Carrboro Seeks to Protect Manufactured Home Communities
In March, the Town of Chapel Hill faced backlash for its handling of the 1200 MLK Project as previous negotiations with the developer would have displaced 73 families living in the Tar Heel Mobile Home Park.
Concerns over the Tar Heel Mobile Home Park highlighted the need to protect low-income residents in manufactured home communities.
Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle said the Chapel Hill project revived interest in these communities across the county
“When we talk about affordable housing, this is a community that we don’t want to forget about,” Lavelle said.
Carrboro currently has four manufactured home parks that house more than 90 residents.
1200 MLK Project Highlights Need for Affordable Housing in Chapel Hill
The approval of a rezoning application on Martin Luther King Boulevard highlights a growing need for affordable housing in Chapel Hill and raises concerns about the ability of property owners to displace low-income residents.
Chapel Hill’s 1200 MLK project paves the way for a new gas station, convenience store and a 100,000 square foot self-storage facility while protecting an existing mobile home park.
Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger said if the rezoning application was denied, the developer, Stackhouse Properties, told the council they would have closed the Tar Heel Mobile Home Park – effectively displacing 73 families.
The Town Council’s Decision on 1200 MLK Development
Submitted by Pam Hemminger
Earlier this week, the Chapel Hill Town Council voted to approve a controversial plan for redevelopment at 1200 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. which guarantees that an existing mobile home park will remain open for at least fifteen years in exchange for redevelopment of an abandoned gas station and construction of a self-storage facility on the site.
This has been a difficult situation and, over the past two years, we have worked hard to try to come up with a better solution – including proposing a variety of other uses for the property. Simultaneously, with the help of local community partners, our Housing & Community staff have worked to understand and advance the interests of the individuals and families living on this site.
The Chapel Hill Town Council voted to approve a conditional rezoning application for the property at 1200 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, paving the way for construction of a self-storage unit while protecting an existing mobile home park.
The motion to approve the rezoning passed 5-3, with council members Jessica Anderson, Hongbin Gu and Amy Ryan dissenting. The decision means Stackhouse Properties, which owns the 13.9-acre site, can now move forward to construct a new gas station, convenience store and a 100,000 square foot self-storage facility. In previous negotiations, the property owner indicated it planned to close the Tar Heel Mobile Home Park on the site to instead construction apartment buildings, which would qualify under the current residential zoning.
Chapel Hill Is Voting to Rezone the 1200 Block of MLK Boulevard This Week. Residents Are Asking The Town Council to Say Yes.
The 1200 and 1204 MLK land parcels, as well as the properties notified of the rezoning application.
The Tar Heel Mobile Home Park is easy to miss, whether youâre driving down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard for the first time or the thousandth. Seventy-three homes are tucked behind the now-defunct Marathon gas station, obscured by dense foliage.Â
In 2018, the mobile home park and gas station were sold to Stackhouse Properties. The original owners supposedly sold it under the condition that the 73 residences would keep their spaces. To do this and make money, the group submitted rezoning requests to include a self-storage facility on the property, and open a new gas station in the old Marathon space.Â