Chapel Hill approves plan to help meet ‘tremendous need’ for affordable senior housing
A decision Wednesday night will give older adults an option for affordable living in Chapel Hill within walking distance of a park and shopping in the next few years.
The Town Council voted unanimously to approve the three-story Longleaf Trace apartment project on 3 acres at 1708 and 1712 Legion Road. The 8-0 vote will add 48 affordable apartments for adults ages 55 and up, with an option for 12 more in the future.
It will preserve over a third of the site, including a stream, and be located across the street from Ram’s Plaza and south of the town’s 1714 Legion Road site, where roughly nine acres have already been set aside for affordable housing. Nonprofit housing developer DHIC Inc. is planning 160 apartments for that site, adjoining the town’s 27-acre future park.
Longleaf Trace developers answered several questions about stormwater, the age restriction, and parking and site design Wednesday before the council eagerly voted to approve the project. Council member Elizabeth Sharp was absent.
“We need it yesterday. We need it last year, so the sooner the better,” Council member Karen Stegman said before the vote.
Does Chapel Hill need more 55-plus housing?
Yes, local experts say.
Just under 20% of Chapel Hill’s population of 88,923 people in 2012 was over the age of 55, according to U.S. Census data. In Orange County, older adults made up over 21% of the 133,958 residents that year.
By 2022, the percentage of adults 55 and up had grown to 23% of Chapel Hill’s then-92,796 residents. Over 27% of the 145,919 people living in the county were 55 and up.
By 2041, Orange County’s Department on Aging estimates the number of county residents over age 60 could grow to 46,889 — a 50% increase from the number in 2022.
That could be 1.76 times more than the number of people under age 18 living in Orange County, the report said. Meanwhile, more older adults are trying to live in place as they age, and the cost of housing has shown no signs of becoming more affordable.
Chapel Hill affordable housing plans move faster
Developers Taft Mills Group and Community Home Trust were able to get the Longleaf plan approved within months of submitting it through the town’s Community Priority housing process.
The approval process takes about six months for projects with at least 25% affordable units, compared to a typical project approval timeline of 12 to 18 months. It does not require the developers to present a completed site plan to the council.
Dustin Mills, president and co-founder of Taft Mills Group, said the development team will walk the site later this month to find the best location for the building and parking lot.
The town has a “tremendous need” for affordable housing, Mills said. Kimberly Sanchez, executive director of Community Home Trust, noted there were 85 people on a waiting list when one age-restricted unit recently became available in Chapel Hill.
Rental housing projects approved through the Community Priority process must remain affordable to someone earning up to 60% of the area median income for Orange County for 30 years. The limit is 80% of AMI for projects that offer housing for sale.
Chapel Hill’s area median income is $116,200 a year for a family of four, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Longleaf project details
▪ Location: 1708-1712 Legion Road, Chapel Hill
▪ Developer: Taft Mills Group, Community Home Trust
▪ What’s there now: Mostly wooded, with two rental homes
▪ What’s planned: 48 to 60 affordable apartments for adults ages 55 and up, with a parking lot
▪ Amenities: Walking trail and an integrated clubhouse, featuring a community room, kitchenette, fitness room, reading areas and a computer center
▪ Lease rates: Affordable for individuals earning up to $42,480 a year, or couples earning up to $48,540. The monthly rent is now $1,137 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,365 for two bedrooms, according to the N.C. Housing Finance Agency.
