UNC plans redevelopment of Porthole Alley to create a Franklin St. “gateway to campus”

By Ava Pukatch

UNC plans to transform one of the busiest blocks in Chapel Hill. The university held public information sessions this week about the Porthole Alley redevelopment project. That’s the alley next to Carolina Coffee shop, that connects Carolina’s campus to Downtown. Redevelopment would demolish the building that houses longtime Franklin Street businesses Johnny T-Shirt and Cosmic Cantina. The goal: to strengthen the economic vitality of downtown and create a “gateway to campus.”

Ava Pukatch reports.