Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
25 <br /> A motion was made by Chair Bedford to remove the closed session from the agenda. <br /> Commissioner McKee seconded the motion. <br /> VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> b. Discussion of a Ground Lease with UNC for 2700 Homestead Road for the Cold Weather <br /> Cots Program and Integrated Day Center <br /> The Board: <br /> 1) received and discussed information regarding a facility located at 2700 Homestead Road <br /> in Chapel Hill as a potential location for the Cold Weather Cots Program and an Integrated <br /> Day Center; <br /> 2) authorized staff to enter into negotiation with UNC for a ground lease of up to ten (10) <br /> years for the 2700 Homestead Road property; and <br /> 3) directed staff to develop a budget amendment to fund the compliance and design study. <br /> BACKGROUND: In April 2025, County Manager Travis Myren and Interim Chapel Hill Town <br /> Manager Mary Jane Nirdlinger sent a letter to Gordon Merklein, UNC Associate Vice Chancellor <br /> for Real Estate and Campus Enterprises, regarding a UNC facility at 2700 Homestead Road in <br /> Chapel Hill. The building, formerly a Duke Energy property, appeared to be under-utilized by UNC <br /> and in a location that would be well-situated for the County's cold weather cots operation and a <br /> potential integrated day center. <br /> The cold weather cots operation was held at University Baptist Church in Chapel Hill last winter, <br /> but this location is not available to the County for the upcoming winter of 2025-2026. Instead, the <br /> Orange County Housing Department is executing memoranda of understanding (MOU's) with 1) <br /> the Town of Chapel Hill to utilize the former Chapel Hill Police Department Building on Martin <br /> Luther King, Jr. Boulevard; and 2) St. Matthew's Church in Hillsborough — both to serve as the <br /> cold weather cot locations for the upcoming winter. An integrated day center, which is one of the <br /> gaps identified in the Partnership to End Homelessness Systems Gaps Analysis, has been a high <br /> priority gap for the County to fill. <br /> The letter sent by the County and Town Managers inquired as to whether UNC would be willing <br /> to consider allowing the County to utilize the Homestead Road building for these two identified <br /> needs. The letter followed numerous conversations between UNC stakeholders and Town and <br /> County staff regarding the issue of unsheltered individuals in the downtown Chapel Hill area. <br /> UNC, through its Director of Local Relations, Ivy Taylor, expressed an interest in learning more <br /> about local efforts to support the unhoused population and to address behavioral health concerns. <br /> In addition to discussions about longer-term efforts such as the Crisis Diversion Facility, the issue <br /> of a new location for the cold weather cots program and opening an integrated day center came <br /> up. There was significant interest by UNC and the Town of Chapel Hill in supporting both of these <br /> priorities. <br /> An integrated day center is a central place where people in housing crisis can access many <br /> different needed services. More than just a drop-in center offering basic necessities, this model <br /> integrates medical, behavioral and housing-focused services to help individuals move to stable <br /> housing and self-sufficiency. It offers a coordinated and comprehensive, trauma-informed <br /> approach that moves away from a siloed system that requires individuals to travel to different <br /> locations and appointments to get the services they need. It also offers a building with heating <br /> and cooling, bathrooms and other resources that provide a reprieve from the outdoors. <br />