We read elsewhere this summer that a UNC alum returned to Franklin Street and was disappointed that it was not as fantastic as he recalled.
Stop. The. Presses.
Then there is the brave and bold announcement that Orange County is gonna really, really, really try to do some economic development.
Whoa.
There are a lot of very obvious problems to be tackled in southern Orange County, some have lingered so long that they’re lore. Former Chapel Hill Weekly editor Jim Shumaker once told me he felt compelled to declare that the village is dead at least once or twice a decade.
Unfortunately, the way we tend to deal with our problems – pardon me if I don’t call them “hurdles†or “challenges†– is to throw a lot of energy into defining issues and identifying goals.
Town halls across this land are full of well-intentioned, thoughtful reports, and the one on North Columbia Street is no different. We do this kind of thing well; but Chapel Hill, like so many of those other places, could stand to work on its follow-through.
For most people, the workings of government are not particularly exciting and participating in efforts to revise policy in a wonk-filled town that loves to talk it out can be mind-numbingly dull.
There are, however, moments when participation across a broad spectrum is crucial, and the input received is a little weightier when it comes to shaping the future of the town.
This fall when the Chapel Hill Town Council gets down to business, there will be a discussion about how best to take in the public’s thoughts, ideas and reflections on the future direction of the town. This process, which could take a full year, is a little different than the last few times your thoughts, ideas and reflections were solicited, in that it will be used to help draft the first major rewrite of the town’s comprehensive plan.
The plan is the guiding document for how and where the town might grow and what things the community values most. It also influences the market forces at play in the community. The large projects downtown and developments like East 54 and the redesign of University Mall are the direct results of the last comprehensive plan, which favored mixed-use development along transit corridors.
One reason we’re doing this now is that there’s a slight pause in the action due to the recession. But it’s only a pause. Just prior to the downturn, a wave of new developments was being contemplated. These projects will be heavily shaped by values and ideals the public and its representatives on the council instill in the next comprehensive plan.
So instead of grumbling about ye olde problems, be thinking about what you’d like the town to be five, 10 or 20 years down the road, and be ready to let policy-makers hear it.