development progress

history of weavers grove

In 2001, the Habitat Board conducted a survey of Habitat homeowners asking what they thought was important for the purchase of an “ideal” Habitat home. Key factors included living near their jobs in town, having a yard for families to have space for kids to play, and maintaining Habitat’s 0% interest model.

With most of the stable jobs at the time offered by UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Health Care, and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, it was important to find land in Chapel Hill. With this in mind, the Land Search Committee identified a parcel of 17 acres of land near I-40 off Sunrise Road with the intent to buy more over time. Since then, four other parcels of land have been purchased including the most recent final purchase in February of 2020.

In the words of the then Habitat Board Chair Rich Leber, “The 18-year community effort to seek the approval of Weavers Grove has been a remarkable endeavor. The initiative had no one hero. The process of securing approval for the 236 homesites has been a generational effort of hundreds, if not thousands of HHOC advocates. Each advocate added just one weaver’s stitch to a truly remarkable quilt which proves the sustainability of the Habitat for Humanity model of selling safe and affordable homes!”

Weavers Grove has had many iterations, from Sunrise Road with a few dozen homes in 2004, Bradley Green with closer to 50 homes in 2006, a partnership with Carol Woods to provide independent living for seniors in 2018, and the plan today which includes 237 homes in a market-rate community.

current construction timeline

STAGE 1: COLLECT INITIAL COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

STATUS: COMPLETE

Throughout the planning and construction of Weavers Grove, our goal is to have an open and transparent communications process. That’s why we began gathering input from neighboring communities in the fall of 2017 — a full year before the first concept plan was submitted to the Town of Chapel Hill.

During this time, we distributed a survey to collect feedback and held a town hall to discuss ideas. We then incorporated this information into Weavers Grove. This helped us develop a master plan that met the needs of the larger Chapel Hill community.

STAGE 2: PLAN REVISIONS AND APPROVAL

STATUS: COMPLETE

The Town of Chapel Hill Town Council approved the plan, unanimously, in June 2020 after several years of planning and public comment. The Housing Advisory Board, Environmental Stewardship Advisory Board, Planning Commission, and Community Design Commission reviewed, amended, and approved the plan through their public application review processes. Community concerns such as zoning, traffic impact, stormwater abatement, and density are addressed in the approved Weavers Grove plan. If future plan changes become necessary, Habitat will continue to work in partnership with the Town Council. Click here to view a list of past meetings.

Notable changes to our initial plan include:

  • More integration between affordable housing and market-rate housing
  • Additional sidewalks to improve walkability
  • Inclusion of a basketball court
  • Increased street width
  • Added bike parking for residential units
  • Provide Electric Vehicle charging stations

STAGE 3: CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISING

STATUS: UNDERWAY

Philanthropic support of the $7.5M Weavers Grove Campaign is a critical accelerator for realizing this innovative vision.

Weavers Grove will deepen Habitat’s impact on the affordable housing crisis in Chapel Hill by increasing the number of new homes built each year. Our community gains a stable, diverse, and self-reliant group of families who will contribute to the vibrant fabric of Chapel Hill and Orange County for years to come. Click here to see the progress of the campaign so far!

STAGE 4: INFRASTRUCTURE CONSTRUCTION

STATUS: UNDERWAY

Weavers Grove infrastructure includes sewage lines, stormwater drainage, foundation work, and more. This stage is expected to take about 15-18 months.

Habitat has received the Zoning Compliance Permit from the Town of Chapel Hill. Demolition was complete in September 2021 and site preparation and clearing began in October 2021.

STAGE 5: WEAVERS GROVE HOME CONSTRUCTION

STATUS: TBD

Once the infrastructure for Weavers Grove is complete, construction will begin on Habitat homes and the lots for market-rate homes will be sold to builders.

We anticipate Habitat home construction commencing in 2023 and continuing for approximately five years.

donate

Your investment in the Weavers Grove campaign creates more Habitat homeownership in an ideal location in Chapel Hill, on a large scale, and on one of the last available tracts of land in town. You help create a new way to live together as neighbors.

Contact Major Gifts Officer Michael Magoon at 919-932-7077 ext. 235 or mmagoon@orangehabitat.org for questions about pledging your support.