Last week we held one of the oddest council meetings I have seen in the decade I have been keeping 
tabs on council business. Odd that we called a special meeting in the summer to revote on something we had voted on five months earlier. Odder still the number of politicians and political advocates lobbying against what those most affected by the issue lobbied for.
The politicos outnumbered community members 2:1. It was almost as though the politically connected were trying to send a message to those of us up for re-election this year or in two years that political connections can drown out the voices of the people who live here.
After casting my vote to support the community members, I left the meeting knowing this was why I wanted one more term on council: to make sure the voice of the people is heard.
I’m a public servant, not a politician. My mission is to go out into the community to learn where people stand on issues and bring those voices back to council to be part of the discussion. While I can count to five (the number of votes on council it takes to pass a motion), I also understand the power of reason as we on council try to balance the town’s inevitable growth with the quest for individuals to have a good life.
And all of us want a good life, even as we recognize that the vision of a good life is different for each of us. By listening to people talk about what they love about Chapel Hill and what they don’t want to lose as progress churns through, I have been able to find various points on which we agree:
We want people who work in town to be able to live here, and we’re willing to pay more in taxes for that to happen. We understand the need for trees to counter flooding and climate change. We want to reduce the time we spend stuck in traffic. We recognize the need to increase the number of local jobs.
For the past four years, I’ve shown my commitment to bringing community voices to the decision-making table. I have the tenacity — the stick-to-it-iveness — to continue finding balance as we grow. For that, we need to hear all voices.
I’m asking for your support to make sure your voice is at the table. Visit ReElectNancyOates.org
— Nancy Oates
Terri
/ July 22, 2019I think you are going to have to explain your vote against affordable housing to get past this issue. You say you voted with the community, but the community was split and you chose the part that wanted to slow down the process (the part with the misnamed Friends of the Greene Tract). I disengaged from Chapel Hill politics a couple of years ago and only took an interest in this issue because of Orange County and Carrboro’s involvement with it for the affordable housing. It reminded me why I don’t want to be involved in Chapel Hill. That was one of the most dysfunctional council meeting I’ve ever witnessed.
Nancy Oates
/ July 22, 2019My vote was not against affordable housing. My vote was for the community. The master plan the county put forth did not reflect the density and use I heard from the community. The county’s plan had Berkshire-style development and destination businesses, something the community clearly said during the rezoning meetings that they did not want in that area of town. Everyone from the community who spoke at council supported Option C. I received no emails or phone calls from anyone in the community who wanted Resolution A. It would be wonderful if politicians & political advocates came to council to lobby for affordable housing when developers propose a mixed-use project that needs a rezoning. That’s when we have our best shot at getting AH units.
Terri
/ July 22, 2019I disagree that your vote was for the “community.” It may have been for a portion of the community that lives outside of the historic Rogers Road neighborhood, but it did not represent the full community.
Nor did the county put forth a master plan. Calling it that is misleading. The three planning departments–Orange County, Carrboro, and Chapel Hill–worked collectively to put forth the concept plan you helped shoot down. You’re just playing politics by labelling it a county plan.
Nor did the plan have anything about Berkshire-style development and destination businesses. The plan had the types of housing and businesses specified in the 2016 Mapping Our Future Plan developed by the Rogers Road community before Larkspur residents got involved.
Of course you didn’t receive any emails or phone calls prior to the vote–only a small handful of individuals knew what was going to happen. The council and staff weren’t even aligned on the language of the Option C language as illustrated by the last hour of haggling.
The number of units that come from mixed use projects in minuscule and doesn’t come close to meeting the demand. We need the Greene tract as a more significant step toward meeting the unmet demand for affordable housing.
Nancy Oates
/ July 22, 2019Not to get too wordsmithy. but you can find the materials from our Feb. 20 meeting here: https://chapelhill.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx; click on Agenda, then click on the hyperlink next to the Greene Tract item, then click on “Resolution.” You’ll see that we were asked to approve a “master plan” that included “67 acres of housing/mixed use.” The Berkshire and other apartment buildings going up in Blue Hill are mixed use. What Rogers Road area residents were clear about during the many rezoning meetings was they wanted a place for senior citizens and families to return to the community, and triplexes was as dense as they wanted to go. They did not want traffic from destination retail and high-rise apartments. Yet that’s what mixed-use allows. I wanted to make sure the residents’ vision was respected. At that same calendar link, you can watch the video and see that council members wanted to move forward with planning for development and making sure that what we agreed to was in keeping with what RENA residents envisioned. That’s why we approved everything except the master plan and its accompanying map that would “modify” all 164 acres.
Terri
/ July 22, 2019We’ll see when/if any affordable housing gets built. Given the different understandings by the elected officials and staff and residents, I’m not feeling too hopeful.
Bonnie Hauser
/ August 1, 2019Nancy – thanks for standing up for community and for affordable housing. I find it incredible to watch politicians and their operatives distort the facts, and work to drown out the voice of the community. Trump-like in every way.
More public servants needed. Thats for being one!
Plurimus
/ August 2, 2019“…..political connections can drown out the voices of the people who live here.” This is sad but true. The embedded political machine around here is an anathema on democracy.