I prepared the following statement for the May 24 Town Council public hearing on the Housing Choices text amendments to the LUMO. Because I got distracted and had to talk a bit about mid-century modern homes in Chapel Hill (which, in my opinion, are more distinctive and authentic than many of the over-renovated “traditional” homes […]
Public Comment
Posted inHousing
Five things to remember ahead of tomorrow night’s discussion of missing middle housing
On Wednesday (May 24), the Chapel Hill Town Council will open a public hearing to consider a proposal to allow people to build duplexes and small homes throughout our community, not just in a handful of neighborhoods. We’re excited about this proposal because we think it will be a small but significant step towards making […]
Posted inChapel Hill
Six Joni Mitchell Songs Other Than ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ That People in Chapel Hill Should Listen To
It’s happened again. Someone has written to the Chapel Hill Town Council imploring them not to “pave paradise and put up a parking lot.” When I hear someone use those lyrics when discussing the possible development of housing, I immediately know I have encountered an unfortunately not-so-rare breed: the Boomer NIMBY (BoomBY™). Blending the worst […]
Posted inZoning
A Milder Proposal: Town Staff Revises Its Plan for Missing Middle Housing
Over the past few months, Chapel Hill homeowners from Gimghoul to Greenwood, Hidden Hills to Laurel Hill, Colony Woods to Lake Ellen, have taken precious hours out of their day to complain to, cajole, and sometimes just yell at town staff who, at the council’s direction, are trying to solve a major problem—we don’t have […]
Posted inChapel Hill Town Council
Simon Palmore: “We just need a safe, comfortable place to live that we can afford.”
I think that speaking for myself and people like me, we have a lot to offer to this community. We want to stay here, we want to serve the town.
Posted inPublic Comment
Melissa McCullough: Residential multifamily buildings are a traditional American housing form
We’re reprinting some of our favorite public comments from the public hearing on the housing choices proposal held by Chapel Hill Town Council on January 25, 2023. Melissa McCullough spent 31 years at EPA and retired as the Senior Sustainability Advisor and Assistant Director of the Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program. She was also the […]