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.
Notice via the Downtown Partnership:
The
Town of Chapel Hill will hold a public information meeting to discuss
preliminary recommendations for emergency call boxes and pedestrian
level street lighting in the downtown area of Chapel Hill.
Town
staff will discuss and seek input from the public regarding preliminary
recommendations for emergency call boxes and pedestrian level street
lighting in the Northside neighborhood, Cameron-McCauley neighborhoods
and Rosemary Street between Hillsborough and Boundary streets. For more information, contact Engineering Services Manager Kumar Neppalli at 969-5093 or e-mail publicaffairs@townofchapelhill.org.
Tuesday, April 8
7:00 pm
Chapel Hill Town Hall, 405 Martin Luther King Jr. BLVD
Date:
Tuesday, April 8, 2008 - 3:00pm
Location:
Chapel Hill Town Hall, 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
Come on out and support local, sustainable agriculture. Meet local farmers. See where your food is grown. Sign up for Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), and just have fun.
http://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/
Location:
throughout Orange and neighboring counties
I just got back from Tucson and dropped by Weaver Street Market today for groceries. While the bright white arrows directing traffic seem useful, Carr Mill Mall's new approach to territory does not.
As I got out of my car, one of the guards lectured three
twenty-something people on where they could and could not go. As they
looked somewhat nervous and a little confused, he explained that their
parking space belonged to "this building" and they could only go in
"this building" and if they crossed the street or crossed the lot, he
would be watching them and he would know and he would tow them. No
question about it. If they strayed across that parking lot, there was a
towing in their future.
I wish there was more talk about the messed up fact that our town includes kids who think they have nothing to lose, so they may as well risk life in prison in exchange for... what? A car, a few bucks, gang membership??
I don't know much about sociology or the demographics of CH, but I'd love to hear from someone who does.
I do know that when I used to live in the Northside neighborhood, >50% of the people I saw walking down Broad St were visibly high/drunk. At a community watch meeting, the cop said that people would walk down our street to buy drugs in the park. Some people I know who lived by that park found syringes in their yard. The Carrboro cops do a great job in that neighborhood, yet it continues.
My inclination is to blame poverty. But these are people in the OC with OC schools! Maybe they didn't grow up here?
Could someone please tell me why these local kids don't get jobs and quit hanging out on Rosemary self-medicating and concocting brilliant plans involving hiding your hair while at the ATM??? Seriously. I'm not trying to be rude. I just want to know what the hell is going on.
Having a "big picture" economic development strategy will help the Town
and other partners in economic and community development shape policy
and prioritize investments in a proactive manner. The strategy will
serve as a guide for understanding choices and making decisions.
The Council Committee on Economic Development, which includes Mayor pro
tem Jim Ward and Council members Mark Kleinschmidt, Bill Strom and Ed
Harrison, has drafted an economic development draft strategy with Town
Manager Roger L. Stancil and Dwight Bassett, economic development
officer. After community input this March, the draft plan will be
reviewed by the Town Council for consideration.
Discussions about developing an economic development strategy for the
town tie back to the Chapel Hill Comprehensive Plan, which was adopted
in 2000. The Council renewed its commitment to developing a strategy
when it created the position of economic development officer in June
2006. The position is expected to communicate Town policy and Council
expectations to businesses as it assists businesses with understanding
processes of Town government.
The draft of Chapel Hill's economic development strategy is available at
www.townofchapelhill.org/economic_development.
Its summary statement proposes: " The Town of Chapel Hill will work
innovatively and proactively to diversify local economic opportunities
by retaining and supporting existing jobs, and attracting new,
desirable jobs in locations convenient to transit and housing. Our goal
is to build a more sustainable economy for the 21st century by creating
a healthy balance among employment, housing and commercial development.
In all of our development efforts, the Town of Chapel Hill places
importance on the built & natural environment, community character,
transit orientation, social equity and quality of life for its
citizens."
Date:
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 - 3:00pm
Location:
Christ United Methodist Church, 800 Market St., Southern Village
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