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I signed a new housing lease about a month ago in mid-October – a lease that won’t start until June of next year. This is how competitive student off-campus housing is in Chapel Hill, and the ever-high demand for student housing in Chapel Hill continues to negatively affect non-student renters.
Niche.com estimates that 90 percent of houses near campus fill up by October. From my experience, students looking to rent an affordable house (as opposed to a townhouse or apartment) begin the search as early as September. Every year this fight to find the closest, nicest and most affordable home puts additional stress on UNC students, and our desperation to sign a lease as soon as possible pits students against each other, increasing competition and driving prices up.
According to a 2010 report prepared by Development Concepts Inc., students make up about a third of all rented units in Chapel Hill (and rented housing comprises over half of all housing in Chapel Hill). We are a huge market for property owners and developers – on-campus housing can only accommodate 9,700 students, so the remaining 9,000 or so undergrads must find off-campus places.
In light of national struggles with policing methods, enforcement and militarization, both Chapel Hill and Carrboro police departments hosted sessions for community members to voice their potential concerns directly to Chapel Hill Police Chief Blue Oct. 4 and Carrboro Chief Horton Oct. 5. The two forums revealed underlying issues in each community, with Carrboro’s discussion especially distinct in the way it gravitated toward racial profiling issues.
ORANGEPOLITICS TO HOST HAPPY HOUR, ENGAGE COMMUNITY BEFORE ELECTIONS
OrangePolitics will host a happy hour on Friday, Oct. 10 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at TRU Deli + Wine for residents to gather and discuss local politics prior to the upcoming elections.
The happy hour will offer attendees the opportunity to discuss local politics prior to upcoming elections with candidates and current elected officials, as well as others in the community who are well versed in local politics.
Local officials who have attended in the past include town commissioners, councilors and members of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Orange County Boards of Education.
TRU is located at 114 Henderson St., a close walk for students and individuals who live downtown.
OrangePolitics will also be providing complimentary cheese platters.
Orange County will hold elections on Nov. 4, and polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. With the happy hour just three weeks before elections, voters will have a prime opportunity to hear more about local candidates and issues from a well-informed sect of Orange County residents.
Date:
Friday, October 10, 2014 - 5:30pm to 7:00pm
Location:
Tru Deli + Wine, 114 Henderson Street, Chapel Hill
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OrangePolitics is a not-for-profit website for discussing progressive perspectives on politics, planning, and public policy in Orange County, NC. Opinions are those of their authors. Learn more.
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