This is part of our harder truths series. Inclusionary zoning ordinances are among the most controversial approaches in modern urban planning. Briefly, these ordinances intend to expand the supply of affordable housing stock by requiring developers to include it as part of new development or redevelopment projects. (We are defining “Affordable” here using the guidance …
Chapel Hill’s inclusionary zoning policies don’t work Read More »
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 …
TL;DR: A lot of conversation and debate in our community centers on planning, zoning, and development regulations. But…what are these things? 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, and how they can be used …
TBB Land Use & Development Primer | 1.3: Anatomy of a Zoning Ordinance (1) Read More »
TL;DR: A lot of conversation and debate in our community centers on planning, zoning, and development regulations. But…what are these things? 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, and how they can be …
TBB Land Use & Development Primer | 1.2: Legal Foundations of Zoning Read More »
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, …
TBB Land Use & Development Primer | 1.1: Background & History of Zoning Read More »
How do we determine Chapel Hill and Carrboro’s fair share of affordable housing to provide in the Triangle region?
On Tuesday June 21, Dr. Jenny Schuetz, a Senior Fellow at Brookings Metro and the author of Fixer-Upper: How to Repair America’s Broken Housing Systems will join Stephen Whitlow, who serves on the Planning Commission for the Town of Chapel Hill, is a member of NEXT, and writes for Triangle Blog Blog, for a wide-ranging …
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 …
As Chapel Hillians increasingly recognize our moral obligation to address the housing affordability crisis, inspiration may come from an unlikely source: pickleball. Think of your typical suburban single-family lot as a tennis court, with plenty of open green space and clear boundaries. When you first get a tennis court it’s a lot of fun but …
For those of us who advocate for building more housing, it has often felt like a pitched battle competing against a group of well-organized homeowners with time on their hands. Therefore, it’s nice to learn that our philosophy of “housing abundance” is becoming more widely accepted, even among some traditionally anti-development advocates. CHALT organizer Linda …
