Chapel Hill Sierra Club Forum Tonight!

A simple question to ask would be "do you support fair free transit and why?"

oops "fare free"

Some suggested questions from The Village Project:

1. Do you think that Chapel Hill has an obligation to accommodate some share of regional growth? If so, how much growth should be accommodated, and where in Chapel Hill should that growth go?

2. Some citizens have advocated downzoning - reducing the density permitted in a zone - as a tool to be utilized in the creation of Neighborhood Conservation Districts. Others point out that downzoning land within Chapel Hill reduces the number of housing units that can ultimately be built in town, exacerbating the housing affordability problem in Chapel Hill and Orange County. Do you support downzoning as tool for Neighborhood Conservation Districts, or should Chapel Hill look for other ways to preserve neighborhood character?

3. Do you support the Triangle region lobbying the NC General Assembly to create a more robust regional funding source for public transportation in the Triangle?

What, if any, are the constraints on growth? Rural buffer? water supply? affordable housing stock?

Tom,

Can you check broadcast information. I believe the live braodcast tonight will be on the Government Access Channel, the same one that airs CH Town Council Meetings. The re-broadcasts will be on the People's Channel.

What would you do if Progress Energy moves forward on plans to build another nuclear reactor at Shearon Harris?

What do you think we should be doing locally to prepare for an impending future in which oil will be scarcer and more expensive?

friendly amendment... Oil and natural gas.

Andrea may be right. Just check both channels to see which one it's on!

Helena, Patrick, Terri, Mark, Mary-

I've written out all your questions on note cards and will give them to the person filtering- I can't promise they'll be asked but they're all in the pool!

Joe Capowksi is moderating the Chapel Hill Sierra Club forum.

Kevin Wolff has a business commitment, so Kevin Foy is just going to make a ten minute address.

It has been a privilege to be the Mayor for the last four years. When you vote for Mayor you're voting for just one member of a nine member board. They try to build consensus toward what they think the direction Chapel Hill wants to go in is.

It's not always easy- affordable housing is particularly difficult. He thinks the voters have elected a great Council. The budget is always a tough thing to deal with. Not all the money from your tax bill goes to the town. In fact only about a third of it does. For the money you pay you get parks, fire, police, a good library, greenways, free busing...a lot for your money is the point he is trying to make. He is defending public art as an important good. He says the town always gives its employees a raise and generally treats them well. Incentives to attract police officers are used.

Continuing with the Mayor's opening comments...

It is difficult to develop in Chapel Hill because builders are held to strong standards- they must build sidewalks and prevent erosion. Open space has been purchased northeast of Chapel Hill working cooperatively with other jurisdictions.

They are working toward reducing carbon emissions and have invested in storm water management systems. They are preserving greenways and areas near creeks. They strongly encourage affordable housing on the basic premise that we need a socially strong community. By the force of its will the Council has created 100 permanently affordable housing units.

They're trying to toughen up their inclusionary zoning law so that people who work at Harris Teeter or the police department can afford to live in Chapel Hill.

We know Chapel Hill is going to grow. But we want to protect the area around us, so we've created a rural buffer which has now been in place for twenty years. This is the environmentally responsible choice. Mixed use development downtown is a good thing- push growth to where the infrastructure is already in place. Continue to increase ridership in public transit.

His message is that we are headed in the right direction. We have an extraordinary Council. Keep in mind the accomplishments of the current Council, and keep those people part of the team.

Opening statements-

Walker Rutherfurd says he agrees with a lot of what Mayor Foy said. He was heavily involved in Student Government at UNC and President of the Inter Fraternity Council. He just bought a home in north Chapel Hill. Issues important to him include wireless across town to allow access to more. He also emphasizes town-gown relations, citing his student government experience and previous relations with UNC administrators as a priority. He criticizes Bill Strom's comparison of Carolina North to being the size of six Southpoints.

Mark Kleinschmidt thanked the club for its previous endorsements. He is proud to be part of Kevin's team. He is very proud of LUMO and thinks it should be a model for other communities. There was commitment to open space and energy efficiency, as well as other things. We need to have a strong commitment to the Carbon Reduction program. We need to make good use of the energy bank money we approved two years ago. We need a strong tree ordinance.

Bill Thorpe says we can be like Cary with research buildings and a lot of traffic but he doesn't like that. He says people in Chapel Hill know where he stands. When the Dean Dome was approved he voted against it due to concerns that it would infringe on Mason Farm neighborhood. He knows you have to have growth, but you need someone on the Council who will protect you and fight for your rights. He's running for the Town Council, not the BOT- he is fighting for the residents of the Chapel Hill not for the needs of UNC.

Laurin Easthom says we are facing challenging times in Chapel Hill from an environmental perspective. She is not happy about the 17,000 parking spaces at Carolina North. As a member of the HWCC and the T-Board she says we can have a better strategic plan that will result in less pollution. The university needs to respond to the HWCC report- it's been almost a year. She strongly supports the carbon reduction project- it is completely voluntary and does not cost taxpayers a penny. Anything that reduces energy consumption would reduce CO2 emissions.

Jason Baker is involved in the UNC Young Democrats, where he was the Campus Political Affairs Director. He has seen the horrors of what can happen if development goes out of control. Chapel Hill is one of the most environmentally responsible towns he has ever seen, and he wants to uphold this commitment to the environment. He emphasizes the importance of affordable housing- this will reduce the amount of transportation coming into Chapel Hill. Town/University relations need to improve.

Robin Cutson has been a longtime environmental advocate. She has worked with wildlife rescue. We used to be a slow growth town, now we are a pro growth town. We have not added to our population since 2000 but now we are trying to encourage more high density population. Our waterways are already impaired, and our drinking water is decreasing. She says she is the only candidate willing to admit this because the others are pro- growth. She says the Sierra Club Ex Comm is not tackling environmental concerns. She is giving them a questionnaire and wants them to respond to it.

Will Raymond is a family man, homeowner, and long time resident of Chapel Hill. He is on the Tech-Board and is an innovative leader. He is a long time progressive activist. He believes in fiscal responsibility- quarterly reports on the town's financial activities. As a CIO of a dotcom this can improve our town's operations and productivity while lowering costs. We need community based broadband internet. Downtown we need decent bathrooms and water fountains and a world class play structure in a prominent location. We need to pressure UNC to be more forward thinking on Carolina North. No one is going to hold a gun to his head and force him to vote against Chapel Hill.

Ed Harrison is appreciative for his previous endorsement. He ran for Council after two decades as a volunteer environmental advocate. He served on several statewide boards, and has been a volunteer lobbyist. He has been part of a team that rolled back the previous Council's decision to widen Weaver Dairy Road- he also helped stop the widening of South Columbia. He was the first Town Council member to draft amendments for steep slopes and stream buffers. He is part of the Council delegation to the regional transportation committee.

By the way, I'm just writing verbatim what the candidates say even if I don't believe/agree with it.

What have you done to show your commitment to environmental values?

Laurin Easthom says she does everything she can to encourage conservation at home. She turns lights off and thinks of the best ways conserve energy- she recycles and encourages her kids to do the same.

Bill Thorpe does not cut any trees off his property. He doesn't even like to cut the grass! He recycles at home He is very conscious environmentally.

Will Raymond has internalized some of the lessons of conservation. He controls storm water runoff at his house and composts. They use five year bulbs and other techniques to keep their energy consumption down. He likes to bike, even if he doesn't cut the greatest figure on it.

Ed Harrison married an environmental advocate who is an incredible conservationist. They recycle and compost a lot and get a lot of grass clippings. In his personal travel he likes to bicycle and that's been the case for 45 years.

What would you do to fill vacant downtown commerical properties?

Jason Baker wants partnerships with downtown business owners and the Chamber to find ways to encourage businesses to fill those vacancies. People should be able to have their consumer needs met downtown. Partnerships are the key.

Bill Thorpe says we really need a grocery store downtown. You can't make a business come downtown- but you can make downtown attractive for businesses. This would attract a different clilentele than the students. He would work with the Chamber as well.

Walker Rutherfurd says a lot of the stores we have are core to what Franklin Street is. The Business School lobbied to fill the Wicked Burrito space. He helped start the Carolina Challenge, which focuses on social entrepeneurship.

Laurin Easthom says we need a nice place to start with. We need clean sidewalks, nice plantings, a police presence without firearms. It needs to be an inviting place- the Children's Museum could be an impetus for other businesses like that.

What is the best way for Chapel Hill to take advantage of UNC's growth in the performing arts?

Kleinschmidt first. We need to embrace the new Arts Commons. The town can take advantage of it by working with the university to make sure that it is inclusive of the community. The university should provide amenities for their own patrons, such as parking.

Robin Cutson agrees UNC should provide parking. She thinks the town needs to provide adequate, reasonably priced parking. If we want a town-UNC Arts Common effort we need to provide sidewalk repair and street lighting. We don't need any more studies or commissions- we just need to give them what they've been asking for for years.

Bill Thorpe says the university is working with us on the bus system and that we should meet and talk with them about the citizens of Chapel Hill. He thinks our sports facilities, like the golf course, should be open to use by the citizens of the committees. We need someone who can work cooperatively with the Chancellor.

Ed thinks this is one of the best proposals we've seen from Carolina and we need some focus and cooperation between the town and university on parking.

The next Town Council may face approval of Carolina North phase 1. What strategies would you employ to advocate for the town's interests?

Robin Cutson says it may not be viable at the size proposed. This is because of the limited drinking water supply and other water-related issues. This is the size of Hillsborough. These public/private partnerships do not stimulate economic growth.

Walker says the partnerships do cause economic growth. Being able to approach the university not as an adversary is important. He would hold the University to the commitments that they make, but he would represent the town. He thinks Chapel Hill should love it.

Will Raymond says Carolina North could be great, but not as it's constituted. We should start out with zero cars, zero runoff, and zero pollution and work from there. 17,000 parking spaces forces the town to negotiate down. He wants a relook at OI/4. He wants promises to be kept.

Jason Baker says we already have a great committee looking at the town's interests on this. He likes the Village Project proposal- it's a great opportunity for the university to use forward looking transit and adequate buffers.

What ratio of commuter car parking spaces to employees would you limit UNC to and why?

Laurin says we have about 6,000 parking spaces and 14,000 employees on the main campus. The ratio should be lower at Carolina North because we won't have undergraduates. We'll have faculty and staff living there.

Bill Thorpe says we need to understand the philosophy of the Council person. He wants everyone to ride their bikes and use park and ride lots. He doesn't want many cars there- it needs to be a biking and public transit destination.

Ed Harrison says Laurin's numbers are out of date. He thinks a one to three ratio would be needed to reduce the number of traffic trips going through existing neighborhoods. He thinks if we cut the parking back by two thirds we'd have an acceptable ratio.

Jason Baker says we're going to have 20-30,000 jobs there and 10,000 will be housed on campus. He thinks there should be one parking space per 5,6,7 employees.

What is your position on the Maywood connector and what is your philosophy on connectivity?

Will generally supports connectivity, but not the Larkspur one. This is an obvious throughway, which is not what we want. Some people have been dodging this question, but incumbents should be able to answer it.

Mark Kleinschmidt is not persuaded that the initial plan for a connector should necessarily be removed. There was a lot of new information at the Council meeting tonight, and he will need answers from staff to make a decision. He generally supports connectivity.

Jason says he is opposed to the Larkspur connector. Most citizens are opposed to it as well. He doesn't believe in connectivity the way it is being used in this case. He generally supports it but it should be looked at holistically.

Robin Cutson is absolutely opposed to it. The weight of evidence shows that it is unnecessary. There are 88 children in the neighborhood that will be placed at risk. This is about protecting neighborhoods and our children. The Council needs to say no sooner than later.

What is your position on the widening of South Columbia?

Jason Baker is against it. He doesn't think there's a major need for it. Rely on public transit instead.

Ed Harrison voted against the widening three times on Council. He confronted UNC with the fact that they were asking for more road than there was room for.

Mark Kleinschmidt agrees with Ed on this one. He thinks improvements should be made for bicycling and pedestrian use. He doesn't think the university has effectively made the case for widening.

Bill Thorpe says experience counts. He was on the Council when it was made a one way street. He was against it- he would be against widening it because he wants to emphasize bikeways.

What is your position on spending town funds to purchase open space outside the city limits?

Will Raymond says we need to aggressively preserve our current streams. He is glad we bought Erwin Trace, but he wants to see the money now spent on Bolin Creek.

Ed Harrison says we have a well established set of priorities. When you consider the Erwin purchase by itself he had some hesitancy about moving that far outside the town limits. When the deal came together for the full 76 acres he made the motion for Chapel Hill to spend the money.

Robin Cutson thinks it's wonderful when different counties can cooperate. In general though, when we put bonds before the public we don't tell them that unless the land is put in an RCD in perpetuity that it is open to development. We need to take steps to protect the land more. More public transparency is needed.

Walker Rutherfurd says we can all agree that open space is good. We need to look at what we can do inside the town limits. He doesn't know what would make economic sense right now. He might be convinced now based on the evidence about things, but a few years out his mind might be changed- we need to be more flexible and give future officials flexibility as well.

Do you support pay as you throw garbage service?

Robin Cutson says businesses have complained about trash fees repeatedly over time. We need to look at our budget priorities. We need to provide public art at a lower cost and get more public input about it. You can pretty much be assured there's wasteful spending in the budget.

Bill Thorpe says this is one of the basic services provided by the town, and we need to continue the system we currently have.

Jason Baker says there should be penalties for excessive use of the trash system. It's harder with commercial businesses. This is worth looking at.

Ed Harrison says that when orange County presented us with a 66 cent recycling fee. He didn't see what we were getting for this fee- he supports pay as you throw because he doesn't produce much trash personally but also because it would make people think more about what they were and were not recycling.

What would you do to prevent 15/501 south of Chapel Hill from becoming a carbon copy of the Durham/Chapel Hill boulevard?

Ed Harrison says he broke the story on Walmart, and it is now dominating the way we think about 15/501. He's worked on establishing a review process with Durham, and that we should do the same thing with Chatham County.

Robin Cutson says this is an interesting proposition. She thinks traffic will decrease because Chatham citizens will be shopping at home instead of going to Durham. She doesn't think it's Chapel Hill's right to tell other municipalities what to do.

Walker Rutherfurd says we need to work with Chatham County. He also says he agrees with Robin. Whatever Chapel Hill can do to foster collaboration is a good thing.

Laurin Easthom says she thinks courtesy reviews as we have done with Durham are very important. Whether Chatham would follow our opinions or not there should be a dialogue. We need to look at transportation from a regional perspective.

Under what circumstances would you support infill in Chapel Hill?

Walker says it needs to be taken on a case by case basis. Chapel Hill is generally hesitant about growth.

Kleinschmidt says NCD's are key. We need to follow the goals- growth that strengthens the characters of neighborhoods, promotes affordable housing, stabilizes property values, etc. There are a lot of places it can be done appropriately. We can hold onto our principles and still grow.

Laurin will not support it in areas that are RCD's. Do we have the infrastructure to support infill? We need to work it with the schools- nobody wants sprawl. If infill is going to occur it needs to happen somewhere supported by public transit. We should increase affordable housing.

Robin Cutson says we have more residential than commercial development. Neighborhoods do not want infill- she would support it in the downtown area and do it for the purpose of commercial growth. This will make housing even more expensive- also we are running out of water.

Do you think Carolina North is good for Chapel Hill (or something along those lines?)

Laurin says what is good for the state can't be at the expense of the town. It must not strain our infrastructure. We need to make sure the environment is protected and we need permanent conservation easements. We need to protect Bolin Creek.

Bill says the HWCC is working on these issues. There needs to be close collaboration with the state and university throughout the process. Bikeways need to be on the drawing board from the very beginning of the campaign.

Mark says that there seems to be a mentality that because other schools are doing this we need to also. He doesn't hate UNC- in fact he has two degrees from it.

Jason says we need to have the right Carolina North. We need a collaborative effort to develop an environmentally responsible plan.

What specifically would you do to protect the environment?

Bill Thorpe wants to protect neighborhoods. Developments need to be carefull fine tuned. He wants every development that comes before the Council to have affordable housing. He doesn't want Chapel Hill to start looking like Cary- we need to ride bikes and have more park and ride lots.

Ed Harrison says we need an adequate public facilities ordinance tied to the watershed protection capacity. We need to improve water quality. It needs to fit into the Master Plan we're working on.

Will Raymond says we need to revisit the steep slopes issues that came before Council recently. Our stream corridors need to be protected, especially when you work 20, 30 years out. We need to relook at stream protections- we need to look beyond the creeks that everyone knows about.

Robin Cutson says we need to stop granting special use permits in resource conservation districts. When we do our retention ponds we are catching stormwater runoff but not actually capturing the water. They're turning into mini-toxic waste areas.

Do you support the county's request to run water and sewer through the rural buffer?

Bill Thorpe says NO.

Robin Cutson says they're already putting in piping that could be used for future development. She would support trying to protect all forests from further development. She would be against this unless we are talking about an inactive farm that has been clearcut of all trees.

Mark says he doesn't support this. He's disappointed in the proposal.

Laurin says she doesn't support it either. There's an issue whether this is considered an essential public facility- when development occurs it should connect to existing water and sewer lines.

Do you think that Chapel Hill has an obligation to accommodate some share of regional growth? If so, how much growth should be accommodated, and where in Chapel Hill should that growth go?

Robin Cutson says we need the figures for regional growth. Carrboro and Hillsborough have had a decline in population. Do we have the infrastructure- water, schools- to handle it?

Bill Thorpe doesn't think Chapel Hill has an obligation to encourage growth. People want to come to Chapel Hill- we are unusually commited to protecting the environment here. He wants Chapel Hill to stay similar to how it was when he came here in 1970.

Ed Harrison says no one has yet mentioned the comprehensive plan tonight. Every development case that comes to us is developed in terms of it. The plan has included lots of maps, and they advise you where you can choose to put the growth.

Mark says a lot of people feel a suspicion that Chapel Hill wants no growth. We can't be cast in amber or become an elite enclave. We need to be able to support a diverse retail sector downtown.

What would you do to support environmentally sustainable businesses?

Bill Thorpe says the rules and regulations in Chapel Hill are thought to be too tough by many people. We should try to be friendly.

Jason says we don't need any businesses in Chapel Hill that are not commited to environmental sustainability. We need them to be socially responsible partners.

Walker says there are lots of things you can do to educate businesses. We should encourage solar cell technology- UNC should be utilized in helping businesses engage environmentally responsible tactics.

Will has been spending two years working on municipal networking. On economic development he thinks we need to broaden our view. Downtown is important, but we need to look at the town as a whole. Carrboro has done some good things to encourage businesses. Microloans are good.

What would you do if Progress Energy moves forward on plans to build another nuclear reactor at Shearon Harris?

Will says we can send a clear message to our legislative contingent that money should be spent on green fleets and other smaller scale environmentally responsible things. We're taking safety at Shearon Harris too lightly.

Mark Kleinschmidt says the role of the bully pulpit is important for the Council to take. It's one of the ways the Council can be most effective. We are often the trend setters.

Laurin says a lot of safety issues need to be looked at as well as the cost of where all this waste will actually go. The Council has made its voice heard on a number of issues.

Walker says people are quick to jump on nuclear energy, which is one of the most environmentally sound ways of providing it in the country. We should reprocess nuclear waste, but he would need to see a plan in order to support it.

Closing Statements-

Ed says there is no single answer to any question. Environmental quality should be the highest priority. He tries to consider all the facts and make his decision once they're all in. He likes the teamwork on environmental protection.

Will says he fills a gap opening in our Council- he is a family man, has a background in technology, has been successful in business. He works a lot with the current Council members and would bring new skills on board. He researches issues, but you're going to know where he stands. He has strong convictions that will carry through.

Robin has always been a strong environmental advocate. When you're opposing political forces it doesn't make you very popular, but that hasn't stopped her. She thinks a lot of people are for growth at all costs and she will not stand for that. She will be the voice that says no.

Jason says voters should look at the incumbents' voting history. He has a strong personal commitment to the environment- he shops locally, recycles, bikes a lot, uses public transit, is a member of Greenpeace. He may not have as much experience as others but he has worked hard.

Laurin says she didn't realize how much of an environmentalist she was until she moved to Chapel Hill. She fills the effects of traffic and growth, and this is why she is running for Council. She wants to permanently conserve undeveloped portions of Horace Williams. We can provide a sustainable environment in Chapel Hill but we need to be proactive.

Bill says he will work for Chapel Hill. He is retired and has the time and energy to do a good job. He says it's good to have a record and be able to talk about what he's done in the past. He will work with the other eight members- he has been Mayor Pro Tem.

Mark says he is proud that affordable housing is an environmental issues. Through the Sierra Club the downtown development we're engaging in came. He says the four years he has spent on Council there has not been a more strong, effective, and principled leader than him.

Walker says he went to a high school that emphasized the environment. He has high regard for the environment and has invested a lot in alternative energy. He will work hard to make sure the Town Council works with the university, preserves the environment, and works more effectively with students.

And it's over- if I misreported anything please correct me!

I wish I could come to "hell"!

What a great forum.

As stated previously in the thread by Ed H., " numbers presented were "outdated.." then the UNC Transportation Demand Specialist had outdated numbers, too, with whom I spoke with yesterday. The POINT is, the main campus and UNC are entirely different. Carolina North is slated to be a live/work campus where faculty/staff reside with no undergraduates. The main campus was not designed to house those that worked on the main campus. So take the main campus ratio, and use that as the absolute top number to be considered for Carolina North. In fact, the ratio should be SIGNIFICANTLY lower if the true aim is to have a live/work campus. Just need to make this point.

I wish everyone fun in "hell"! Great job, once again, to Tom Jensen for his accurate reporting!!!!

Laurin

Whoops, the main campus and CAROLINA NORTH are completely different. :)

The question I forgot to put on a card:

"How did you travel here tonight?"

While it was lovely to hear about how everyone recycles, seems to me that this would be a much more telling answer on PERSONAL commitment to environmentally-friendly actions. (I walked the 3 miles to and from the forum; mostly because I need the exercise not specifically for the environment)

I hope that was a typo in the Chapel Hill Herald this morning on the numbers that I gave for the parking ratio for the main campus. One space per 43 employees? Where did he get THAT number?? Give me a break.

I thought I heard Laurin say that there were roughly 14K employees and roughly 6k parking spaces. The answer did not peg a specific number but said Caro North should do better than that because they can house more employees.

That ratio is 2.333 employees per parking space as an upper limit.

Mr. Ed said he thought the number was more like 3 to 1, but did not say what number he thought it should be.

I have no idea where one to 43 in the Herald came from...Don't reporters ususally bring tape recorders to these types of things?

The 43 number came from Ed doing some "figuring" on Laurin's statement. At least that's what I heard as well -- maybe he meant to say 4 or 3.

I left my husband with the kids and drove my hybrid, which actually does get over 50 mpg. I really love this car, especially when it completely turns itself off at stoplights and doesn't emit those nasty fumes while idling. It's a Prius, 2005. I wish that everyone could get one at some point. I've never loved a car before, but I love this one.

I hitched a ride back with Laurin and she's not kidding - that Prius is a nice ride.

My brother has a Honda Civic hybrid and it was quite relaxing to ride in quiet - and a bit unsettling driving it as the auditory clues are missing. At first, I had to fight the urge to turn the ignition key twice but I settled in fairly quickly.

I think the DTH said it better..

"Laurin Easthom said the ratio of parking spaces to employees should be no higher than that of the main campus."

http://www.dailytarheel.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/09/28/433a120cc1f31

Kevin Wolff evidently had the most environmental travel plan for the event.

"Kevin Wolff evidently had the most environmental travel plan for the event"

is he really doing this - running for mayor - just to get clients?

Is that a common practice in the law field?

Was anyone else surprised by how different the Chapel Hill forum was from the Carrboro forum? In Carrboro there was much more emphasis on affordable housing and waterway protection. I left that forum feeling like I had a pretty clear idea of who stood for what on those two issues. It seemed like last night's questions covered a broader range of topics or was it that the candidates took a broader view in giving answers? Didn't hear any sniping in Carrboro either.