This series of posts will be made weekly on Chapelboro to help inform our community about local government meetings. All meeting days, locations and times may be subject to change. Check town, county, and school district websites for additional information.
The Chapel Hill Town Council takes center stage this week, as council members are gathering Wednesday to begin a public hearing on the much-discussed “Complete Community” initiative. “Complete Community” is designed to address the town’s housing crunch by allowing more density in some neighborhoods – and it’s drawn enough of a response, both positive and negative, that this week’s public hearing is expected to carry over into next month. Council members will also hear from the public on a related initiative, “Shaping Our Future,” designed to promote greater density and transit-oriented development – among several other goals.
Here’s a rundown of local government meetings this week in Durham, Orange, and Chatham Counties.
Orange County
The Carrboro Town Council gets the week started with their meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 18. On this week’s agenda, the council will consider authorizing an agreement with Orange County and the towns of Chapel Hill and Hillsborough to create a new Intergovernmental Climate Council of Orange County. Click here for a link to the full agenda.
Orange County Commissioners also meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday the 18th. Commissioners will discuss transportation priorities for the next decade and beyond; they’ll consider recommendations for how to use funds from the nationwide opioid settlement; they’ll hear a report from the county’s Library Services Task Force; and they’ll hear a presentation from the UNC School of Government on avoiding bias in property tax appeals. Click here for the full agenda.
County commissioners will also meet jointly with the Chapel Hill and Carrboro Town Councils on Thursday, April 20, at 7 p.m. in the Whitted Building in Hillsborough. The purpose is to hold a joint public hearing on how to zone an 8-acre parcel of land on Mt. Carmel Church Road that was annexed from Chatham County in 2021. (The request is to classify it as part of the rural buffer.) Get the full agenda at this link.
And then the Chapel Hill Town Council has its big meeting on Wednesday, April 19, at 7 p.m. in Town Hall. Their top agenda item: a public hearing on the “Complete Community” initiative, which is designed to increase density and housing availability in town but has gotten pushback from residents who say they’re worried about the impact on existing neighborhoods. (The public hearing will begin on Wednesday, but with lots of residents expected to weigh in, there are already plans to continue it into May.) In addition, the Council will also hold a related hearing on the “Shaping Our Future” initiative, which is designed to reorient the town’s comprehensive plan around density, sustainability, diverse housing options, public transit, and pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly development in parts of town. And the Council will also hold legislative hearings on two specific development proposals – most notably South Creek on 15/501 across from Southern Village, a large housing project that would primarily consist of condos and townhomes for sale. (This is the site formerly known as Obey Creek.)
Click here for the full agenda.
Finally, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board meets on Thursday, April 20, at 6 p.m. in the Southern Human Services Center. The board will consider approving next year’s budget request for county commissioners. Get the full agenda here.
Chatham and Durham Counties
Chatham County Commissioners meet Monday, April 17, in the Agriculture & Conference Center in Pittsboro. Their regular meeting begins at 6:00, but prior to that, the board will hold a 3 p.m. work session that includes a budget update, a presentation on planning and transportation, and a discussion of COVID relief funds. Get a link to the full agenda here.
In Durham, the City Council meets twice this week. First, the council will convene at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 17; Mayor Elaine O’Neal will deliver her State of the City address. Then the council will reconvene at 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 20, with an agenda that includes a public hearing on the town’s most pressing needs before the Council adopts next year’s annual Action Plan. For links to the agendas of both meetings, click here.
Finally, the Durham County school board meets at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 20. Their agenda has not yet been posted, but will be available at this link.
Featured photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.
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