The CH Herald reports that Somerhill Gallery's lease has been terminated: Owner Joe Rowand received a notice that his lease was being terminated
by center owner Federal Realty two weeks ago. "There was no rationale
given," Rowand said Tuesday of the notice, which gave him 45 days to
vacate the location. "It was a three-paragraph notice of termination.
If you dig deeper, there are other merchants here that have been told
they are not being renewed."
Is the implication that Federal Realty, having upgraded the mall area, now wants to churn the tenant population to charge higher rent? Anyone know any thing about this? Aside from my own admiration of Somerhill and my feeling that it's an asset to both mall and town, I have to wonder about efforts to change the nature of Eastgate in a volatile and perhaps failing economy. Has Federal Realty not noticed the unoccupied spaces on Franklin St. and University Mall?
Disclaimer: I'm married to one of the Town employees who has been doing the work mentioned here.
Regular users of the Bolin Creek Greenway will have noticed that a lot of tree work and clearing of invasive species (such as privet) has been done lately along the trail and in the woods. The tree work has been for removal or felling of dead, dying, or heavily damaged trees, many of which have been left to decay naturally in the woods.
At least one councilman has expressed severe reservations about the work, calling it senseless, indiscriminate, and a mis-step.
As an avid animal lover, I am disturbed by what is happening at APS of Orange. When the Orange County Board took over control of the Animal Shelter, there was a hint of a problem at APS. Now, the Chapel Hill News comes out with a report that it has lost its right to raise money due to lack of filing a 990.
A few weeks ago, I was asked to take a look at my daily commute and examine it in terms of the physical factors that affect my journey. Below is a video that represents the route I travel (almost) every day and the hurdles I encounter. Because I walk a pretty short distance most days, it's a very microscopic view of pedestrian travel issues in downtown Chapel Hill. I want to turn the question around to the Orange Politics community, and see what you think of your commute. What problems do you have to deal with every day on your way to work/school/where ever, and what do you see as the solution?
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