Comprehensive Plan

Apparently I was quoted in the News & Observer after last week's information session about UNC's proposed redevelopment of University Square. I didn't notice that story, but today a colleague said something to me about a cartoon in the Independent Weekly. Wha? After some hunting I found this V.C Rogers illustration "Mr. Bull" which features my statement that "Durham has been kicking our ass, Chapel Hill has to catch up."

While I'm not especially proud of how articulate that one (out of context) quotation was, I do stand behind it. Seeing the way the Indy cartoon twisted my point made me want to expand or at least explain a little more.

I've been encouraged to hear municipal staff and elected leaders in Chapel Hill talk about how broad, inclusive, and engaging they want the process of revising the Town's Comprehensive Plan to be. I've also seen some positive steps in this direction, but have also been frustrated about my inability to get information about what is going on with the process so far. Hopefully, this frustration will end when the public part of the process kicks off on September 27th (OP's birthday, coincidentally).

The town's "2020" web site lists ways that people can get involved including: Become a Stakeholder, Join a Working Group, Subscribe to our email list, Take a survey, Attend a Meeting, Tell someone about Chapel Hill 2020, and Tell us who's missing. This is a great start. I think this process is an opportunity to think more broadly about how to get residents more involved more effectively and creatively in our local government, and I bet we can think of some different formats and different venues for this to happen.