Would a time traveler from the turn of the 19th century into the 20th, walking through one of Chapel Hill’s historic districts, recognize the neighborhood? Amber Kidd, a preservationist with the N.C. Historic Preservation Office who advises local governments on how to set up and run a Historic District Commission, put that question to Chapel […]
What’s worth preserving
Posted by Nancy Oates on January 22, 2018
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/01/22/whats-worth-preserving/
Honor MLK Jr. — Speak Out
Never have I felt so alone and afraid as when the border patrol in El Salvador pulled me off the bus as I headed to American-friendly Guatemala because I had not stayed the three consecutive nights the Salvadoran regime required of tourists to that country torn by civil war in the early 1980s. I watched […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on January 15, 2018
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/01/15/honor-mlk-jr-speak-out/
Requiem to a Newspaper
“I have some good news to share,” began a letter to Chapel Hill News readers from publisher Sara Glines. But it wasn’t good news. What followed was a 6-inch column of malarkey. The Chapel Hill News ceased publication at the end of December. It had stopped publishing news a year before that, when McClatchy, owner […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on January 8, 2018
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/01/08/requiem-to-a-newspaper/
Happier New Year
We started a new tradition this New Year’s Eve – we wrote all the bad things that happened in 2017 on little slips of paper, then tossed them into the fireplace. It was not as big of a bonfire as I expected, given the national politics and ripples into global and state affairs. And it […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on January 1, 2018
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/01/01/happier-new-year/
Hot Spots
Things change. I count on that every year when we go out looking for holiday lights. This year we stumbled on a treasure trove of lights to complement our old favorites. We hope you and those you celebrate with will enjoy them: Because Southern Village goes all out for Halloween, we ventured in to see […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on December 25, 2017
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2017/12/25/hot-spots/
Lessons of War
Sometimes you can find words to live by where you least expect it. In a war movie I saw recently, a SEAL unit came under fire. “I’ve been shot!” one SEAL cried, whereupon his ranking officer replied: “That’s in the past. Don’t live in the past. Let’s move.” Stay with me here for what that […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on December 18, 2017
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2017/12/18/lessons-of-war/
The View From Here
After I was elected in 2015, I asked to occupy the seat on the dais once held by former Council Member Matt Czajkowski. I had long admired his intellect and insight. He was able to perceive unintended consequences in council decisions that eluded his colleagues on the dais. But his trenchant observations often brought out […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on December 11, 2017
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2017/12/11/the-view-from-here/
Park, Housing: Not an Either-Or
In 2003, as a taxpayer I voted against spending more than $16 million to expand and renovate the Chapel Hill Public Library. The town had a small but functional library, surrounded by the woods and trails of Pritchard Park, and while the demand would only grow as the town grew, it seemed to me we […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on December 4, 2017
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2017/12/04/park-housing-not-an-either-or/
Will we always have Paris?
Maybe Town Council’s next intercity visit should be to Paris, a city that Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane cited as her favorite because of its low buildings. At council’s Nov. 15 meeting, we reviewed a concept plan for a 5-story building of apartments, offices and retail, with 68 parking spaces on less than 4 acres at […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on November 27, 2017
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2017/11/27/will-we-always-have-paris/
Growth on what conditions
For 10 years before becoming Chapel Hill’s planning director, Ben Hitchings held the comparable role in Morrisville. There, he used a process called “conditional zoning” to develop and redevelop parcels to spur growth. At council’s Nov. 15 meeting, we heard a staff proposal to add conditional zoning to our Land Use Management Ordinance. CZ makes […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on November 20, 2017
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2017/11/20/growth-on-what-conditions/