Name of candidate: Penny Rich
Address: 109 Oldham Place
Contact information: prich1@nc.rr.com, 368-3516
pennyforchapelhill.com
1. We talk a lot about growth and where it should occur. Clearly the Town Council can influence the rate of growth through its planning and zoning powers, granted by the NC Legislature.
What are your goals and objectives for growth? Building on a question asked at the Visioning Task Force focus groups, how much growth can Chapel Hill support and still maintain our values, the things that people like about living in Chapel Hill? How would you determine growth rates that are "sustainable"?
The Town Council must have a clear vision for growth. Incorrect assumptions and developer's plans should not drive policy. Chapel Hill needs to develop a master plan for density that does not allow for piecemeal building, and should ensure that planning documents are flexible enough to accommodate the changing needs of the community. We must ensure that increases in population work in concert with stepped-up services such as police and fire protection, schools and social services. As we cannot grow beyond the rural buffer that protects our wetlands and agricultural resources, it will become increasingly important that we manage the space available to us in an intelligent manner.
2. New development occurs on vacant land, or developers buy properties to redevelop for a completely different purpose. Examples of the latter are East 54 and Greenbridge, and proposed projects such as Rams Plaza, University Mall and University Square. Development of any type can bring desired amenities for the Town but can also cause undesirable consequences, such as a changed Town character, environmental damage, the loss of affordable housing, increased traffic, and the migration of small scale retail from present locations.
Given that development and change are inevitable, please suggest ideas about how each of the unwanted consequences could be addressed in future development proposals.
3. Chapel Hill prides itself on an open public process with fair, consistent rules and development review process. Citizen Advisory Boards ensure that citizens are involved in decisions that affect them. A Concept Plan process helps guide developers toward a concept desired by the Town.
Please comment on whether the Town's process is working as it should, and offer specific ways it could be improved. Is the process achieving the results we want?
I have heard from citizens that the permitting process can appear unfair. I am in favor of citizen boards, as I feel that they promote transparency. The permitting process should be published on the town web site in an accessible format so that citizens and developers alike can better understand the process. Town Departments need to communicate their concerns to each other and help each other to understand their operating procedures - currently it can seem as if each department runs independently of each other, which fosters doubt and suspicion in builders and developers. All departments must understand processes to avoid giving incorrect information to builders that end up costing them large sums of money to remedy. Advisory Board leaders must coordinate so their advice does not contrast with advice from other boards, which leaves projects in limbo.
4. For the last few years the Council has embraced a policy of encouraging higher densities along major transit corridors through zoning changes based on certain assumptions about transit and population estimates, e.g. a planned hotel on MLK near I-40, and the 54 East project already built at the proposed transit hub. Do you support the policy of putting density on major transit corridors and why? What changes, if any, would you want to make in the policy?
Yes, I support this policy, but I feel that the roadways must be ready for the additional density, and public transit service should be in place first. An example of where this did not happen is in the Chapel Hill North apartment and office site, a huge project that will likely create much additional traffic and dangerous conditions at intersections. We must work to mitigate the added noise and air pollution that will come with additional traffic, and will need to increase the ridership of public transportation. Our current road system cannot accommodate a large increase in single occupancy vehicles as we grow. We will need increased service to Durham, Hillsborough and Raleigh. I will push for increased regional transit including a light rail, and for a light rail to transport students commuting between campuses.
5. Chapel Hill and UNC signed a Development Agreement in June 2009. NRG worked with the Town of Chapel Hill and UNC to ensure that interests of Chapel Hill neighborhoods were taken into consideration, particularly in transportation planning. Our recommendations and neighborhood concerns are found at http://www.nrg-nc.net.
When the review of the Development Agreement comes up, name three issues that you will consider to determine whether or not the Agreement is a success, and discuss in general terms what you will be looking for as measures of success.
The three things that concern me the most are traffic improvements, parking spaces and the 750-acre protection from build out. If these agreements change at any point I will consider the process unsuccessful. As is stated over and over again, the Agreement is a working document, which means that there is room for re-evaluation and improvements. Both town and gown must maintain a transparent system in which changes will be accessible to the community in a timely manner so that their opinion can be heard. The 3-year review process should indicate if the agreement is being upheld.
6. Public participation cuts across all aspects of Town Government. During the Carolina North planning process, many neighbors emphasized the importance of improving public participation. See attached NRG recommendations report. What is your view of public participation in Town Council decisions, and your ideas for updating Town strategies to reflect current]day technologies and media?
In my survey of citizens I found that many people feel that there was not enough transparency or availability of information provided in a timely manner during the Carolina North planning process. Many people felt that they were not able to follow the progress and so they lost interest. I would like to see the town website reflect changes made in real time. The website should be utilized as an outreach tool. I feel that we should empower the advisory boards and put more weight into the conclusions they come to. There should be an email list-serve that citizens can opt into to receive updates on Town Council decisions and to view council member voting records.