A 22,000-Home Community Is Being Built in a 5,000-Person Town

Key Points:

• Pittsboro, N.C., a small town of about 5,000 people, is experiencing significant growth due to the development of Chatham Park, a master-planned community expected to expand the population to over 60,000 in two decades.
• Chatham Park plans include building more than 22,000 homes, 22 million square feet of commercial space, and infrastructure such as schools, clinics, and roads, transforming Pittsboro into a much larger urban area.
• Since the introduction of Chatham Park homes six years ago, Pittsboro’s average home prices have surged from $360,000 in 2020 to approximately $550,000, with larger and more expensive houses planned.
• While master-planned communities like Chatham Park are seen as a solution to the national housing shortage, local residents express concern about preserving Pittsboro’s unique character amid rapid and extensive development.
• Longtime residents, such as Robert Parks, support progress but emphasize the need for responsible growth to maintain the community’s identity.