Last week’s Chapel Hill town council meeting was so jam-packed with good news that we’re still processing it, as if it were a long awaited 10th Taylor Swift album dropping at midnight. From dueling petitions on the future of the Legion site to a public apology for Chapel Hill’s illegal raid on a Black business […]
Martin Johnson
Martin Johnson (@martinlj) lives in Chapel Hill. He teaches film studies courses at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his research interests include documentary, educational film, and local film. Like John, he serves on the board of NEXT Chapel Hill-Carrboro and the Bicycle Alliance of Chapel Hill. He believes that walkable urbanism is the solution to our environmental and economic challenges.
Posted inChapel Hill Town Council
Live Blogging the Nov. 16 Chapel Hill Town Council Meeting
We’re thirty minutes into the Nov. 16 meeting of the Chapel Hill Town Council, and in the words of The Carpenters…”we’ve only just begun.” 7:30: We open with a petition from the Save Legion Park group. Virginia Gray opens with quoting Joni Mitchell. She notes “Some of us remember Joni Mitchell. Others have never heard […]
Posted inChapel Hill
“It’s not just about a parking deck”: East Rosemary Deck costs balloon to $50 million, putting other town priorities at risk
This week the Chapel Hill Town Council will hear an update on their biggest priority, in budgetary terms, a new 1100-space parking deck on East Rosemary Street. When the council voted to approve the deck in October 2020, the deck was expected to cost $33.2 million, already an increase over an earlier estimate of $28 […]
Posted inBike Beat
Which polling places in Orange County, NC are best for walkers, bikers, and people taking the bus?
Happy Election Day! We’ve made our endorsements (Orange County, Raleigh municipal races, and, most critically, the NC Supreme Court), but today we want to focus on something else. Too many of our polling sites aren’t accessible to people who walk, roll, or take the bus. Even though the entire point of a voting precinct is […]
Posted inBike and Walk
Chapel Hill and Carrboro school bus issues speak to wider need for safe streets and greenways
On Wednesday afternoon, the Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools held a virtual meeting to discuss school buses. Those who tuned in quickly realized that our school bus system is in trouble—big trouble. We’ve lost drivers and buses, and have started using contracted vehicles just to get kids to school. There are children riding the bus […]
Posted inElection 2022
RALEIGH MATTERS: Triangle Blog Blog Endorsements for the Capital City
Raleigh’s progress on zoning reform is an inspiration for cities across the South. It must not regress into the anti-housing politics of old. Raleigh is the South’s beacon on housing. By passing long overdue reforms, such as permitting missing middle housing and ending parking mandates, the City of Oaks is setting precedents other places cite […]