Growth & Development
In the context of concern about development of neighborhoods proximate to Carolina North, about last night's (3/20) session:
A threat? There's much to be wary of, not the least the strong implication that unless we accept fairly sweeping increases in commercial use and density in the very near future along MLK, Estes, 15-501 and 54, we will bring down the wrath of economic gods on us -- making property values plummet and real estate taxes skyrocket. Of course, the consultants do not use such threatening terminology, and words like "modest" obscure the true extent of alterations in critical neighborhoods.
Lining the corridors? The dice are heavily loaded in favor of thinking first in terms of transportation corridors to serve commercial interests and on that basis planning neighborhood changes to best serve those corridors. This is being framed as if it's the rest of the town saying "leave us alone and just develop along 'major corridors." A politically savvy spin, pitting potential NIMBYs against each other, but there's more going on than that.
This press announcement has been making the rounds today:Walmart Submits Plan for Northeastern Chatham County Location
Posted Date: 3/2/2012
Chatham County received a site plan today for a second Walmart location in Chatham County, a 148,400-square-foot, full-service store off of US 15/501 just south of the Orange County line. Walmart's official statement said that the store will be part of its Buildings Sustainable Value Network, with a focus on energy-efficient design and operations.
"Walmart's announcement of a second store in the county means approximately 300 new jobs and we need every one of them," said Commissioner Chairman Brian Bock. "Given how many of our residents must commute outside the county to work, often for long distances, this is very good news."
According to Walmart, the average hourly wage for its regular, full-time employees in the state is $12.39 per hour, as of October 2011. This does not include benefits. Walmart's statement said that more details on job opportunities will be available toward the end of the construction phase.
Chapel Hill 2020 will offer the special topic presentation "Tourism as a
Community-Based Economic Development Strategy" by Laurie Paolicelli,
executive director of the Chapel Hill-Orange County Visitors Bureau. The
public is invited to the presentation to be held at noon Wednesday,
Feb. 22, in the Council Chamber of Chapel Hill Town Hall. The public
event will be aired live on Chapel Hill Government TV-18 and streamed on
the Town of Chapel Hill website at http://www.townofchapelhill.org/index.aspx?page=1850
According to the NC Department of Commerce, visitors traveling to
and within the state of North Carolina spent a record $17 billion in
2010, supporting more than 40,000 North Carolina businesses and directly
supporting 183,900 jobs all across the state. State and local tax
revenues generated as a result of visitor spending total more than $1.5
billion annually.
North Carolina ranks as the 6th most visited state in the United
States. How does Chapel Hill build upon the state's status as a top
destination for visitors? What challenges does the local hospitality
industry face in light of the current economy? What new developments are
taking place? These topics and more will be discussed.
Date:
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 12:00pm to 2:00pm
Location:
Council Chamber, Chapel Hill Town Hall
After reading the article
'No' vote frustrates critics" in the Chapel Hill News I felt compelled to correct the record. When Council viewed a video showing a representation of Charterwood, presented by the Charterwood applicant, only the Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd side was shown. Similarly, the lead article Jan. 30 in the CH News presented one flawed side of a decision, repeating applicant claims, without ever turning the corner to see the other views.
On July 8th, 2008, BEFORE the Altemueller property was purchased, I met with current owner of the property, Bill Christian, at his request, to discuss his pending purchase. At that time, I pointed out the Northern Area Task Force recommendations for this specific property. (Note: the article refers to a development submission in 2007.) The Task Force looked at 367 acres of development potential and felt that it was important enough to single out ONLY the approximately 14 acres of Altemueller property for special consideration.
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