What a difference a day makes. (Actually, two days, but the point still stands). On January 18, Adam Searing cautioned us that Jennifer Keesmaat, one of the consultants hired to help implement the Complete Communities project, was pushing the town’s decision-making process to be more like that of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party. […]
Development review
Posted inChapel Hill Town Council
Why aren’t we considering the Legion site for the Complete Communities pilot?
Tomorrow, the Chapel Hill Town Council will formally choose a pilot project for the Complete Communities planning exercise they’ve been conducting and, separately, make a decision on the future of the American Legion site. Why aren’t we talking about these two decisions together? About Complete Communities For those who haven’t been paying close attention, Complete […]
Posted inChapel Hill
Reimagining 106 Kenan Street: How we can rethink lots in the historic district of Chapel Hill
Background: On July 6, 2021, a structural fire damaged a single-family, four-bedroom home at 106 Kenan St., which was occupied by four college students (who thankfully were able to escape the fire without injury). Last fall, the house was torn down, leaving an undeveloped .22 acre (9,579 square feet) lot in downtown Chapel Hill. The […]
Posted inZoning
TBB Land Use & Development Primer | 1.1: Background & History of Zoning
TL;DR: A lot of conversation and debate in our community centers on planning, zoning, and development regulations. But…what are these things? Where did they come from? And why are they used? Are they good? Bad? Somewhere in between? It’s important to understand how land use planning and regulations work, what they can and can’t do, […]
Posted inDevelopment review
Does Chapel Hill want people to live downtown?
After UNC’s men’s basketball team defeated Duke in the NCAA Final Four on Saturday, April 2, fans rushed Franklin Street. Photographers and television news crews captured an exuberant crowd, eager to celebrate their second victory in so many months over their biggest rival. While basketball isn’t everything in Chapel Hill, it’s nights like these that […]
Posted inUncategorized
A look at the week ahead: May 16, 2022
Here is a look at some of the local government meetings scheduled for this week, May 16-20, 2022: Chapel Hill Town Council The Chapel Hill Town Council will be holding a virtual meeting on Wednesday (May 18) at 7 pm — view the agenda here, access the Zoom here if you want to comment, and it’s also […]