The Community Leadership Collaboration, a group of Orange County business and community leaders, discussed the local economy Friday.
Speaker Ted Abernathy, executive director of the Southern Growth Policies Board, told the group how industry sees the Chapel Hill area.
“You’re rich, you’re mostly white, you’re the slowest-growing area [in North Carolina] that isn’t going backward,” he said. “Your housing is the highest priced.”
“You used to be the coolest place,” he said.
But in recent years Durham and Raleigh have been revitalizing their downtowns, giving residents and businesses less reason to come to Chapel Hill.
Aaron Nelson, president of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, acknowledged Chapel Hill had lost its edge.
“[Durham’s] American Tobacco can eat our lunch,” he said. “WUNC Radio broadcasting from American Tobacco kills me every time.”
Comments
fox giving advice to chickens
Thu, 01/29/2009 - 10:23 — marcoplosWhile Abernathy did not explain what "cool" means to him or his big business growth-promotion organization, the Southern Growth Policies Board, we remember him as a promoter of go-go growth policies when he worked for Orange County. He left due in great measure to Orange County choosing a more deliberative and protective approach to managing growth.
Now he works for an organization chaired by Haley Barbour, noted racist governor, shill for Big Energy, and opponent of regulating CO2 emissions. Hopefully we have the mojo to resist the substanceless attacks of this profits-first crowd who are always looking to attack regions that have adopted smart growth principles.
The Chamber has steered
Fri, 01/23/2009 - 23:12 — marcoplosmuch of the change that got Chapel Hill where it is today. What are they moaning about?
Interesting but old news, really.
Fri, 01/23/2009 - 21:01 — elvisboy77Hillsborough is cool. Pittsboro is cool Durham is cool.
Chapel Hill and Carrboro? Overrated. Way. Unless of course you are a homeless person, or do not run a for-profit business (such as Weaver St Market, Carolina Brewery, etc. who have moved out of Chapel Hill/Carrboro basically)
Ted is right.