News Release

Campus, local communities can share input on
new conceptual approaches for Carolina North

CHAPEL HILL – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill invites local residents, faculty, staff and students to participate in a new series of community meetings about Carolina North on the last Tuesday of each month through May, beginning Tuesday, March 27.

The university will host two sessions on March 27. The first session will be at 3:30 p.m., Room 2603, School of Government, Knapp-Sanders Building. The presentation will be repeated at 5:30 p.m. in the same location. Parking is available in the N.C. 54 lot and Rams Head deck. The School of Government parking deck is available only for the 5:30 p.m. meeting.

University representatives will present potential uses of Carolina North and three conceptual approaches to its development. Attendees will have opportunities to ask questions and share comments. The feedback will help the university as it develops a concept plan for the UNC-owned property.

“We hope our neighbors and campus colleagues will turn out because we need broad input to come up with the very best plan possible for everyone,” said Jack Evans, executive director of Carolina North. “The time is right for more public dialogue since Carolina North has gained so much momentum in the past few months. And community input has already helped shape the conceptual approaches our consultants will present on March 27th.”

The conceptual plans that will be presented draw on the guiding principles developed by the Leadership Advisory Committee for Carolina North, an ecological assessment of the property and sustainability strategies.
 
At the same time the university is working on its plans, several supporting studies are under way or planned involving the campus and various government and community entities. Topics include transit, transportation and fiscal impact.

University officials believe Carolina North, the 900-plus-acre tract located about two miles north of the main campus in Chapel Hill, represents an unprecedented opportunity to develop a mixed-use academic community that will benefit the campus and the community.

The UNC Board of Trustees has directed the administration to submit a development plan for Carolina North to local governments by next October.

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

###

Contact: Mike McFarland, (919) 962-8593