Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger has calendared the Greene Tract resolution for a vote at town council’s Nov. 17 meeting — after the election, so that voters can’t hear candidates’ views on development of one of the last remaining natural areas in Chapel Hill, but before new council members who might be more committed to […]
All posts in category Land Use
Greene Tract series continues
I took time out for a lengthy vacation, half of it spent abroad and half among the 85% of Chapel Hill residents who don’t realize Chapel Hill has a town council. Stepping back gave me a new perspective on town business and how lives are lived by people who feel fulfilled, even if they know […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on January 27, 2020
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2020/01/27/greene-tract-series-continues/
Speak for the trees
When development proposals came before Town Council, Jim Ward, council member from 1999 to 2015, could be relied upon to speak for the trees. When I joined council and he did not get re-elected, I took on that mantle. Now I’m leaving council, and no one has emerged to protect our environment in this fundamental […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on December 2, 2019
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2019/12/02/speak-for-the-trees/
Two views of affordable housing
I attended two events over the weekend that showed the complicated issue of boosting the amount of affordable housing, from the perspective of the investor and the end-user. Each left me somewhat disheartened. Community Empowerment Fund’s “Affordable Housing: The Musical” poked fun at council members, developers and others in the community while sharing the experiences […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on November 25, 2019
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2019/11/25/2852/
Community Home Trust’s next chapter
When Robert Dowling accepted the offer Joe Cook and two colleagues extended in 1997 to head what would become Community Home Trust, Cook had one and only one directive. He shook hands with Dowling and said, “Don’t screw up.” And 22 years later, we can testify that Dowling heeded that advice. Having launched the nonprofit […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on November 18, 2019
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2019/11/18/community-home-trusts-next-chapter/
Look before you vote
I flat out enjoy canvassing. When else can I knock on a stranger’s door and start a conversation? After weeks of traipsing through neighborhoods all over town, I feel confident about giving directions to any Amazon Prime driver. Regardless of what part of town I’m in, someone on whose door I’ve knocked will ask me, […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on October 28, 2019
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2019/10/28/look-before-you-vote/
Feel-good decisions
As I interact with people when I do errands, I often ask them whether they live in Chapel Hill and why. I ask those who live in town what they would like Town Council to know. Usually, I hear the Big Three Issues: affordability, flooding and traffic. Not long ago, I heard a new one: […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on September 16, 2019
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2019/09/16/feel-good-decisions/
Too simple to understand?
Solutions to town problems seemed so much simpler when I sat in the audience at Town Hall covering Town Council meetings for my Chapel Hill Watch blog. After I was elected and moved to the dais, I learned there are no easy answers. Running for re-election this year, I was disheartened to receive questionnaires from […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on August 26, 2019
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2019/08/26/too-simple-to-understand/
Managing growth
I had forgotten how many, many stars abide in the sky until this past week when I went to a place dark enough to see them. Light pollution wipes them from visibility. When I lived in Manhattan, I never saw a star outside of the planetarium. Over time, light pollution has crept into Chapel Hill, […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on August 12, 2019
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2019/08/12/managing-growth/
BRT’s next stop
If you don’t know what NSBRT is as you read this today, you must have taken off for the beach this past weekend. Town staff hosted a blitz of presentations, focus groups and community input meetings over the weekend to introduce North-South Bus Rapid Transit to the public. The bus line, part of Chapel Hill’s […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on July 15, 2019
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2019/07/15/brts-next-stop/