“How long shall we stand? As long as there is a need to correct an injustice.” This week, the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro and Orange County will consider adopting a resolution approving a draft recombination plat (map) and conceptual plan for 164-acres jointly owned by the three parties, known as the Greene Tract. […]
Posted inHousing, Chapel Hill
The Chapel Hill housing apocalypse
Calling Chapel Hill a town on the verge of becoming an exclusive enclave of wealthy homeowners, an East Coast “Palo Alto,” a real estate consultant issued a blistering report about Chapel Hill’s direction, finding that the town needs to build significantly more housing to moderate housing price increases and retain our economic competitiveness, and criticizing […]
Posted inTransportation
Transportation plans that are consistent with our values
The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization is the body that coordinates regional transportation planning. Most of its members are appointed by local governments in Orange, Durham, and Chatham Counties, but there are also representatives from NCDOT. The MPO is currently working on its new long-range transportation plan, the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan. Unfortunately, the three […]
Posted inHousing, Chapel Hill, Development review
More places to live are good, actually
Along Elliot Road in Chapel Hill sits a modern rental apartment building called the Berkshire Chapel Hill. Though nondescript, several years ago this “luxury” apartment complex rocked Chapel Hill’s political landscape. In 2015, a new mayor and slate of like-minded Town Council members won election following community outrage after the Berkshire replaced a perfectly nice […]
Posted inBike and Walk, Chapel Hill
Get busy biking downtown
This piece was originally published on the Triangle Substack newsletter. Driving a car on Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill can be a pain. But have you tried riding a bicycle? I do so frequently, and it’s a mediocre experience. There are no bike lanes, so bicyclists have to ride in the road. (Right there, […]
Posted inDevelopment review, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill Town Council
An office building Chapel Hill can’t refuse
There are few better locations for this office building than Meadowmont, especially from an environmental and climate-change perspective.