Earlier this week, we asked a simple question — has recent large scale multi-family development in Chapel Hill improved the extent to which residential development as a whole pays for itself in terms of taxes paid versus public services consumed? We wrote that this question was based in part on a town-funded cost of services […]
Housing
Posted inChapel Hill
Does residential development now pay for itself in Chapel Hill?
One of the arguments CHALT frequently makes against dense infill multi-family housing is that “the cost of serving residential development (money going out) exceeds the amount coming in.” They repeatedly cite a 2012 study commissioned by Chapel Hill’s former town manager– Here’s a recent example from NextDoor: There’s just (several) problems with this. Let’s wade […]
Posted inHousing
Three Reminders About Why Housing Policy Matters
About six months ago, in the early days of Triangle Blog Blog, I had an interesting correspondence with a Redditor who had trouble understanding why we had gone to the trouble of starting a blog on local housing and transportation politics, of all things. Why care about something so niche? Three recent articles reminded me […]
Posted inHousing
A model for housing and housing prices
There’s quite a bit of vocal disagreement in Chapel Hill about how housing and housing prices work. Here, I lay out a simplistic model to illustrate how I think and what I assume about housing and housing prices. I hope this helps move our conversation forward. First, I will say that this model is going […]
Posted inChapel Hill
With Legion Vote, Chapel Hill Town Council Shows Willingness to Address Hard Truths
What a difference a year makes. This time last year we were welcoming in a new Chapel Hill Town Council, one that we hoped would support affordable and abundant housing, invest in buses and greenways, and fix our broken planning systems. With an optimist’s heart, we were hopeful that the town council would tackle some […]
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 […]