Title
Request to Set Two Legislative Public Hearings for the Habitat for Humanity Development Proposal on Rogers Road: Rezoning to HR-CC-CZ and Associated Land Use Ordinance Text Amendments
PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND: The Town has received a petition to rezone seven parcels of land along the west side of Rogers Road, from HR-R (Historic Rogers Road - Residential) to HR-CC-CZ (Historic Rogers Road - Community Commercial, Conditional) for the purpose of constructing a residential development with approximately 86 multifamily townhomes. Applications for text amendments to the Land Use Ordinance relating to the project have also been submitted. The Town Council must receive public input before taking action on these requests. October 20, 2026, has been identified as the proposed public hearing date. Resolutions setting the two public hearings are provided for the Council’s consideration.
Staff recommends that the Town Council consider the attached resolutions setting legislative public hearings for October 20, 2026, and referring both applications to advisory boards: Attachment A-1 for the request for LUO text amendments and Attachment A-2 for the map amendment/rezoning.
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Department
DEPARTMENT: Planning
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Information
INFORMATION: In June 2025, Habitat for Humanity Orange County, NC, Inc., submitted a concept plan for an affordable multifamily townhome development along the west side of Rogers Road. A formal petition for conditional rezoning and application for text amendments was subsequently submitted in the fall of 2025 and revised following agency review in the spring and summer of 2026 (Attachments D and E). The proposal involves rezoning seven parcels from HR-R to HR-CC, conditional. The HR-R district was established in 2019 and the HR-CC district in 2021. Both resulted from a collaborative effort with the Town of Chapel Hill to develop zoning approaches that would help implement Mapping Our Community’s Future, a community-driven plan prepared by residents of the historic Rogers Road community with assistance from the Marion Cheek Jackson Center. The schedule has provided an opportunity for Habitat to meet with community members on at least three occasions. Two of these meetings included a mailed notification to property owners/renters within 1,000 feet of the subject property and therefore met the Neighborhood Information Meeting (NIM) requirement in the Land Use Ordinance (LUO) (Attachment H).
The approximately 15.5-acre site is located along the west side of Rogers Road between Homestead Road and Eubanks Road. More specific information about the subject property is provided in the table below and delineated in the attached vicinity map (Attachment C).
|
Tract # |
Address |
PIN |
Acres |
Sq. Ft. |
|
1 |
7729 Rogers Road |
9870-34-8639 |
0.0739 |
32,189 |
|
2 |
7733 Rogers Road |
9870-34-7529 |
1.569 |
68,363 |
|
3 |
7723 Rogers Road |
9870-34-6249 |
2.497 |
108,774 |
|
4 |
7727 Rogers Road |
9870-34-7289 |
2.668 |
116,207 |
|
5 |
7811 Rogers Road |
9228-34-9228 |
2.2645 |
115,196 |
|
6 |
7815 Rogers Road |
9870-34-0259 |
2.715 |
118,248 |
|
7 |
7817 Rogers Road |
9870-44-4200 |
2.727 |
118,808 |
|
Total |
|
|
15.560 |
677,785 |
With conditional zoning, the applicant submits the rezoning request first and, if approved, follows with an application for a special use permit. The use of conditional zoning offers additional opportunities for public input and allows the Council greater flexibility to participate in conversations about the project outside of formal meetings. The application includes a series of mutually agreed upon conditions and a site plan; the conditions and site plan are linked to the rezoning and become binding to the project moving forward. The site plan and building images are provided in Attachment F.
The applicant has also submitted a request for Land Use Ordinance (LUO) text amendments needed to support the proposed development. The critical text amendment is to reduce the minimum lot size per dwelling unit to allow for the requested density (number of residential units). As approved text amendments modify the LUO for all projects moving forward, some requests may be better handled as conditions-specific to the project. A draft text amendment and draft rezoning ordinance have been prepared (Attachments B-1 and B-2). It is anticipated that the draft text amendment and draft rezoning ordinance will be further refined during joint review and the public hearing process. Of note, rezoning conditions must be mutually agreed upon by the applicant and the Town.
The Town Council must receive public comment before adopting amendments to the Land Use Ordinance (map and text). Planning Board and Orange County review is also needed.
Fiscal and Staff Impact
FISCAL AND STAFF IMPACT: The petitioner has submitted fees and materials for reviewing and processing this request, which includes public notice and advisory board evaluation. Staff time will be necessary for public notice and public hearing agenda preparation.
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Community Impact
COMMUNITY IMPACT: Setting a public hearing for map and text amendments are required steps in accordance with North Carolina state statutes and Town regulations. Public hearings provide opportunities for public information and involvement.
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Climate Impact
CLIMATE IMPACT: There are no climate impacts relating to the requirement to set a public hearing. Possible impacts relating to the considerations of the map and text amendment will be provided at the public hearing.
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