An astute reader reminded me that the Skills Development Center (NC Works) will be co-located with the new library project. The Skills Development Center has needed to be relocated since Orange County sold the property it sat in on Franklin Street to WELL Dot to bring in tax revenue and 400 jobs. It is important […]
Posted inBike and Walk, Chapel Hill Town Council, Connectivity, Development review, Planning Board: Chapel Hill
R.E.M., Chapel Hill, and the Importance of Micro-Connections
Music aficionados are likely familiar with R.E.M.’s place in the local music scene in the early days of the band’s career. The band played its first show outside of Georgia at the Station in Carrboro, where the members met Jefferson Holt, who went on to manage R.E.M. for 15 years as it grew into America’s […]
Posted inCarrboro Town Council
Carrboro Public Library: Support the project
A number of op-eds and listserv messages have been circulating in recent days that oppose the new library in downtown Carrboro. I am really excited for the library in downtown Carrboro. It’s on three bus lines, and walkable/bikeable from many parts of town. It’s close to nearby businesses. And in recent years, many public libraries […]
Posted inCarrboro Town Council
Carrboro Town Council meeting petition is not equitable
A new petition is circulating from the BetterCarrboro listserv encouraging immediate in-person meetings for the Carrboro Town Council. One signer writers, “Time to stop hiding behind Zoom curtain. Real people are not digital images.” As of this writing, the petition has 14 signatures. I disagree that Zoom meetings have limited public participation or are different […]
Posted inBike and Walk
Keep the trails and sidewalks open
For a community to truly support people who travel by walking/rolling, biking, and taking transit, like Chapel Hill aspires to do, it needs to make sure people can rely on roads and trails being open for their use. So while it’s important to build safe walking and biking facilities like sidewalks, protected bike lanes, separated […]
Posted inChapel Hill Town Council, From the archives
Flashback to the 1980s: The Anti-Growth Consensus in Chapel Hill
As anyone who has tried to buy a home in Chapel Hill in recent years knows, we are in the middle of a housing crisis. According to the Cooke Report, published last month by local realtors Allison Zimmerman and Lucia Cooke, the average house sells within 13 days of being listed. (In a healthy market, […]