Mebane City Council Approves Duplex Rezoning in West End Neighborhood

Three two-story duplexes aimed at renters 55 and older will rise at the corner of Giles and Vance streets in Mebane's West End after the city council voted 5-0 on March 12 to rezone the one-third-acre parcel from R-20 to R-8.

Frank Ascot, managing partner for Hillsborough-based developer TRG Capital, told the council each unit would include three bedrooms and 2½ bathrooms, with all units targeted to older renters. TRG Capital is based at 723 Churton Grove Boulevard in Hillsborough.

City staff supported the rezoning, noting that R-8 zoning already exists across Giles Street and that the change aligns with Mebane's comprehensive development plan goal of providing "low- to moderate-density residential development." The West End area carries a mix of zoning designations, including residential, general business, and office/institutional uses.

The proposed buildings would sit across Giles Street from the newest one-story duplex already in the neighborhood. The West End, a historically Black residential area on the western edge of the city, already contains three other duplexes, and several neighbors raised concerns Monday night about further density. Residents also questioned whether TRG Capital would accept Section 8 tenants, a federal rental assistance program for low-income renters. No answer from the developer on that question was recorded in the meeting.

All five council members voted in favor: Bradley, Katie Burkholder, Sean Ewing, Hadley, and Jonathan White.

The duplex vote came as the council navigated several housing decisions. Earlier, on March 11, the council approved a separate rezoning for Oakview Cove, an 82-home subdivision on Gibson Road to be built by Smith Douglas Homes. That vote passed 4-1, with White dissenting over the absence of a public recreation space. Tyler Will of Smith Douglas Homes described the project as workforce housing for households earning between 80 and 120 percent of the area median income, roughly $70,000 to $105,000 annually. No construction timeline was announced for that subdivision.