Since there is no question Chapel Hill will continue to grow, it is vital that we have a vision for how we implement growth in a manner that preserves the core elements of what makes our Town special to all of us.
For the last eight years, the Town Council has pursued a growth policy that has been driven by a commitment to “mixed use” projects including high-end condominiums, office space and a small amount of retail. The notion is that people “live, work and play” within each “mixed use” project. We now have two major “mixed use” projects that have been in place for over a decade – Southern Village and Meadowmont – and the theory hasn’t worked the way it was anticipated. Few residents of these developments actually work in them, and the retail areas are generally perceived to be struggling. Despite this, the Council has continued to approve – indeed encourage – more of the same. During my time on the Town Council, I have tried over and over again to simply get the question of whether “mixed use” as we have defined it is working or not – with virtually no success. This is a perfect example of the insularity of the Town Council – and its unwillingness to even examine the evidence from existing developments.
The construction of the most recent “mixed use” development on one of our major gateways has shocked many of our residents. Although we all know it is human nature to initially dislike change, this development has caused many people to ask how our Town should grow without losing its character. In that context, many residents are asking why the Council has insisted we have buildings four and five stories high right up on the road. For eighteen months, I fought to get these questions addressed. After a tortuous process, the Council finally created a Visioning Task Force with members representing the diversity of the community to examine these very questions.
As your Mayor, I will do everything in my power to define the charge of the Visioning Task Force in a manner that allows it to focus on specific issues and sets milestones for accomplishing them. Since there is no question Chapel Hill will continue to grow, it is vital that have a vision for how we implement growth in a manner that preserves the core elements of what makes our Town special to all of us.
