Beat The Retreat

Landmark Properties of Athens, GA seeks approval from Chapel Hill Town Council to build The Retreat -- a large-scale student housing complex on Homestead Road on the South side of Homestead between Weaver Dairy Extension and the railroad tracks. The Retreat calls for 799 college students.

Chapel Hill Town Council rejected a very similar development, The Cottages, in November 2010. Many reasons were cited, but chief among them was the burden 800+ cars would add to an already congested Homestead Road. The Retreat calls for just 49 fewer parking spaces than The Cottages, or 849 total. It calls for 799 students vs. The Cottages 855. Town Council's rationale for rejecting The Cottages applies equally to The Retreat.

The Cottages required a zoning change, while Landmark seeks approval under the current R-2 zoning. How can this be if the plans are so similar? A few reasons: 1) Landmark added 5 acres to the development, and reduced the number of dwelling units (DUs) by 8. Together, this enables them to meet the R-2 requirement of 4.6 DUs per acre. However, R-2 governs more than just units per acre. It also governs the type of residences allowed on the land. Specifically, R-2 requires the DUs be "single-family or duplex residential". 4-6 unrelated college students living in a house or townhouse, each renting their room separately, is not R-2 single family residential.

We support development of this land that conforms to R-2. We invested in our homes and neighborhoods with the understanding that this land would be developed single family residential. Allowing Landmark to build The Retreat would betray the trust neighboring homeowners have placed in our town government.