Porthole Alley Redevelopment Information Session #2

Members of the University and local communities are invited to attend one of several upcoming information sessions to learn more about the opportunity for renewal and redevelopment of buildings surrounding Porthole Alley, the area where Carolina’s campus meets downtown Chapel Hill between 134 and 144 E. Franklin Street.

Carolina’s 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 these 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 engaged the firm of KieranTimberlake in the fall of 2019 to develop planning principles and early concept options for the redevelopment of Porthole Alley. In January 2020, KieranTimberlake led a series of initial community workshops in Chapel Hill to gather feedback that would help shape the future of the project. These next information sessions will focus on a preliminary concept study developed with input gathered from the 2020 community sessions. Each information session will include a presentation of the initial concept study by KieranTimberlake and senior University leaders, followed by the opportunity for discussion and feedback.

Sessions will be held:

• Thursday, Nov. 11, 9-10:30 a.m., Ackland Art Museum, Art& Gallery.
• Thursday, Nov. 11, 2-3:30 p.m., Ackland Art Museum, Art& Gallery.
• Thursday, Nov. 11, 5-6:30 p.m., Online via Zoom.
• Friday, Nov. 12, 8-9:30 a.m., Online via Zoom.

Please note: Per the University’s COVID-19 Community Standards, face masks are required at all times while inside any University building.

For questions about the information sessions, to learn more about this project or to provide feedback, visit the Porthole Alley Redevelopment Project webpage.