OrangePolitics - Progressive perspectives on Orange County, NC.

Representative Joe Hackney Announces Retirement

Damon Seils — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:34:34 +0000

Obey Creek's back on the table, and a "major national retailer" is interested

Erin Crouse — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:52:53 +0000

Brad Miller bows out of run for the 4th

James Barrett — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:38:42 +0000

Just received this email:

James,
Because your support has been so important to me, I wanted you to hear from me that I will not seek another term in Congress.
Serving in Congress has been a remarkable opportunity. Thank you.
I knew Republicans in the legislature would dismantle the district that I have represented for the last decade, and they did. The thirteenth district was split six ways. I also knew that they would create one packed Democratic district in the Triangle, so that all the surrounding districts would be Republican, and they did. I knew that both David Price and I would both reside in that district, and we do. And I knew that the district would include the neighborhoods that we have each looked to for our support, and it does.

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Commissioners Consider Transit at First Meeting of New Year

Jeff Miles — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:49:16 +0000

Last night marked the first meeting of the Orange County Board of Commissioners this year and hopefully the first post in a push by OrangePolitics to take a deeper look at the board and its biweekly meetings. Since the board had not met in over a month, the agenda was quite crowded, but a few items are worth delving into.

Don't Rush the Comprehensive Plan

Ruby Sinreich — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:19:49 +0000

The leadership team of Chapel Hill 2020 discussed the timeline issue yesterday afternoon. Apparently the conversation was quite passionate and the group is divided with strong opposition to extending from co-chairs George and Rosemary. I'm a bit surprised since they have always said they had an open mind and were committed to getting it done right. I have yet to hear a clear articulation of why this comprehensive plan should be created in less than a year.

I have heard some people raise valid concerns about sustaining people interest for a multi-year process, but I think that points to changes that may be needed in the process. For example, what if the stakeholders only met monthly rather than every 2-3 weeks? What if we let the community lead the process more and didn't lean so heavily on the staff to run things? If you would like to explore these questions rather than rushing to complete, please sign on to our letter asking for more time.

Chapel Hill 2020 is Worth Doing Right

Ruby Sinreich — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:05:20 +0000

This weekend, a group of people who have been involved since the very beginning of the Chapel Hill 2020 process (including the editors of OP) drafted a letter to town leaders asking them to take more time. You can see it at http://bit.ly/ch2020-letter. Currently the entire timeline from kick-off to plan approval is less than 8 months. Last week when UNC planning Professor David Godschalk gave a talk about comprehensive planning, he referenced the plan done in Fort Collins, CO which took 18 months to complete. That is the fastest of any of the other examples I've heard. The City of Austin is currently reviewing a draft plan after spending almost a year and a half on their visioning process alone.

Shortbread and Joint Development Review: critiquing the process

Erin Crouse — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:17:45 +0000

This Wednesday, the Chapel Hill Town Council will be holding a public hearing on the proposed Shortbread development- a seven-story mixed-use building across from Breadman’s on Rosemary Street. The residential component of the building will be rental units that will cater to students- a much-needed addition to downtown that will help alleviate pressure on the adjacent Northside neighborhood.

Chapel Hill Manager's statement on CPAB process

Ed Harrison — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:58:36 +0000

This just arrived from Town Manager Roger Stancil:

In consultation with the Town Attorney, I have developed the following statement that we will provide the media. If you have any questions, please let me know.
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Lee Scholars Charter School Moves Forward

James Barrett — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:30:36 +0000

I have "School Board 101" tomorrow and Friday, so if I were smart, I'd probably wait to write this after being trained in how to avoid saying something stupid. But that's never quite been my style, so here goes. As always, note that I speak here for myself only, not the CHCCS board in this.

Open Letter to Town Council, Mayor, Manager, Chief of Police Regarding Yates Incident

Alex Kotch — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:46:08 +0000

At the Town Council meeting Monday night, I and many others felt frustrated, after issuing our statements and as the Council was deliberating, unable to respond to or correct the circuitous discussion between council members, Chief Blue, Mr. Stancil, Mayor Kleinschmidt, and Attorney Karpinos.