Chapel Hill Town Council to consider downtown apartment project tonight

The Chapel Hill Town Council will reconsider a proposed apartment building for downtown tonight.

The 7-story Shortbread Lofts would sit at 333 W. Rosemary St. with 85 apartments, 121 parking spaces and a first-floor of retail. We wrote about the project here , in January, when many on the council criticized its planned mustard yellow color and modern, flat front facade with metal-looking panels.

In an e-mail to the Town Council this week, Pat Evans, president of the Friends of Downtown and a former council member, asked the council to approve the project:

"An economically viable and sustainable downtown needs housing to support the existing downtown and to attract new business.  ShortBread Lofts located in a prime redevelopment area of West Rosemary Street will provide needed housing and will encourage a diversity of new businesses to locate in our downtown.
Simply put, please support this project that provides additional housing and improves an area in the downtown that needs redevelopment," she wrote. "I like the project.  The only thing that would make it better would be the use of red brick."

The council will also receive a report from the Community Policing Advisory Committee tonight and hear comments from the public about the town's budget priorities. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.