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Triangle Local

Chapel Hill, Orange County

Carrboro: Council approves rezoning for 86 proposed Habitat townhomes

The town's Oct. 22 recap says Tuesday's hearings ended with approval of the Rogers Road map change and related ordinance edits. A later permit may still be required before building.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill

File photo: Mx. Granger (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • The Town of Carrboro, in an Oct. 22, 2026, council update, said the Town Council met Tuesday, Oct. 20, held legislative public hearings, and approved the Habitat for Humanity Multifamily Development rezoning and associated text amendments.Confirmed by Town of Carrboro Town Council Update, Oct. 22, 2026
  • The Daily Tar Heel, writing Thursday about that Tuesday meeting, also reported that the council approved a rezoning of about 15.5 acres across seven parcels on the west side of Rogers Road for a Habitat townhome proposal.Confirmed by The Daily Tar Heel, Oct. 22, 2026
  • An Oct. 1, 2026, Carrboro staff packet, prepared before the Oct. 20 hearings, said Habitat of Orange County, North Carolina, Inc., petitioned to rezone seven parcels totaling about 15.5 acres on the west side of Rogers Road from Historic Rogers Road-Residential to Historic Rogers Road-Community Commercial, conditional.Confirmed by Town of Carrboro Oct. 1, 2026 agenda packet
  • That packet described a proposal for about 86 townhomes in about 21 two-story buildings, with a mix of two-, three- and four-bedroom units.Confirmed by Town of Carrboro Oct. 1, 2026 agenda packet
  • Staff wrote that at least 50 percent of the units would be affordable as defined in Carrboro Land Use Ordinance Section 15-182.4(b), at 80 percent or less of area median income, and that the remaining units would be workforce or missing-middle housing at no greater than 80 to 120 percent of area median income.Confirmed by Town of Carrboro Oct. 1, 2026 agenda packet
  • The same packet said the Historic Rogers Road-Community Commercial district requires some non-residential uses, such as home occupations, live-work units or office space.Confirmed by Town of Carrboro Oct. 1, 2026 agenda packet
  • The Oct. 1 packet listed requested text amendments to raise allowed residential density from three units per acre to five, allow other ways to meet street-tree and shade-tree standards, allow pavement closer to a tree trunk in some cases, and add medium-size trees to the town's approved tree list.Confirmed by Town of Carrboro Oct. 1, 2026 agenda packet
  • A draft condition in that packet said a later special use permit-A would still be required and that many site details would be decided then. The Oct. 22 recap does not repeat that condition.Confirmed by Town of Carrboro Oct. 1, 2026 agenda packet; Town of Carrboro Town Council Update, Oct. 22, 2026
  • The Oct. 22 recap also lists a Nov. 10 public hearing on a special use permit for Carrboro Elementary School, an OWASA briefing, a unified-development-ordinance update, a short-term-rental discussion, and advisory-board appointments.Confirmed by Town of Carrboro Town Council Update, Oct. 22, 2026

Still unknown

  • The roll-call vote and the exact wording of the ordinances as adopted Oct. 20. Those documents were not posted with Thursday's recap
  • Whether the adopted ordinance kept the draft condition that a special use permit-A is still required
  • A construction start, sale price or income-limit dollar figure. The packet uses percentages of area median income and does not give those numbers

What this means for you

Instructions from Town of Carrboro

This site is not the Town of Carrboro. For the Oct. 22 recap, later minutes and any adopted ordinances, use the town's news page and the Legistar calendar. This site is not an emergency service. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

What happened

In Orange County, the Carrboro Town Council approved a rezoning Tuesday for a proposed Habitat townhome project.

The town's Thursday recap says the Oct. 20 meeting included legislative hearings and then approval of the Habitat for Humanity Multifamily Development map change and related ordinance edits.

An Oct. 1 staff packet, written before those hearings, described seven parcels totaling about 15.5 acres on the west side of Rogers Road. Habitat of Orange County, North Carolina, Inc., asked to move that land from Historic Rogers Road-Residential to Historic Rogers Road-Community Commercial, conditional.

Staff wrote that the concept is about 86 townhomes in about 21 two-story buildings, with two-, three- and four-bedroom units. At least half would meet the town's affordable-housing definition, at or below 80 percent of area median income. The rest would be workforce housing at no more than 80 to 120 percent of that median. The commercial district also requires some non-residential space, such as a home occupation, a live-work unit or an office.

The same packet listed requested ordinance edits, including raising the allowed density from three homes per acre to five and changing tree-planting and pavement-near-tree rules. Thursday's recap says associated text amendments passed. We have not read a signed copy of the ordinances as adopted.

A draft condition in that packet said a later special use permit-A would still be needed before many site details are fixed. The Thursday recap does not repeat that line.

The Daily Tar Heel also reported the Tuesday vote. It used a different street number than the town packet and wrote that at least 55 percent of the homes would be reserved for lower-income households. We are using the town's 50 percent figure and are not printing either house number.

This is not a building permit and not the start of construction.

This site is not the Town of Carrboro. For the recap, later minutes and any adopted ordinances, use the town's pages. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

Photos

Text-only. No town or newspaper photos are used here.

Why it matters

Tuesday's vote is a zoning change for a large Habitat proposal on Rogers Road, not a building permit. Neighbors and future buyers need a clear line between what the council approved and what still needs a later permit.

Updates

  1. Oct 22, 2026, 8:12 PM

    The town's Oct. 22 recap says the council approved the Habitat multifamily rezoning and associated text amendments on Oct. 20. The Daily Tar Heel also reported the vote. Project counts and the 50 percent affordability line come from the town's Oct. 1 packet.

Sources

  1. Town Council Update (Town of Carrboro, posted Oct. 22, 2026: Oct. 20 business meeting; legislative public hearings; approved the Habitat for Humanity Multifamily Development rezoning and associated text amendments; Nov. 10 hearing on a Special Use Permit-A for Carrboro Elementary School, 400 Shelton St.; OWASA update; new UDO project update; short-term-rental discussion; appointments of Mary Gunn, Robert Pinschmidt and Chris Wimberley; YouTube recording link)

    Official sourcePublished by Town of Carrboro · Checked Oct 22, 2026, 8:10 PM

  2. Oct. 1, 2026, advisory-board agenda packet, Proposed Rezoning for Property at 7817 Rogers Road and Associated Text Amendments (Habitat of Orange County, North Carolina, Inc.; seven parcels totaling about 15.5 acres, west side of Rogers Road; HR-R to HR-CC, conditional; about 21 two-story buildings and about 86 townhomes, 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom; at least 50 percent affordable at 80 percent AMI or less, remainder 80 to 120 percent AMI; non-residential uses required; density 3 to 5 units per acre; tree and pavement text amendments; draft condition that a special use permit-A remains; PIN 9870-44-4200 listed with a Chapel Hill 27516 mailing line)

    Official sourcePublished by Town of Carrboro · Checked Oct 22, 2026, 8:10 PM

  3. Carrboro Town Council approves construction of 86 townhomes in Rogers Road zone (The Daily Tar Heel, Oct. 22, 2026: Tuesday hearings; rezoning of 15.5 acres across seven parcels on the west side of Rogers Road; Habitat proposal of 21 two-story buildings and 86 townhomes; newspaper used 8717 Rogers Road and wrote at least 55 percent at or below 80 percent of median income; text amendments and resident comments are the newspaper's account)

    Published by The Daily Tar Heel · Checked Oct 22, 2026, 8:10 PM

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