Reply to Matt Bailey

Recently, Matt Bailey, a fan of luxury apartments on the American Legion property asked, “Where were all these park lovers before January?”

Charles Humble

We were all around you, Matt.  Our desire for a park on the Legion property was expressed clearly in the Comprehensive Parks Plan adopted in 2013.  That same year the 2020 Comprehensive Plan was approved with its own reference to a park in this area.  The former Mayor and the current Town Manager should have held an open discussion about creating this park.   Last spring the Legion property had an R-2 zoning and an appraised value of $2.4 million.  That much and even more could have been included in the recently passed bond measure.   This possibility was not raised by town officials.

Instead, town staff met behind closed doors with a developer; then they met behind closed doors with Council. No one talked to the public about the need to move sooner, not later, on any plans for a park.  The resulting proposal from the developer called for up to 600 luxury residential units – in a town that already has an approved 20-year supply of over 5,000 units.  The first the public heard of this was in January and hundreds showed up to express our concerns.

Mr. Bailey also suggested that we “newly minted park advocates” are really more interested in “keeping 600 new neighbors out of Chapel Hill.”  Not true, Matt: we already expect more than 5,000 new neighbors in the next 20 years.  An example of a new luxury development is close by on Elliot Road.  Drop by – you can’t miss it.  Meanwhile, we actually need affordable housing.  And we need ALL future development decisions to be informed by the traffic and storm water studies that will not be finished until late this year.

— Charles Humble

How Chapel Hill Can Get a New Park for FREE

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