News Release

Carolina North community meeting set for Aug. 28

CHAPEL HILL – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill invites local residents, faculty, staff and students to participate in the latest in a series of community meetings about the Carolina North campus on Tuesday, Aug. 28. This meeting will provide an opportunity for the community to learn about and comment on university planning efforts related to the infrastructure topics presented at the July 31 meeting.

The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. in Room 2603 of the School of Government’s Knapp-Sanders Building. Parking is available in the N.C. 54 visitor’s lot and the Rams Head deck. Chapel Hill Transit service is available via the RU, G, S and V routes. See http://www.townofchapelhill.org/index.asp?NID=399 for timetables of these routes.

Jack Evans, executive director of Carolina North, and other university representatives will present an overview of potential infrastructure scenarios on the UNC-owned property. They will also seek community feedback on topics such as water, sewer and energy options for the site.

As at the other monthly meetings held since March, attendees will have opportunities to ask questions and share comments. The feedback will continue to support the university’s efforts to refine a concept plan for Carolina North. On average, about 100 people have attended each of these community meetings. Comments from the community have influenced the draft that will be shared this month. All of those comments have also been posted to the Carolina North website, http://carolinanorth.unc.edu, along with materials shown at those sessions.

Evans has emphasized that the primary driver for Carolina North is the university’s mission – education, research, public service – and a responsibility to help meet the state’s economic development needs.

An ecological assessment is helping guide UNC’s efforts toward sustainability principles and goals at Carolina North. Other input includes a report from the Leadership Advisory Committee that made recommendations for guiding principles for development.

Carolina North is envisioned as a vibrant, compact, mixed-use academic campus on the university’s 900-plus-acre tract. The Board of Trustees has directed the administration to submit a plan for Carolina North to local governments by October. Trustees saw a draft concept plan in July and are expected to take action on a plan in September.

News Services contact: Susan Houston, (919) 962-8415 or susan_houston@unc.edu