University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
EN-13: Community Stakeholder Engagement

Community members are consulted when UNC plans capital projects on the perimeter of campus, changes to the transportation network, real estate developments, and changes in business practices that affect nearby neighborhoods.

Stakeholders are identified based on their proximity to or expressed interest in any given project. Physical mailings, electronic listservs, door to door contact, website posts, and targeted meetings and phone calls are among the methods of contact.

Neighbors, local government bodies, utility providers, chamber of commerce and member businesses, Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, K-12 schools, community leaders and representatives, non-profit organizations.

The UNC Foundation purchased an outdated retail shopping center across the street from a new mixed use, town supported development on the main commercial corridor in Chapel Hill and adjacent to campus. Many planning meetings were hosted by the UNC's Real Estate Development Office to solicit input and feedback from community stakeholders on the types and forms of development that were most needed and best suited to that location. . The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership brings the resources of the Town, the University, and downtown community together to maintain, enhance and promote downtown as the social, cultural, and spiritual center of Chapel Hill through economic development. Facade improvement grants, branding and design work, promotional videos, cleanliness and safety initiatives, and business owner seminars are recent outcomes. Bike master planning efforts on campus and in the Town of Chapel Hill employed the same consultant to achieve synergies and shared priorities in the planning process. Many of the planning meetings solicited input from community stakeholders to determine priority routes and preferred types of infrastructure. Planning for the future, mixed use Carolina North campus included many community partners and briefings for local governments. One outcome was choosing the best location for a campus-to-campus bike route. Three routes were proposed and multiple town-gown meetings, that included a range of community stakeholders, were held to select the best route.