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Dear
Chamber member,
Over the past month, there has
been a flurry of activity in Orange County.
Brad Broadwell was hired to serve as the County’s
new Director of Economic Development. Broadwell
comes from Dorchester County, Maryland and brings
a wealth of local and international development
experience. At UNC, H. Holden Thorp was named
the 11th Chancellor and will take over for Chancellor
James Moeser when he steps down at the end of
June. In the May Primary Election, the transfer
tax was soundly defeated by a two to one vote.
Senator Ellie Kinnaird also held on to her seat
defeating Commissioner Moses Carey, Jr.
I
want to flag an important public hearing coming
up on May 19 that will give citizens an opportunity
to comment on the County’s draft Comprehensive
Plan. The Comprehensive Plan is currently being
updated and can best be thought of as a vision
plan, setting the tone for what residents want
the County to become over time. I would encourage
anyone interested in economic development, land
use, transportation, housing or the environment
to review the draft plan (available here)
and speak on May 19. More information about
the hearing is available below.
Government Matters is a monthly newsletter that
highlights government issues affecting Chamber
members and the greater business community.
If you want to learn more about our governmental
advocacy work and stay informed about upcoming
projects, contact me directly or consider attending
a government relations committee meeting. The
next meeting is on Wednesday, June 11
from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. and will be held at the
Chamber.
Sincerely,
Adam
Klein
Director of Government Relations and Economic
Development
Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce
aklein@carolinachamber.org
(919)-967-7075 x.24
Election
Results
Orange
County Commissioner At-Large
| At-Large
Candidate |
Percent |
Votes |
| Neloa
Barbee Jones |
20.36 |
5,612 |
| Bernadette
Pelissier |
50.30 |
13,865 |
| Mary
M. Wolff |
29.34 |
8,087 |
Orange
County Commissioner District 2
| Candidate |
Percent |
Votes |
| Tommy
T. McNeill |
13.45 |
1,466 |
| Steve
Yuhasz |
37.23 |
4,057 |
| Leo
L. Allison |
27.72 |
3,021 |
| Luther
K. Brooks |
21.6 |
2,354 |
State
Senate
| Candidate |
Percent |
Votes |
| Moses
Carey, Jr. |
34.12 |
11,885 |
| Ellie
Kinnaird |
65.88 |
22,946 |
Transfer
Tax
| |
Percent |
Votes |
| For |
33.75 |
14,288 |
| Against |
66.25 |
28,053 |
Orange
County Board of Elections
| Candidate |
Percent |
Votes |
| Eddie
M. Eubanks |
20.96 |
7,089 |
| Stephen
H. Halkiotis |
21.97 |
7,432 |
| Al
Hartkopf |
14.83 |
5,016 |
| Tony
McKnight |
18.24 |
6,172 |
| Jeff
Michalski |
12.29 |
4,156 |
| Stan
Morris |
11.08 |
3,747 |
| Write-In |
0.64 |
217 |
Orange
County Comprehensive Plan Public Hearing
On
Monday, May 19 at the Gordon Battle Courtroom
in Hillsborough, the Orange County Board of
Commissioners will receive written and spoken
input on a draft update to the Comprehensive
Plan. This is a very important update and meeting
as the Comprehensive Plan sets the direction
and tone for development in the County for the
next 20 to 30 years. The County’s development
ordinances and regulations are supposed to be
based on the vision put forth by the Comprehensive
Plan. Please plan to attend this meeting if
you live, work or own land in Orange County.
The meeting will begin at 7:30pm. To review
the draft Comprehensive Plan online, click here.
Nearly Six Cent Property Tax Increase Proposed for Chapel Hill
At
the first Council meeting in May, Town Manager
Roger Stancil presented his recommended budget
for 2008-2009 and proposed a 5.9 cent property
tax increase. The increase would go to fund
the Town’s increasing debt service without diminishing
current service levels. Manager Stancil stated
during his budget message that, “This
is a significant increase, but it comes on the
heels of two consecutive years of zero tax rate
increase and a doubling of the Town's debt load
since fiscal year 2005.” The final Town budget
as proposed would total $83.6 million, with
$52.1 million going toward the General Fund,
$14.6 million for the Chapel Hill Transit fund
and the remainder for other funds. A public
hearing has been set for Wednesday, May 14 at
7pm to allow the public to comment on the budget.
The budget is scheduled for adoption on June
9.
From Chapel Hill eNews
Orange County
Sales Tax Revenues Falling
In
a work session last Thursday Orange County Commissioners
received a report from county manager Laura
Blackmon and budget director Donna Coffey who
said that sales tax revenue for the County will
be $1.5 million under projections for FY 2007-2008.
Manager Blackmon cited the slowing economy as
the problem; county residents are reducing their
spending and thus limiting the amount of sales
tax collected on potential sales. County staff
did report that there would be a small pot of
state lottery money available for capital projects.
For the full story, click here.
Orange County
Hires New Economic Development Director
Orange
County Manager Laura Blackmon announced the
hiring of Bradly Broadwell, formerly director
of economic development in Dorchester County,
Maryland, as the new Economic Development Director
in Orange County. Broadwell will begin May 19
and has worked for US Agency for International
Development in Mongolia and U.S. deputy secretary
of commerce in Washington D.C. In a written
statement, Manager Blackmon said, “Brad's
vast experiences in developing successful economic
programs, as well as his extensive background
working with international communities are skills
Orange County can put to use today.” For the
full story, click
here.
Chapel Hill and University Partner in New Homeless Shelter Site
On May 5, the Town of Chapel Hill, Inter-Faith
Council and University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill held a press conference announcing
a new location for the men’s homeless shelter.
The new 50-bed shelter will open at the corner
of Homestead Road and Martin Luther King Jr.
Blvd and replace the shelter operating in the
town owned building at the corner of Rosemary
and Columbia Streets. The new shelter is estimated
to cost $3 million and the IFC hopes to move
into the shelter in 2011. For the full story,
click here.
UNC-Chapel
Hill Names Thorp Next Chancellor
H.
Holden Thorp, currently Dean of the College
of Arts and Sciences at UNC-CH, was named the
11th Chancellor of the University.
Thorp is a Carolina grad and native of Fayetteville.
He has served as Kennan Professor of Chemistry
and previously director of UNC’s Morehead Planetarium
and Science Center. Thorp will take over for
exiting Chancellor James Moeser in July. For
the full story, click here.
Revised Glen Lennox Plan Submitted
Following a meeting with residents earlier
this month, the owners of the Glen Lennox property
submitted a revised concept plan to the Town
of Chapel Hill, in hopes of getting onto the
Community Design Commission’s May agenda. Jim
Schaafsma, spokesman of Grubb Properties, which
owns the Glen Lennox shopping center and rental
cottages, said residents of the apartment cottages
did not want a business close to a church, so
the Hayes Road small retail building planned
near the Church of the Holy Family has been
eliminated. Additionally, the plan had originally
shown one of the three parking decks and attached
building standing over Flemington Road, so that
cars would have to drive through the deck to
get to the other side of Flemington. The new
concept plan has the parking deck and adjoined
building pushed back from Flemington Road, so
the road would remain an open street. Schaffsma
said the concept plan is not concrete and developers
are open to continued changes. For the full
story, click here.
Buckhorn
Village Project Given June 3 Deadline
Orange
County planning board members are expected to
present a recommendation on the Buckhorn Village
redevelopment plan by June 3. Developers East
West Partners Management Co., Tryon Investment
Group and Montgomery Carolina submitted a proposal
in December to redevelop the roughly 130 acres
where the Buckhorn Road flea market sits on
the southeastern corner of I-85/I-40 and Buckhorn
Road in Efland. Developers hope to create 1.1
million square feet of retail and residential
space which will include a 185,000-square-foot
anchor store, hotels, offices, restaurants,
residential space and a movie theater. After
a lengthy discussion which allowed several landowners
in the area to speak out in favor of the project,
the board approved a motion requiring the planning
board to present its recommendation on Buckhorn
Village by June 3.
From
the Herald Sun
Chapel
Hill Hires Public Arts Administrator
Roger Stancil, Town Manager for Chapel Hill,
recently announced the appointment of Jeffrey
York as Town Public Arts Administrator. York
comes from the N.C. Arts Council where he was
director of public art and community design.
Stancil described what York’s role will be in
Chapel Hill, “He will facilitate the transition
of the public art staff to town staff and current
independent board to an advisory role. Our goal
is to integrate public art into the context
of what the town does every day." For the
full story, click here.
OWASA Gives Drought Update, Reservoirs at 81
Percent
On
Monday, May 5, the Chapel Hill Town Council
received an update from Ed Holland, OWASA Director
of Planning, regarding the drought. Holland
reported that the drought is now considered
“moderate” and that as of May 5, water reservoirs
were at 81 percent capacity. OWASA will continue
to monitor the situation and residents and businesses
will remain under Stage 1 water use restrictions
and surcharges. In order to remain at Stage
1 or move out of water restrictions, the Chamber
urges its members to make conservation a way
of life as we head into the drier summer season.
Please contact OWASA at 919-968-4421 for a free
water audit and learn of news ways to be a wise
water user.
From Chapel Hill eNews
Orange County Housing Program Struggling
If
Chapel Hill Town Council members reject a plea
by the Orange Community Housing and Land trust
to allow flexibility in affordable housing requirements,
the model could fail, according to trust Director
Robert Dowling. Based on the projections for
the number of Land Trust properties that will
go on the market during the next three years,
which tops at 116 by 2010, Dowling said his
sales staff of 1.5 positions cannot handle the
workload. Dowling and Jim Tucker, board treasurer for OCHLT, asked the
council to consider conducting a study of the
market for condominiums such as the proposed
346-unit Residences at Grove Park.
Dowling and Tucker asked the council to give
developers more options for affordable housing,
such as allowing a mixture of required units
and payment-in-lieu of affordable housing, while
the market study is being conducted. Dowling
said flexibility would help manage the number
of units added to OCHLT's program while giving
the town time to see the market in action as
units from developments like East 54 continue
to sell. Council members seemed split on the
proposal and voted to accept it as a petition
to be considered at a later date.
From
the Herald Sun
Durham
Tech-Orange County Campus Set to Open
Durham Tech has been offering courses
in Orange County for some 20 years but as of
this summer will have its first dedicated campus
in Orange County. The DTCC building is the first
building constructed within the Waterstone Development
project in Hillsborough. Courses at the campus
will begin this summer and include emergency
medical technology, a Spanish immersion course,
computer courses and photography among others.
Over time, the campus will ramp up its course
offerings to a full two-year program. The Orange
County building includes a number of green features
including a rainwater collection system and
photovoltaics. For the full story, click here.
The
Triangle Region
Chatham
Hires New School Superintendant
Robert
L. Logan was unanimously selected by the Chatham
County Board of Education as the next superintendant
in mid-April. Logan comes to Chatham from the
State Department of Public Instruction, a position
he has been at for about a year. Prior to working
for the State, Logan was superintendant of Asheville
Schools. Logan was selected by the Board from
among 29 candidates for his enthusiasm and innovative
ideas. He will receive a salary of $140,000
plus benefits.
From the Herald Sun
Chatham
County to Receive Aid Following Plant’s Closing
Chatham County commissioners will consider
a resolution telling lawmakers how they can
help the county deal with the closing of Siler
City’s Pilgrim's Pride poultry plant. County
Manager Charlie Horne said he is already working
with Dianne Reid, director of the county's Economic
Development Corporation, on various actions
related to the plant's closing, which affects
more than 800 jobs and 40 farms in Chatham County.
For the full story, click here.
Durham
Impact Fees Approved
Beginning
July 1, impact fees, those paid by developers
upon completion of new construction, will go
up. Downtown Durham will see a 24 percent increase,
southern Durham 30 percent, and northern Durham
will see a 55 percent decrease. The Durham City
Council voted on the fee revisions during its
March 17 meeting, with a 4-3 vote. The fees
will help pay for streets, parks and open space.
For the full story, click
here.
Durham
Athletic Park to Undergo Renovations
At
the end of April, Durham City and Minor League
Baseball officials participated in a historic
groundbreaking event at Durham Athletic Park.
The DAP, where the movie “Bull Durham” was filmed
will undergo a $5 million renovation over the
next six months and soon become home of the
NCCU and Durham School of the Arts baseball
teams. The DAP will also serve as a training
ground of sorts for minor league baseball grounds
crews and umpires. If everything goes according
to schedule, the park will be finished in November.
For the full story, click here.
Smart
Commute Challenge—Win a Free Trip
The
Chamber is taking part in a regional program
encouraging businesses and individuals to take
an alternative mode of transit and invites you
to join us. From April 15th – May
30th, any employee or college student
who drives to work or campus in Wake, Durham
or Orange counties can enter to win 2 roundtrip
airline tickets anywhere in the continental
U.S. plus a week’s hotel stay by taking the
Smart Commute Challenge! You can take the challenge
by going to www.smartcommutechallenge.org
and pledging to walk, carpool, take the bus,
telecommute or ride your bike at least once
to work.
Cary
Developers to See Raised Impact Fees
Beginning
July 1, developers in the town of Cary will
pay 21.7 percent more in water and sewer fees
on an average, 2,500-square-foot home, totaling
$5,261. Water and sewer fees for a 150,000-square-foot
office building would total $130,230, an increase
of 20.6 percent. The town says that according
to consultant studies, the fees are now at 75
percent of the "maximum" cost of providing
water and sewer infrastructure to new developments.
For the full story, click
here.
Census Estimates Released, Big Growth in
Wake County
The Census Bureau released its annual population
growth estimates last Thursday for counties
nationwide. Wake County led the Triangle in
2007 adding 38,841 people. This jump made it
the seventh fastest growing county in the nation
for 2007. Over the past seven years, Wake added
205,124 residents, putting it on pace to become
North Carolina’s largest county very soon. See
the table below for other Triangle county growth
figures. For the full story, click here.
| County
|
2007
Population |
Percent
Increase (‘00-‘07) |
| Durham |
256,500 |
14.9 |
| Orange |
124,313 |
7.6 |
| Chatham |
61,455 |
24.6 |
| Johnston |
157,437 |
29.2 |
| Wake |
832,970 |
32.7 |
| Triangle |
1,400,000 |
34 |
State
Government News
Progress
Energy Rolls Out Conservation Plan
Progress
Energy announced three new programs aimed at
energy conservation in the construction industry.
One initiative in the plan, called Home Advantage,
would pay builders and developers to build homes
meeting federal Energy Star qualifications.
The two other pieces of the plan target commercial
builders and include “custom financial incentives”
that would help builders recoup the costs of
energy efficient measures in new projects and
incentives to customers for retrofitting existing
buildings. The goal of Progress’ strategy is
to double the energy savings it gets through
efficiency. For the full story, click
here.
Links
to Local Government Agendas
Chapel
Hill Town Council Agenda
Carrboro
Board of Aldermen Agendas
Orange
County Board of Commissioners
Advisory
Boards and Commissions
Chapel
Hill
Carrboro
Orange
County
For
more information on the Chamber's work regarding
government issues, please contact Adam Klein
at 967-7075 x.24 or by email at aklein@carolinachamber.org.
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