On the agenda for this week's meeting of the Town of Chapel Hill Transportation and Connectivity Advisory Board is a discussion of bicycle safety improvement. Much of this is in response to the death of a woman on a bicycle who was hit by a motor vehicle near the intersection of Hillsborough Road and MLK Jr. Blvd, a notoriously dangerous part of town on which to ride a bike. 

The Town has decided to make bicycle safety a priority and has already taken several steps, including an awareness campaign, changes to pedestrian crossings on MLK Jr. Blvd and adding green-painted sharrows to roads on certain popular bike corridors.

With Mia Burroughs winning a seat on the Orange County Board of Commissioners last week, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board has announced its process to fill the vacancy she will leave when she officially resigns on November 30, 2014. The deadline for applications is next Wednesday, November 19.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools has provided this informational packet for individuals interested in applying for the seat. Additionally, an information session will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, November 17, at Lincoln Center (750 S. Merritt Mill Road, Chapel Hill) for applicants to learn more about the roles and expectations of the position.

The Board will interview candidates at a special meeting on Monday, November 24, at 6pm at Lincoln Center, with a vote to be taken at its December 4 meeting. The selected appointee will be sworn in on December 18.

At a special meeting on Monday, the Chapel Hill Town Council decided to formally move into the negotiaton phase in the development agreement process for Obey Creek, a proposed mixed-use development across from Southern Village on 15-501.

Developer East West Partners presented a revised proposal to Council Monday. While the overall size and mix of the project has not changed, the layout and some design elements have changed. The proposal, as it currently stands, will develop 35 acres and preserve 85 in perpetuity. All buildings will be LEED certified.

The mix of uses is proposed to include 400,000 square feet of retail space, 250,000 square feet of officespace, and 600-700 residential units, including a senior housing component. All parking on the site would be structured except for street parking along streets within the development.

East West Partners also provided a model of the current proposal to help councilmembers and members of the public better understand the scale of development (see photo).