Third time no charm for campus Methodists

For the third time in two years, the Town Council has stalled the UNC Wesley Foundation's plans to build a Methodist dormitory near downtown Chapel Hill.

Two years ago, it was 22 apartments on five stories for 160 students in a 70,000-square-foot building on Pittsboro Street. After neighbors from the Cameron-McCauley Historic District complained, the Wesley Foundation scaled back the plans to four stories and 148 beds, but the council decided that was still out of scale with the neighborhood.

Wesley responded by relocating the plan to West Rosemary Street, proposing 76,770 square feet on four stories for 144 students. The foundation brought that plan to the Town Council Monday night, but council members were cold toward it.

"The neighbors are having trouble understanding the imperative for having a dormitory adjacent to a residential area," said Councilman Ed Harrison. "I'm not sure I can handle something quite this intense, but thanks for the try."

The building would replace three buildings at the corner of Rosemary and Church streets, including the former Los Potrillos Mexican restaurant and various professional offices. Its 30-foot rear wall would be 11 feet from the residential property lines to the north.

"It's still going to be the same issue that you had on Pittsboro Street, just the sheer mass of it, particularly when you have relatively small houses on the other side," said Councilwoman Sally Greene. 

Councilman Jim Ward said if Wesley brings back the proposal, they'll need to decrease the size or use "some other magic" to lessen the impact on neighbors.

Mayor-elect Mark Kleinschmidt recommended explaining more about the types of students who will live their in "intentional" community.

"I imagine that your intentional students are not going to be playing music at 3 o'clock in the morning," he said.