Chapel Hill Planning Commission Meeting - October 20, 2026

The Planning Commission met on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 6:00 PM in Town Hall Room 102 to consider three conditional zoning modifications/new zonings and to provide recommendations on the Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO) update. The meeting lasted until approximately 11:00 PM.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the agenda as presented.
• Approved the October 6, 2026 meeting minutes with a correction noting Commissioner Mike Zibaie's presence.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments were offered during the meeting.

Discussion Items

701 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard – Conditional Zoning Modification

• Applicant Dan Jewell (Wells Thomas & Hutton) presented a modification to a previously approved conditional zoning. The original plat erroneously placed the right-of-way along MLK Blvd. 8-9 feet closer to the site. The revised plan reduces the landscape buffer from a fixed 20 feet to a variable 10-20 feet but increases the planted area from 1,100 to nearly 1,500 square feet, maintaining the same number of plants. Additionally, the applicant committed to burying overhead power lines and extending a 10-foot multi-use path northward, subject to a UNC Board of Trustees easement. The building is shifted 2.5 feet further from the curb.
• Staff recommended approval, finding the project consistent with the comprehensive plan.
• The Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval to the Town Council.

742 Gimghoul Road (The Castle) – Conditional Zoning Modification

• Applicant Craig Ward (Project Strategy Advisors) represented the Gimghoul Corporation, seeking to modify the 2022 conditional zoning to increase maximum impervious surface, land disturbance, and future floor area. The changes were driven by the need to widen drives, add parking, improve emergency vehicle access, and create a gravel pathway. The site is adjacent to Battle Park and currently has 52% tree canopy cover.
• Staff noted the requested maximums (72,250 sq ft impervious, 80,050 sq ft land disturbance) would reach the OI-1 district limits but were well above the applicant's immediate needs (31,484 sq ft land disturbance).
• Extensive discussion ensued regarding the appropriateness of granting such broad entitlements versus limiting them to known plans. Commissioner Losos moved to recommend approval with a cap on impervious surface at the “future changes” column plus 5% (approximately 35,000 sq ft) and a corresponding land disturbance limit, and to clarify that only club, accessory residential, and off-street parking uses are permitted. The motion passed 4-1-1 (Commissioner Mike Zibaie opposed, Commissioner Libby Thomas abstained). A separate consistency resolution also passed 5-0-1.

306 West Franklin Street – New Conditional Zoning

• Applicant Damian Zari (Red Gate) and David Boys (Arrow Street) proposed a seven-story, mixed-use building with ground-floor retail (Franklin and Rosemary Streets), two parking levels, and five residential stories (200-250 market-rate units, excluding undergraduates). A key feature is a 40-foot-wide pedestrian laneway connecting Franklin and Rosemary Streets to improve connectivity and activate Rosemary Street retail. The applicant offered a $1 million contribution to the town’s affordable housing fund and subsidized retail space on Rosemary Street (no rent; tenant pays only operating costs) through a deed restriction.
• The only requested modification is an increase in the maximum height setback from approximately 40 to 85 feet.
• Staff supported approval pending consideration of the affordability proposal.
• The Commission discussed the project’s alignment with complete communities goals, parking unbundling, and stormwater management. A motion to recommend approval with a condition requiring unbundled parking passed unanimously.

Public Hearing: LUMO Update

• The Commission resumed its ongoing review of the draft LUMO, focusing on three categories: Housing, Stormwater, and Tree Canopy.
• Housing Recommendations (2 items):
  1. Support location-based density increases (triplexes/fourplexes up to 8 units) on arterials and collector streets with sidewalks, but note that proximity to greenways (often in floodplains or high-value natural areas) should not be prioritized for density.
  2. Recommend tying accessory dwelling unit (ADU) allowances to owner-occupancy and not relaxing size limits until single-family mansionization is addressed.
• Stormwater Recommendations (4 items):
  1. Replace land-use triggers with net new impervious surface area; calibrate thresholds considering impact on small developments.
  2. Require 100-year storm design for flood risk control where triggered.
  3. Develop a risk-based resilience overlay district (longer-term).
  4. Clarify the town manager’s discretion for downstream analysis by publishing written screening criteria.
• Tree Canopy Recommendations (8 items, with some dissent):
  1. Establish a baseline canopy requirement that cannot be reduced by bonus credits; use three-year historical imagery to prevent pre-application clearing.
  2. Adopt a minimum 20% canopy coverage in all zones (addressing the 10% allowance for community mixed-use).
  3. Revise significant tree stand definitions to include rare and specimen trees.
  4. Ensure every lot has at least one tree (supporting staff’s proposed “at least one tree” rule).
  5. Require 100% of canopy trees and 75% of understory trees to be native species; develop a list of well-adapted non-invasive species.
  6. Limit cluster development bonuses to preservation of developable land or trees exceeding minimum coverage.
  7. Include tree cutting within the definition of land disturbance in RCDs.
• The Commission voted 5-0-1 (Commissioner Thomas abstaining on the overall housing item) to transmit these recommendations to the Town Council for consideration.

Key Outcomes

• Approved Recommendations:
  • 701 MLK Jr. Blvd modification: Unanimous recommendation to approve.
  • 742 Gimghoul Road modification: Recommended approval with capped impervious/land disturbance limits (future changes +5%) and use restrictions; vote 4-1-1.
  • 306 W. Franklin Street: Unanimous recommendation to approve subject to unbundled parking condition.
  • LUMO update recommendations: Transmitted to council with a 5-0-1 vote (housing item had one abstention).
• Next Steps: The Planning Commission’s recommendations will be presented to the Town Council at its meeting on October 21, 2026. The LUMO update is expected to be adopted later in the year.
• Meeting Adjourned: The meeting adjourned at approximately 11:15 PM.