Collins Crossing

Collins Crossing,[1] formerly known as Abbey Court and previously Old Well, is a complex of over 300 apartments in the town of Carrboro, North Carolina.

Although Collins Crossing is advertised as a complex of “condominiums,” only a few units are privately owned. Most of the apartments are managed by the Tar Heel Companies.[2]

Crime and controversies

Collins Crossing has historically been plagued by problems with crime, particularly drug-related incidents. When a new management took over after a series of high-profile drug busts, they changed the name from Old Well to Abbey Court in an effort to clear the complex’s image.

A high-profile crime occurred at Collins Crossing in June 2006, when a 19-year-old man killed his cousin in a parking lot and then shot himself. The men had been arguing over money; neither of the men lived at Abbey Court.[3]

In July 2008, Collins Crossing was again in the news because of a controversy in which the managers began to deny tenants permission to park after requiring residents to display a permit on their cars or be towed.[2] Cars with dents and paint imperfections or cracked windshields were denied permits and began to be towed away.[2] Subsequently, the tenants organized a protest and filed a series of complaints with the city of Carrboro.[4] Cars that had been denied due to issues with appearance were re-assessed.[2] Some protesting residents accused the managers of discriminating against Latino residents.[2][5] The town sent a housing inspector to check the conditions of the apartments.[5]

An organization called Play Street Soccer, an affiliate of the Chapel Hill and Carrboro Human Rights Center, also hosts pick up soccer games for the youth of the complex once each week. The organization began hosting games in the spring of 2011 with the hope of empowering children and building community through soccer. [6]

Renowned residents

Hall of Fame American football player Lawrence Taylor lived at Collins Crossing (then known as Old Well) while he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the late 1970s.

References

  1. ↑ Laudicina, Rose (June 14, 2012). "Abbey Court sold". Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Dickson, Susan (2008-07-31). "Abbey Court ownership says towing policy eased". The Carrboro Citizen. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
  3. ↑ Man shoots cousin, then shoots himself. The Chapel Hill News, 27 June 2006.
  4. ↑ Town, owner at odds over Abbey Court towing. The Carrboro Citizen, 24 July 2008.
  5. 1 2 The Human Rights Center now occupies 2 apartments, and has a variety of programs, including an after-school program, ESL, computer programs, health and wellness programs, Girl Scouts, assistance with legal issues, food distribution, worker assistance. The Center collaborated with Technology without Borders, a committee of the Campus Y, to make Abbey Court wireless, and with the public schools to obtain refurbished computers for families. It defends the rights of day laborers. http://humanrightscities.org/ Schultz, Mark (2008-07-26). "Carrboro inspects Abbey Ct.". Chapel Hill News. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
  6. ↑ Rocha, Ana (3 March 2011). "Abbey Court children, UNC students find common bond in soccer". The Daily Tar Heel.

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