Keeping Chapel Hill Leafy and Livable

The upcoming election is a critical one for Chapel Hill.  Our mayor and town council seem to have forgotten that they were elected to represent their constituents.

Over the past 50 years, the population of Chapel Hill has tripled, yet it remains in many respects a quintessential college town.  The growth the town has experienced, however, now presents a number of challenges:  Longtime businesses are being forced out; our teachers, police and firefighters can no longer afford to live here; and traffic jams are eating into everyone’s free time.

With the recent boom of skyscrapers and high rise apartments in the latest surge of developments, I nostalgically recall some years back when the town of Chapel Hill was up in arms because a Western Sizzler Steakhouse on Rosemary Street was anticipating cutting down ONE tree in their parking lot to make room for a couple more parking spaces.

Listen to Carla’s commentary

As a friend of mine recently wrote, “My major concern in terms of growth of the town is that it continues to become more and more a city of “one-percenters.”  Not only are our teachers, nurses, janitors, firemen, etc. unable to live here, there is no longer a place for them to shop.  You cannot buy a pair of men’s work pants, plain T-shirts, or underwear unless you go to Durham or Hillsborough.  All I can hope for is future development that focuses on greater diversity in both housing and shopping.”

Chapel Hill is fortunate to have NEW candidates for Mayor and Town Council in the upcoming election who are dedicated to keeping Chapel Hill leafy and livable, candidates who will listen to their constituents and treat their wishes with dignity and respect.

— Carla Shuford

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