Chapel
Hill Re-evaluates Plans for Downtown Projects
The town might
have to scale back its plans on proposed business and residential
condominium towers on two downtown municipal parking sites. The town
has continued to review the projects following summer reports from
Ram Development estimating project costs at $100 million which is
$20 million more than the town anticipated. The negotiating team,
which includes Town Council members Cam Hill and Sally Greene met
to discuss scenarios that Ram submitted in the month of October. A
public forum on the Parking Lot 5 redevelopment project will take
place on November 20th .The committee might not make a recommendation
to Town Council until November or later. For
full story, click
here.
Developer
Plans to Build New Homes along I-40
York Residential, an Atlanta-based
developer, wants to build 374 housing units in Northern Chapel Hill
adjacent to another project. The University Station development would
embrace Interstate 40 between the Chapel Hill North development off
Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and the Carol Woods retirement community
off Weaver Dairy Road. The Town Council is still receiving input from
Town Hall staff and advisory boards on the projects and the Council
is scheduled to review the University Station proposal in February.
From
The News & Observer
Condos
Added to Woodmont Office Complex
Capital Associates submitted
a revised plan for the Woodmont office complex in a 33-acre parcel
between Barbee Chapel and Little John roads south of N.C. 54. The
latest plan covers just above 580,000 sq.ft. in total. The proposal
calls for almost 480,000 sq.ft. of office space and 102,000 sq.ft.
of condominiums have been added to the plan. Nine of the 60 condos
would be dedicated as affordable housing under the Orange Community
Housing and Land Trust. Town Council will consider the plan in February
2007. For full story, click
here.
New
Construction in Downtown Hillsborough Meets County’s Need for
Space
A freestanding
library, parking deck, and three-story county office building may
soon be coming to downtown Hillsborough. The Orange County Board of
Commissioners is proposing the new construction in collaboration with
local developer George Horton, who has approval for the future Gateway
Center building. The County wants to lease the second and third floors
of the Gateway Center for offices, with an option to buy after a year.
The total cost to the county would be about $25 million. For
full story, click
here.
Election
Results
Elections for
Orange County Commissioners took place on Tuesday, November 7, 2006
between the hours of 6:30am-7:30pm. The winners of the race for the
Orange County Board of County Commissioners are: Alice Gordon (D),
Barry Jacobs (D), and Mike Nelson (D). Results are pending for Allan
Baddour and Adam Stein for the second judicial seat in Superior Court
district 15B.
County
Commissioner District Voting Passes
Last Tuesday
Orange County residents voted to alter the county’s current
system for electing county commissioners. For future commissioner
elections, Orange County will be divided into two districts. The Board
of Commissioners will also increase in number from five to seven members.
Three seats will be designated for District 1 comprised of the Chapel
Hill-Carrboro area. Two seats will correspond with District 2 covering
Hillsborough and the remainder of the county. Two seats will remain
at-large. The measure passed with almost a two/third majority of voters.
Additional coverage from the Chapel Hill News can be found here.
Taskforce
Makes Report Recommending Inclusionary Zoning
The Chapel Hill
Town Council heard the findings of a report from its Taskforce on
Affordable Housing. The taskforce recommended the creation of a clearly
defined inclusionary zoning ordinance but also said additional time
and resources need to be spent reviewing the matter. Members of the
taskforce said ordinances need to be applied more frequently and force
developers to include affordable units in all cases. Current ordinances
allows developers to satisfy requirements by selling 15 percent of
units at “affordable prices,” typically defined as affordable
for families earning 80 percent of the area’s median income.
Developers may also limit the size of 25 percent of the units built
to 1,350 square feet (small house requirement) or make a “payment-in-lieu”
towards the town’s affordable housing initiatives. The taskforce
also recommends the establishment of an inclusionary zoning advisory
board and the hiring of a consultant to craft an ordinance for the
town to enact.
For full story, click
here.
Hillsborough/Orange
County Growth Plan
The strategic
growth plan for Hillsborough and Orange County met with criticism
at last night’s public hearing. The plan is the result of almost
a year’s worth of meetings by the strategic growth plan steering
committee chaired by Commissioner Barry Jacobs. The plan calls for
residential development along the south side of town to ease traffic
on Churton St. Long term proposals from the plan call for a reduction
of the areas where water and sewer lines could be extended. The plans
would effectively create a rural area outside of Hillsborough similar
to Chapel Hill’s rural buffer. Hillsborough will take public
comments on the plan at an open house and public hearing at 6:30 p.m.,
Nov. 27 in the Gordon Battle Courtroom at the new courthouse. The
plan is available for review at www.ci.hillsborough.nc.us.
Click on “economic development” and then “strategic
growth plan.” For full story, click
here.
Estes
Drive Expedited Repair Rejected by the Department of Transportation
Attempts
for the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro to make improvements of
Estes Drive Extension a priority for the state Department of Transportation
have not yet been successful. The Carrboro section of the road lacks
adequate shoulder space, and can be difficult for bikers, pedestrians
and drivers who share the road. Despite Estes Drive being a perennial
high-priority project for the town, major improvements are not scheduled
to be made until 2014.
From the Herald-Sun
Progress Seeks
Extension for Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant
Progress Energy has applied for an extension of its nuclear license
for an additional 20 years at the Shearon Harris nuclear facility
in Wake County. The plant’s license is slated to expire in 2026.
The license renewal process is expected to take up to 22 to 30 months
to complete and is based on a thorough assessment of the facility’s
operating equipment, maintenance programs, replacement procedures
and potential environmental impact. Information on public hearings
concerning the plant can be found at www.nrc.gov.
Progress Energy’s license renewal application follows recent
increased public scrutiny of the plant over reports highlighting problems
to the plant’s emergency warning sirens and back up system protective
fire wall. For full story, click
here.
Schools
High
School Juniors Will Begin 2007-2008 School Year at New School
A divided school board voted to open
Carrboro High next year with a full class of juniors. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro
School board was split between requiring juniors in Carrboro High’s
assignment zone to enroll and allowing them greater freedom to stay
at one of Chapel Hill’s established schools. Students have the
ability to appeal their re-assignment in writing by March 1, 2007
and each appeal will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. For
full story, click
here.
Few
Local Schools Receive High Honor
A record few schools received the state’s
highest honors this year for academic performance. The trend has been
attributed to a new, harder math curriculum and higher required scores
that students have to achieve on state tests in order to be deemed
proficient. Last year, the state designated all 13 of Chapel Hill-Carrboro’s
elementary and middle schools as Schools of Excellence. This year,
just two, Sewell and Rashkis elementary schools, received the honor.
No schools in Orange County have been named Schools of Excellence.
From the Herald-Sun
Early
School Prototype May Be Launched in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School
District
A leading child development institute
based at UNC-Chapel Hill wants to transform education by enrolling
3-year-olds in public schools. The proposal, which is scheduled to
be reviewed by the school board on November 16, would create a model
school on the Sewell Elementary campus where students would start
at age three and continue through fifth grade. For full story, click
here.
The
Triangle
Triangle
& National Housing Markets See Readjustment
Sales of existing homes in the Triangle
dropped for the first time in four years. Sales were 4.5 percent lower
in October while inventories increased 6.6 percent. The number of
sellers that reduced listing prices also increased by 17 percent.
The National Association of Realtors reported that nationally, new
home sales declined by 13 percent in the third quarter while the average
closing price declined by 1.2 percent. For the year Triangle home
prices are up 3.4 percent. For full story, click
here.
Local
Jobless Rate Rises
Unemployment in the Triangle rose in
September from 3.7 percent to 3.8 percent, despite continued job growth.
The worsening rate is triggered by a growing population that includes
more job seekers. The state unemployment rate in September in September
was 4.9 percent, while the U.S. jobless rate was 4.6 percent. The
Triangle is on track to add 33,000 jobs this year, the largest gain
since the late 1990s. For
full story, click
here.
Triangle
Residents Favor Rail as Solution to Traffic Congestion
A
recent poll conducted for the News & Observer and WRAL-TV shows
that many residents want commuter trains in the region’s future.
The poll gauged the opinions of 600 likely voters in Wake, Durham,
and Orange counties. Almost 80 percent of those interviewed said the
Triangle needed some improved mass transit. Roughly 39 percent said
the Triangle needs rail. For
full story, click
here.
Federal
Road
Planning Short-Circuited in Congress
North
Carolina’s Congressional delegation took control of more than
$135 million from the State Department of Transportation last year
to help pay for dozens of highway projects they favored. This has
delayed other projects deemed more important by state and local officials.
The new projects dictated by Congress did not have enough support
in North Carolina to be included among the 2,337 funded in the state’s
2006-2012 Transportation Improvement Program.
For
full story, click
here.
Existing
Home Prices Suffer Decline
Prices
for existing homes posted the biggest year-over-year decline on record
in September while new home prices sank almost 10 percent, the biggest
drop in nearly 36 years. Economists believe the economy is set to
bounce back after this year’s mid-year slow-down, highlighting
the recent decline in energy prices.
From the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Legislative Updates
Other
Women’s
Center Offers Savings Matching Plan to Encourage Homeownership
The Women’s Center of Chapel Hill
is offering assistance for first time homebuyers. The center’s
Individual Development Account Ownership Program matches personal
savings up to $2,000 for a down payment on a home in Orange County.
Participants must save $1,000 and attend 18 hours of workshops on
home-buying and managing personal finances over an 18 month period.
The program is funded through a community development block grant
from the N.C. Department of Commerce and is available to applicants
who make 80 percent or less of the county's median income. Applications
are being accepted a new cycle of the program.
For full story, click
here.
Links
Town of Chapel Hill
www.townofchapelhill.org
Town of Carrboro
www.townofcarrboro.org
Town of Hillsborough
www.ci.hillsborough.nc.us
Orange County
www.co.orange.nc.us
Chatham County
www.co.chatham.nc.us
TMLS Statistics
http://trianglemls.com/tmls-stats.html
