Carolina North

Neighborhoods for Responsible Growth (NRG) has again decided against officially endorsing any candidates in this cycle. However, we're very interested in helping citizens to understand the positions of the candidates on issues we care about.

NRG presented all candidates with a short questionnaire, and the candidate responses are posted to our website. We invite all interested citizens to browse the answers at NRG's Chapel Hill Elections 2007 page.

The questions we asked were:

On density and growth

1. In its Comprehensive Plan, Chapel Hill is committed both to denser urban development and to protection of existing neighborhoods. Do you see any conflict between these goals, and what do you feel is the best way to achieve them?

On environmental protection

2. Please describe at least three ways you feel the Town could do a better job protecting creeks and other environmentally sensitive habitats.

On cooperation of local governments

3. What suggestions do you have for better ways for the local governments in the Orange County area to work together?

Soon we'll be entering a new phase of what some might call the never-ending saga of Carolina North. The last I had heard the University will be presenting its concept plan for the Innovation Center, the first building proposed to be built on Carolina North, at the September 19th meeting of the town of Chapel Hill's Community Design Commission (CDC).

Cam Hill asked me to post his guest column in the Herald today about Carolina North:

For several years UNC has been talking about developing a research campus, Carolina North, which is slated to contain as many as eight million square feet of buildings. UNC owns the Horace Williams tract, some 900 acres that currently is the home of the Horace Williams Airport, a couple of toxic dump sites and the old town of Chapel Hill public works and transit facility locations. UNC wants to put Carolina North there. Because the property is largely undeveloped (with the above exceptions), surrounded by existing neighborhoods and not served by any existing (or planned) transit or large-scale utility infrastructure, and because this is Chapel Hill; there has been some considerable discussion about this. Oh yeah, and the airport is still open.