The Graduate apartment complex changes the housing landscape

By Morgan Swift | Published 21 hours ago

Maggie Morgan-Smith, a graduate anthropology student, commutes from Raleigh to campus due to a lack of available housing in Chapel Hill.

When it comes to finding a place to live, UNC graduate students are left with limited options that require a choice between affordability or convenience. But local developers are suggesting a solution in the form ofa proposed new apartment complex.

The Graduate is an apartment complex geared primarily toward UNCs graduate student population. The Chapel Hill Town Council approved a special use permit for the project Monday.

The Graduate is a seven-story complex that would be located downtown at 105 Kenan St.

Maggie Morgan-Smith, a UNC Ph.D. candidate in the anthropology department, said she encountered problems when she and her husband first made the move to Chapel Hill from Atlanta in 2008.

There were options, Morgan-Smith said. But we sort of felt like the apartment complexes were geared to undergrads and the rental housing market was difficult to navigate.

Many student apartments downtown have been designed to accommodate single bedroom leases to suit undergraduate students needs, said Jay Patel, project manager of The Graduate.

In grad student settings, theyre a little older and may have families, Patel said. They may prefer some privacy.

He said The Graduate would sign leases for entire apartments instead of single bedrooms.

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The Graduate apartment complex changes the housing landscape