Porthole Alley Redevelopment Community Workshop

Members of the University and local communities are invited to attend one of several upcoming workshops to provide feedback about the opportunity for renewal and redevelopment of buildings surrounding Porthole Alley, the area where Carolina’s campus meets downtown Chapel Hill between 128 and 144 E. Franklin Street.

Carolina’s recently completed Campus Master Plan envisions campus as centered around the three broad themes of Welcome, Connections and Hubs and identifies Porthole Alley as an opportunity to explore all three themes.

Located at the threshold between the Town and University, the Porthole Alley project will maintain a ground-floor retail presence on Franklin Street, house Undergraduate Admissions, the UNC Visitors Center and other to-be-determined University programs. The proposed redevelopment will seek to accommodate the University’s programmatic requirements while respecting the scale of the 100 block of East Franklin Street and enhancing the existing alley as a part of a pedestrian corridor connecting Franklin Street and Cameron Avenue.

UNC-Chapel Hill has engaged the firm of KieranTimberlake to develop planning principles and early design concept options. Each workshop will include a project overview by KieranTimberlake and senior University leaders, followed by the opportunity for discussion and feedback.

Sessions will be held:

• Jan. 27, 7-8:30 p.m., Chapel Hill Town Hall, Council Chambers
• Jan. 28, 7:30-9 a.m., Ackland Art Museum, Art& Gallery
• Jan. 28, 12-1:30 p.m., Frank Porter Graham Student Union, Room 3206AB
• Jan. 28, 4:30-6 p.m., Ackland Art Museum, Art& Gallery

No registration is required. For questions about the community workshops, contact Stephanie Berrier at stephanie_berrier@unc.edu.

Learn more about the Porthole Alley Redevelopment Project.