By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
CHAPEL HILL – Following the release of the latest draft of the Chapel Hill 2020 plan, residents spoke both in praise and critically of the draft, offering several hours of public comment before the Chapel Hill Town Council on Monday.
Chapel Hill 2020 – the town’s new comprehensive plan – was launched last fall as a process to reexamine the vision for the town and craft a plan for what Chapel Hill’s future should look like. From the outset, one of the primary goals of CH2020 leaders was to involve a large, diverse group representing all niches of the community, which they have seemingly accomplished through wide outreach.
The plan was intended to serve as a planning and visioning document creating a framework for the community to guide the council in managing the town’s future over the next decade. It’s getting down to the wire on the plan’s timeline, which proposed that the final document be ready in June.
The document, available at chapelhill2020.org, lays out six themes – A Place for Everyone; Community Prosperity and Engagement; Getting Around; Good Places, New Spaces; Nurturing Our Community; and Town and Gown Collaboration. For each theme, the plan identifies goals and an action plan.
In addition to the themes and correlating action plans, CH2020 includes six “Future Focus†discussion areas – downtown, north Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard/I-40, south Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard/Homestead Road to Estes Drive, N.C. 54, north 15-501 and south 15-501 – with key considerations, action steps and community comments for each.
The future focus exercises have drawn criticism from some members of the public, who said the resulting maps and documentation were not representative of all residents’ views.
Amy Ryan, a member of the Chapel Hill Planning Board, said she felt the plan would provide the town little guidance in making decisions going forward.
“The process was too quick and the discussion too diffuse to produce concrete results we can apply to town decisions,†she said. “We never had the opportunity for the hard discussions.â€
Chapel Hill resident Janet Smith urged the council to view the document as a work in progress, noting that the plan’s vision statement “fails to mention the single defining characteristic of Chapel Hill – namely that we are a university town.â€
“The university defines our very existence,†she continued.
A number of residents and stakeholders spoke to the council in praise of CH2020, noting, in particular, its success at reaching a large number of residents.
Whit Rummel said he viewed the plan as a jumping-off point for the town.
“I’m excited and enthusiastic about the role this plan is going to play in Chapel Hill’s future,†he said. “I think the quicker we get moving on the next stage of this, the more exciting it’s going to be.â€
Council member Gene Pease said he thought the plan did a good job of representing the goals and values of the community, but that he would like to see a plan laid out for the council’s next actions.
“What do we do with this from a council policy point of view would be very helpful,†he said.
Council member Matt Czajkowski said he felt CH2020 was the most exciting thing that he’s seen happen in Chapel Hill since he joined the council, noting the level of community engagement.
“We have a huge burden now as the council to take all of that enthusiasm, all of that commitment and … the hopes and dreams of the community and shape it into a more defined and specific vision,†he said. The next step, he said, is for the council to look at the various areas identified for development or redevelopment and to create small-area plans.
“We will be able to say we know how we’re going to grow,†Czajkowski added.
The final plan will come back before the council for approval on June 25.