From the start of the March 22 meeting of Chapel Hill Town Council, it seemed that everyone was bracing for a long night. Despite a relatively slim agenda, the council revisited several contentious items from the past and discussed, for the first time, a wet lab that’s proposed for downtown. Here’s what we learned: People […]
Martin Johnson
Martin Johnson 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 inHousing
We say yes to “doing all of the things” when it comes to housing
Opponents to housing in Chapel Hill often say that they’re not against more housing, they’re just against a particular development or type of housing because of its location and/or because it won’t solve our affordable housing crisis. (This has, in practice, meant that they’ve largely and vocally been against every opportunity to add new housing […]
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Posted inFrom the archives
Chapel Hill, 1968: The Death of Elliott Woods?
By the 1960s, Chapel Hill had a reputation as a place with progressive values, with legislation like its open housing act underscoring the town’s standing as a liberal beacon in the South. But Brooks argued that at best, Chapel Hill was just like many other places and, at worst, especially problematic because of the hypocrisy of many of the town’s residents.
Posted inCat's Cradle
A Night (Or Four Decades) With Yo La Tengo at Cat’s Cradle
To see a band that started in 1984 is to deal with a set of, shall we say, difficult questions. Am I engaged in a rather fruitless attempt to relive my youth? Has the band in question recorded a good album since I reached the legal drinking age? Will I be out of place because […]
Posted inChapel Hill
A push to build In-Cho-Co in Chapel Hill: ‘Is all of this Town’s vaunted liberalism phony?’
Shumaker’s editorial ends by acknowledging the desire by some in the community to prioritize “residential exclusiveness” and “the purity of zoning,” but suggested that some things were more important, including the Inter-Church Council’s housing project.
Posted inChapel Hill
In-Chu-Co: The protests start in 1968
The day before the town council was set to vote on its plan to build 39 apartments for moderate-income people in Chapel Hill, the members of Inter-Church Council, which headline writers charmingly called “In-Chu-Co,” had to be optimistic.