Posted inHousing

Statement in support of the Housing Choices proposal

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 […]

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 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 […]