Economy & Downtown

Chapel Hill's downtown has long benefited from its proximity to a captive audience of University students without cars. While downtowns around the country have been failing, ours has survived fairly well. However, we have seen an increase in the number of chain stores locating downtown, and instability in the Downtown Economic Development Corporation. In the near future, we will see new Town-directed development on two major parking lots have a big impact.
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Carrboro's downtown has also done better than many towns of comparable size, thanks largely to the presence of Weaver Street Market and progressive shoppers from the rest of the county. The Board of Aldermen has been addressing the evolution of the downtown, and have established a number of community resources in the downtown area including free wireless Internet access, and a low-power radio station.

Run Your Local Gocery Store

Submitted by Ruby Sinreich on October 4, 2004 - 5:41pm

Weaver Street Market's Annual Meeting is tonight at Panzanella at 7:00 pm (I think). This is an opportunity for the people who shop and work there to govern the co-coperative institution (theoretically) by selecting the Board of Directors. In the past, the Board election has been an insulated affair, with the current board choosing their colleagues and offering the membership little more than a rubber stamp.

Unfortunately, I can't attend. But I hope someone will and give us a report. I don't think you have to be an owner to attend. Will it be more of the same?

Amendment One

Submitted by Guest Author on September 27, 2004 - 1:46pm

Guest Post by Anita Badrock

Amendment One is on the ballot for consideration by NC Voters. It allows local municipalities to issue "self financing bonds" (also known as TIF's--"tax incremental funding") without taxpayer approval. NC is one of only two states that does not currently allow this type of bond to be issued. The amendment has created some unlikely local allies---those in favor of the amendment include Mayor Foy and the Town Council, former Republican governor Jim Martin, former Democratic governor Jim Hunt, and the local Chambers of Commerce. Those opposed include the conservative John Locke Society, the Common Sense Foundation, the Libertarian Party of NC, and our own Dan Coleman.

If Amendment One passes, local governments would be allowed to create special development districts, then issue bonds without voter approval to pay for improvements in these districts — such as streets, water and sewer service and sidewalks — to attract developers.

An urban downtown

Submitted by Ruby Sinreich on September 17, 2004 - 6:47pm

Are we ready? As a lover of urban spaces, I must say I am pretty excited about the proposals brewing for downtown Chapel Hill and Carrboro. (I have linked to respective towns' websites who have pretty good information, and maps!)

Raise A Glass on Franklin Street

Submitted by Ruby Sinreich on September 7, 2004 - 3:45pm

On tonight's Chapel Hill Town Council agenda, Mayor Pro Tem Edith Wiggins will have the opportunity to undo the action she took in July to singlehandedly stop local restaurants from serving alcohol to customers dining on the sidewalk. The Daily Tarheel points out the cost of this misstep to local restaurateurs, I would just add that there is a cost in the goodwill of downtown merchants and consumers as well. Since she has not raised an actual objection to the idea then or now, many feel confident it will pass unanimously this evening.

But I have to wonder why Wiggins is blocking proposals that she claims to support. Does she have other objections that she doesn't care to state publicly or is she just flexing her Pro Tem muscle?

IFC, Homeless No More?

Submitted by Ruby Sinreich on August 14, 2004 - 5:28pm

Is anyone at all surprised to see that the IFC soup kitchen/shelter will not be moving back into the space that they had to leave "temporarily" so the Town could remodel it? You shouldn't be if you read OrangePolitics. I can understand them needing more and better space for their residential programs, but I can't see the free meals they provide being nearly as helpful if they are served a mile away from the center of town. Poor people don't just hang out downtown because there are students to ask for money, it's also near where they work for poverty-level wages (ie: the University).

It also comes as no surprise that downtown merchants will be glad to have the shelter permanently out of their hair. I wonder if the move will have much impact on the panhandling that some people seem to think is the biggest problem we have downtown. (Besides maybe parking, of course!) Only time will tell.

Many criminals have fed the negative stereotypes of homeless people by hanging around the shelter and by giving its address when they're arrested. However:

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