UNC trustees to consider designers for massive Carolina North campus expansion

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) — Leaders for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are preparing to take the next major step toward what would become the largest campus expansion project in the school’s more than 200-year history.

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The proposed development, known as Carolina North, would span roughly 230 acres along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Chapel Hill, about two miles north of UNC’s main campus. Plans for the site include a mixed-use district featuring student housing, workforce and multi-family housing, retail shops, restaurants, entertainment venues and office space.

The UNC Board of Trustees is expected to vote Wednesday on selecting designers for the project during a special meeting scheduled for 10 a.m.

The vote comes months after a trustee committee approved $8 million in January for advance planning work tied to Carolina North. University officials currently expect to break ground in the summer of 2027 at the site of the former Horace Williams Airport, reviving plans that stalled following the 2008 financial crisis.

UNC leaders previously told CBS 17 that development plans are still evolving, especially regarding the project’s first phase. However, student housing is expected to remain a key priority from the beginning.

The expansion effort comes as university leadership pursues a goal of increasing undergraduate enrollment by 5,000 students over the next decade.

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During a January Board of Trustees meeting, UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts described Carolina North as a critical long-term opportunity for both the university and the state. Roberts cited growing demand for STEM-related degrees, concerns surrounding affordable housing and projections showing North Carolina’s population could rank seventh nationally by the early 2030s.

“Carolina North represents both an opportunity and, I would argue, an obligation,” Roberts told The Associated Press in January. “Most universities would give anything to have that kind of developable land this close to campus and with so much infrastructure ready in place. … We just feel really fortunate that we have this opportunity. But shame on us if we don’t use it to serve the people of the state.”

The university has already attracted significant interest from contractors after issuing two requests for qualifications aimed at identifying potential development partners.

Total costs for the project have not yet been finalized. Officials expect funding to come from a mix of state appropriations, trust funds, revenue-backed debt, private donations and third-party investments.

Carolina North is also among the sites being considered for a potential replacement for the Dean E. Smith Center. However, university leaders have said Phase 1 of the development does not currently include plans for a new basketball arena, partly due to opposition from some fans and stakeholders who want the arena to remain on the main campus.

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