Developer pulls Glen Lennox plan

CHAPEL HILL -- Grubb Properties has withdrawn its initial plan to replace the Glen Lennox apartments and shopping center.

The move came two days after company president Clay Grubb told the Town Council last month that initial plans to tear down and rebuild the neighborhood were "done hastily."

Grubb now plans to participate in a neighborhood planning process that could lead to new zoning restrictions for the half-century-old property.

"Our decision to withdraw the initial concept plan was really made to allow the focus on working together with the neighborhood community on the conservation process before coming together to form a new idea," said Jim Schaafsma, senior vice president of planning and development for Grubb Properties.

Senior town planner Kay Pearlstein said it was unusual for a developer to withdraw a concept plan before presenting it to the Chapel Hill Community Design Commission, the first step in the development process. The concept plan was supposed to go under review Aug. 20.

Chapel Hill's Planning Board will meet Aug. 19 to begin a separate process that could lead to Glen Lennox being labeled a Neighborhood Conservation District. At the meeting, the board will schedule a public information meeting for residents to learn more about the NCD process.

-- Sadia Latifi, 829-4768; sadia.latifi@nando.com

UNC gets advice on growing enrollment

CHAPEL HILL -- Growing enrollment could turn off top applicants if the university adds too many students or lowers the bar to get them, a consultant told UNC trustees Thursday.

Campus leaders are considering how to grow the student body while preserving quality. The Art & Science Group presented findings of a study of how the university's size affects students' decisions to apply.

The survey uncovered some misconceptions among high school students who ask UNC for application information. Nearly half think the university is bigger than it is, and nearly a third think it has multiple campuses.

The study predicts the reactions of prospective students to two enrollment levels -- 33,000 and 36,000. Actual enrollment is 28,000.

Consultant Rick Hesel said that increasing enrollment to 33,000 would have negligible effects on the number of students who apply. Growing to 36,000 would have "modest unfavorable impact," the report said.

The report also warned against lowering admissions standards and said applications from top in-state and out-of-state students could fall 20 percent or more if the quality of enrolling students slips.

"It's going to be incumbent on all of us to work very hard to recruit the very highest-performing North Carolina undergraduates to our campus," said Chancellor Holden Thorp.

-- Samuel Spies, 932-2014; samuel.spies@nando.com

Humane Society holds dogfighting workshop

PITTSBORO -- Law enforcement officers, humane workers and veterinarians will convene at Central Carolina Community College on Wednesday to learn more about illegal animal fighting.

Humane Society University, part of the Humane Society of the United States, is bringing its national training program, "Illegal Animal Fighting Investigations," to six cities across the United States.

Illegal animal fighting is a national problem, which includes dogfighting, cockfighting and hog-dog fighting.

The society estimates that 40,000 people participate in organized rings with high-stakes betting and that at least another 100,000 people fight dogs informally.

The cost of dogfighting gets passed on to the public. Many animal shelters, including Orange County, have had to hold dogs seized in dogfighting investigations for months until their owners lose legal custody.

Late registration is sometimes accepted. Register online at humanesociety.org/university. Type in the keyword: illegal, to locate the course. For late registrations or group registrations, contact Frances Gaeta at register@hsus.org

-- From staff reports