By Tammy Grubb
A neighborhood meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. tonight, Jan. 12, at Open Eye Cafe with the developers of Shelton Station, a mixed-use project proposed for 2.49 acres at 500 N. Greensboro St. in Carrboro.
Development representatives will be available to answer questions and provide more information about the project, which currently includes roughly 102 residential units and 25,000 square feet of commercial space in two buildings.
From correspondent Tammy Grubb
Lydia Lavelle
1. What do you see as the town’s major issues over the next 10 years? What are your ideas for dealing with those issues?
Development downtown will continue to be a major issue over the next ten years. Projects we have approved will finally get off the ground, and our first hotel will be open. More projects will come (and have come) that are challenging our vision of how the downtown area will expand. Our need to increase our commercial tax base will drive decisions we make in the ensuing years, but we may need a community conversation at some point to revisit and refine the BOA’s mandate from Vision 2020 to urge constructive growth downtown.
A related issue is the overall need for the Town to decrease the tax burden on the residents of Carrboro. As stated above and in my answer to later question, one way to address this is by adding more commercial development to the Town. This results in higher property tax revenue and can also result in higher sales tax revenue. We regularly address the question of how to get visitors to spend their money in Carrboro during my service on the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitor’s Bureau Board of Directors.
A final major issue will be improving transportation – this will continue to be a priority for the town, whether it be sidewalks, greenways, bike lanes or transit. In particular, a big issue that is looming is Carolina North. When development is imminent at Carolina North, we will have to definitively address our transportation issues at Estes Drive Extension. We have discussed this in the abstract and in conjunction with short term immediate solutions for pedestrians and bikers, but a heavy influx of traffic will necessitate road improvements and possibly a roundabout at the intersection of Estes Drive and Greensboro Street.
From correspondent Tammy Grubb
Michelle C. Johnson
1. What do you see as the town’s major issues over the next 10 years? What are your ideas for dealing with those issues?
The most important issues facing Carrboro are growth and development and their connection to economic development. Many decisions that the Board of Aldermen makes are focused on land use -- who can use it, how they can use it, and how that use will impact not only the surrounding neighborhoods but our community as a whole. Carrboro should continue to support development projects that are mixed-use and that protect the residential neighborhoods surrounding them, maintain a local living economy, encourage green building and green upgrades to existing developments, ensure walkability and bikeability, and provide accessible parking downtown.
I will support and engage in the town’s efforts to focus on local entrepreneurs and a local living economy. Carrboro currently has several programs that support local businesses and promote entrepreneurship, such as the revolving loan program, the WISE energy efficiency loan program for residences and local businesses, and job training workshops. I will explore the feasibility of the town allocating a portion of the revolving loan fund to local businesses that are in immediate crisis so that more businesses don’t have to close their doors. In addition, I will work with the Carrboro Arts Committee, the Orange County Arts Commission, and the Orange County Artists Guild to enhance our focus on arts in the community as a way to bring people into Carrboro and to support a local living economy.
I will work with the town’s economic development director and the Economic Sustainability Commission to assess available commercial properties so that potential business approaching the Economic Development Director will be better facilitated about places in Carrboro for their business. I will encourage the creation of a green building checklist for the town to use when considering development projects, with the understanding that the permitting of projects that meet a threshold level of green building standards will be expedited.
Affordable and inclusionary housing is another major issue facing Carrboro.
I will work to meet the diverse needs of residents in our community by serving on the local task force to assess the need for a work center for day laborers. I will work with the Human Rights Center of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, the Human Relations Commission, Justice United, local businesses, residents, law enforcement, El Centro Latino, and other stakeholders in the community to move forward with a solution that meets the needs of day laborers and the communities in which they reside.
From correspondent Tammy Grubb
Braxton Foushee
1. What do you see as the town’s major issues over the next 10 years? What are your ideas for dealing with those issues?
Attracting economic development by making sure that we have the infrastructure in place to attract developers to the three sites that we have available. Those sites are the old Saffelle site, the old Triem site and the current Public Works site. Traffic on Main Street with all of the new developments would need to be studied for new traffic patterns. Parking downtown needs a designated site; needs to be reviewed by the Transportation Advisory Board. It will require funds that are not readily available at this time.
Dan Coleman
1. What do you see as the town’s major issues over the next 10 years? What are your ideas for dealing with those issues?
The key immediate issue for the board is hiring a town manager. A skilled town manager is essential to the smooth delivery of town services as well as staffing, planning, and budgeting. In addition, Carrboro needs a well-qualified manager who understands our commitments to sustainability, economic localism, and to community. I am committed to careful review of applications and to working closely with the new manager as he or she comes up to speed. Ideally, we will hire someone who will grow to love Carrboro and stick around for the next 10 years and more.
The on-going financial crisis will be a big challenge. Although we have held the line on tax increases for the past three years, state and federal cutbacks will continue to squeeze municipalities. The current “soft” hiring freeze for open staff positions increases the work load on town employees which is a concern in terms of job satisfaction and retention. Upcoming budgets will be challenging for the board, for the new town manager, and for the community. My goal is to protect town jobs and programs to the extent possible while I hear from citizens on the advisability of program cuts should a tax increase seem otherwise unavoidable.
The town must continue its emphasis on economic development, providing the support mechanisms (like the Revolving Loan Fund) to help local businesses through tough times and to help entrepreneurs establish new businesses in Carrboro. I will continue to work closely with the town’s Economic Sustainability Commission to improve the town’s capabilities in this regard. The emphasis on commercial development must be continued. I have pushed for increased commercial space while on the board and will continue to do so.
Orange County candidates for office in Chapel Hill and Carrboro pledged to improve conditions for day laborers, expand affordable rental offerings and work with the county to mitigate the effects of the Rogers Road landfill and an alternative for the county’s garbage during the fall meeting of Justice United, a nonpartisan community advocacy group last week.
Candidates for the Chapel Hill Town Council and mayor, Carrboro Board of Aldermen, Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton and Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education participated in the event and responded to questions individually when asked about their commitment to resolving county issues like when to close the Rogers Road landfill and how to create more lower-income housing.
Lydia Lavelle announced today that she will file to run for a second term on the Carrboro Board of Aldermen. Lavelle was first elected in November 2007. Here is her release:
During her first term, Lavelle has not only been a steady presence on the Board, but has also been actively representing Carrboro’s interests in several other capacities.
This year, she is serving as the chair of the regional Transportation Advisory Committee of the Durham/Chapel Hill/Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (TAC-MPO), a group composed of elected officials from Orange, Durham and Chatham counties responsible for addressing and planning for transportation needs for the region. In addition, she sits on the Transit Partners Committee, a work group of elected officials and staff that discusses issues related to Chapel Hill Transit. She also represents Carrboro on the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitor’s Bureau Board of Directors, and is the BOA liaison to the Planning Board.
Lavelle has lived in the Triangle area for 28 years, and at her current address for seven years. She became a member of the Town’s Planning Board and chaired its New Horizons Task Force after her neighborhood became a part of the town in January 2006. An attorney, Lavelle is employed as an Assistant Professor at the North Carolina Central University School of Law in Durham.
