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Planning Commission recommends conditional rezoning for Holy Trinity church site with conditions
Summary
The Chapel Hill Planning Commission voted 5–1 to recommend that council and Orange County approve a conditional rezoning for 1651 Old Lystra Road to allow a 300-seat church, two future residential lots and a later phase for tiny homes; the recommendation includes four conditions addressing height, a definition for tiny homes, clarification of ordinance modifications, and tree/stormwater protections.
The Chapel Hill Planning Commission voted 5–1 on May 19 to recommend approval of a conditional rezoning application for 1651 Old Lystra Road that would allow Holy Trinity Anglican Church to build a permanent sanctuary and reserve space for two residential lots and potential tiny homes for unhoused people.
The applicant, represented by vestry member Nick Robinson and Diane Martin, said the church bought about 12 acres outside the town limits and is seeking rezoning from Residential Low Density 1 (RLD1) to R4 conditional zoning to permit the proposed mix of uses. “My name is Nick Robinson and I’m on the vestry at Holy Trinity Anglican Church,” Robinson told the commission, outlining a phased plan with an 11,200-square-foot, two-story sanctuary sized for roughly 300 seats and later phases for additional wings and a potential partnership to site smaller, affordable tiny homes on church-owned land.
Planning staff recommended approval, noting the parcel is in the joint planning area and will require a joint hearing by the Town Council and the Orange County Board of Commissioners. Staff told the commission conditional zoning would be used to authorize site-specific modifications to LUMO standards if adopted by the decision bodies.
Commissioners focused questions on parking, bicycle parking, heights for the two single-family lots planned for sale, stormwater and steep-slope disturbance, and how “tiny homes” would be defined and regulated. Staff acknowledged a drafting error in the ordinance language about bicycle parking and said the applicant intends to provide eight bicycle spaces. The applicant said soils testing and perc tests have been completed for septic systems and that a backup drainfield will be required during permitting.
Jeff Green moved to recommend approval of Ordinance A with four conditions: set a 35-foot maximum height for the two single-family lots near Old Lystra Road; define “tiny homes” in the ordinance; clarify and list all requested modifications to LUMO standards in the ordinance’s modification section; and minimize large-tree canopy loss while addressing stormwater impacts for parking and any trails (favoring natural-surface trails). Liz (Libby Thomas) seconded. On the roll call, five commissioners voted yes and one voted no; the motion carried.
The commission’s recommendation is advisory; the rezoning must still be approved through joint hearings by the Town Council and Orange County commissioners and will be judged against Chapel Hill zoning standards. Next steps include staff incorporating the commission’s requested clarifications and forwarding the application for the joint public hearing process.
