancellor for research and economic development. "From concept to reality, we want to work with the citizens of Chapel Hill and Carrboro every step of the way."

Previous input into the draft conceptual plan included participation by town officials, community representatives, as well as faculty, staff and students who served on university advisory groups. Waldrop said recent reports from the Chapel Hill and Carrboro Horace Williams citizen advisory committees also are influencing the university’s thinking about Carolina North.

"We are asking the community to consider the benefits Carolina North will bring: a vibrant new setting for living and learning, for business innovation and economic development, for cultural exchange, for service, and for engaging citizens of all ages in the life of the university," he said.

Carolina North represents one of the most exciting projects ever undertaken in the local community, Waldrop said. "If we listen carefully to one another, we can work together to accomplish something great."

For more information about Carolina North, go to the website, http://carolinanorth.unc.edu.

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Contact: Mike McFarland, (919) 962-8593