Economy & Downtown
Chapel Hill's downtown has long benefited from its proximity to a captive audience of University students without cars. While downtowns around the country have been failing, ours has survived fairly well. However, we have seen an increase in the number of chain stores locating downtown, and instability in the Downtown Economic Development Corporation. In the near future, we will see new Town-directed development on two major parking lots have a big impact.
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Carrboro's downtown has also done better than many towns of comparable size, thanks largely to the presence of Weaver Street Market and progressive shoppers from the rest of the county. The Board of Aldermen has been addressing the evolution of the downtown, and have established a number of community resources in the downtown area including free wireless Internet access, and a low-power radio station.
UPDATE: UNC is buying University Square and Granville Towers.
Anyone want to guess what this is about?
Representatives from UNC-Chapel Hill and the Town of Chapel Hill will
hold a joint news conference at 1 p.m. today to announce details about
a major real estate acquisition. The event will be held at the Chapel
Hill Town Hall.
The news will have "significant positive
implications" for the future of the downtown Chapel Hill business
district, UNC officials said this morning.
I feel very strongly that it is important to support our local
businesses. I go out of my way to do this because without them we would
be forced to shop at larger, less personable chains where our local
dollars are shipped out to their corporate headquarters. Once there the
money would be spent on national advertising as well as the development
of other big-box stores with their sprawling parking lots and filled
with the same, foreign made crap that I could buy in their other stores
across the country.
By spending my money in my home town I have
learned that the local businesses have a different variety of products,
and that the owners are competing for my business. So they are happy
to make minor accommodations to keep me as a customer. Furthermore, if I
want to know where something came from all I have to do is ask the
clerk or owner of the business.
The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership Board of Directors announced today that Liz Parham,
executive director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, has resigned from her position effective July 18, 2008.
Ms. Parham will assume the role of
director of the Office of Urban Development for the Division of
Community Assistance in the North Carolina Department of Commerce on
July 21st.
The N&O is reporting that Liz Parham is resigning as executive director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Parntership and taking a job as director of the Office of Urban Development for the Division of Community Assistance at the state Department of Commerce .
The resignation is effective July 18.
Date:
Sunday, October 5, 2008 - 9:00am to 2:00pm
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