The UNC Board of Trustees gave preliminary design approval to a new vision for The Pit on Wednesday morning, moving forward the renovation project for one of campus’ central gathering places.
The board’s Budget, Finance and Infrastructure Committee received a presentation and gave feedback on a design for an updated layout and vision for The Pit before eventually giving its initial approval. The full Board of Trustees will take a formal vote on Thursday on design approval.
UNC Landscape Architect Daniel Widis, who is heading up the renovation project, described the changes to the trustees as turning The Pit from a recessed spot with steps into a “single plane of paving,” with a new canopy of seven to nine trees, many fixed and flexible seating options, and space to create “a stage to do whatever the university needs to do on a day-to-day basis.”
An aerial rendering of renovation and redesign of The Pit at the heart of UNC’s campus. While The Pit itself is a courtyard, the area touches the edges of many of Carolina’s most used buildings and the project aims to recognize that footprint. (Image via UNC-Chapel Hill.)
The design is the outcome of stakeholder input and feedback in the spring of 2024, with UNC taking up the project because of The Pit’s ongoing drainage issues. Widis said the underground terracotta pipes installed when The Pit was laid in the late 1960s are broken, and the excavation needed to put in a new drainage system would be so disruptive that the university chose to reimagine the entire space to be more “useful and dynamic.”
“I think the main challenge beyond technical is programmatic,” the landscape architect said. “Most of the time, [The Pit] is largely vacant. Yes, there is programming that happens along the edge and occasionally students events that take place in the middle. But in an era of enrollment growth and a time when we need to be utilizing and maximizing every space we have on campus, this is an opportunity to be doing so much more than it is doing now.”
Beyond the issues with drainage and circulation, the oak trees planted at The Pit’s center are in declining health and the 1960s design came long before accessibility requirements. Widis said the combination of those factors blended with campus community feedback led to the full redesign.
“This opportunity to have so much more seating and to really occupy the Pit was really attractive to everyone we presented the design to, despite its transformative change,” he said.
A rendering of how The Pit’s renovation and redesign could look during a typical school day, as presented by UNC’s Finance and Operations team during a UNC Board of Trustees meeting on September 23, 2026. (Image via UNC-Chapel Hill.)
A rendering of how The Pit’s renovation and redesign could look during a fall football game day, as presented by UNC’s Finance and Operations team during a UNC Board of Trustees meeting on September 23, 2026. (Image via UNC-Chapel Hill.)
The trustees shared minimal feedback on the new design to Widis, other than to offer their support and compliment the updates to The Pit’s functionality. Committee Chair Jim Blaine asked Widis how long the renovation’s construction might take and what the current cost estimate is. The landscape architect responded by saying the development team are in active conversation on how to best phase construction and minimize disruption, which will impact the project’s scope and timeline. For now, the estimated price tag is $8-10 million, which the university said in 2024 would come from a combination of its stormwater funds, landscaping project funds and alumni donations.
Trustee Ramsey White also asked whether the university will once again plant oak trees in The Pit. Widis said the landscaping team is examining several species to determine what will best blend resilience with a good tree canopy to create more shade.
The Board of Trustees committee meetings will continue on Wednesday at the Rizzo Center, with the full board meeting scheduled for Thursday morning.
Featured photo via UNC-Chapel Hill.
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