Economy & Downtown
Chapel Hill's downtown has long benefited from its proximity to a captive audience of University students without cars. While downtowns around the country have been failing, ours has survived fairly well. However, we have seen an increase in the number of chain stores locating downtown, and instability in the Downtown Economic Development Corporation. In the near future, we will see new Town-directed development on two major parking lots have a big impact.
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Carrboro's downtown has also done better than many towns of comparable size, thanks largely to the presence of Weaver Street Market and progressive shoppers from the rest of the county. The Board of Aldermen has been addressing the evolution of the downtown, and have established a number of community resources in the downtown area including free wireless Internet access, and a low-power radio station.
Today is the first Saturday of the new Carrboro Farmers' Market season. Thanks to Anton's email calling for friends to meet I walked up to the Carrboro Town Commons this morning. It was my first time going to the market. I don't think it'll be my last.
I got a medium sized tomato plant. Being a food growing newbie I asked for advice from the farmer. He said I should give the tomato plant plenty of water. It doesn't need a ton of sunlight and should be brought indoors if the temperature gets under fifty degrees. Evidently tomatos like warm nights. So do I.
I plan on repotting the tomato this weekend with my jade plant. Fascinating how different the tomato plant is from the jade plant. One loves lots of water and the other does not.
So what did you get at the Carrboro Farmers' Market this weekend?
Guest Post by Sammy Slade
While going to get breakfast this morning 9 a.m., I was pleasantly surprised to find this sign pasted on the Good Neighbor Rules sign at Weaver Street Market. The person who was about to take the sign down kindly allowed me to photograph it before she did so. I asked if she worked for Carr Mill Mall. She said no, she works for Weaver Street Market. When I asked why she was taking it down if she was not Carr Mill Mall she explained that she was responsible for P.R. with Weaver Street Market and that they wanted to maintain a good relationship with the mall. When someone complimented the 'political message on the piece of art' the P.R. person agreed and said that she 'just wished people would post it elsewhere'.
(Click above for larger versions.)
My peaceful mid-morning trip to the grocery store today was interrupted by the erection of two huge signs in the middle of the Weaver Street Market lawn. If these were at the entrance to Weaver Street from the sidewalk or the parking lot, it would just be sort of hostile, but the placement is clearly a big middle finger from Carr Mill Mall manager Nathan Millian to the many people who enjoy the Weaver Street lawn.
Last year the managers of Weaver Street Market and Carr Mill came to came to agreement on rules for use of the lawn through negotiations led by Carrboro Alderman Dan Coleman. The rules posted here are SIMILAR to the ones agreed to, but not the same. In addition there was never an agreement to place a 6-foot tall sign in the middle of the area enjoyed my thousands of paying customers every week.
Thanks to Maria Rowan for letting me post this on the spot from her laptop.
Update: See the original negotiated rules and the rules on the new signs.
I'll admit, I don't find finances very captivating. but it's through budgets that our local governments set priorities and dedicate the resources needed to get things done.
Chapel Hill held a budget hearing last night and heard requests from several advisory board including the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board asking for a road map for cyclists, the Chapel Hill Public Library for moderate staff increases, the Historic District Commission to reduce fees to homeowners, and the Public Arts Commission (which is actually independent of the Town) to hire additional staff and give raises to current staff. Also, I happen to know that the Planning Board made a request to hire a consultant to assist in implementing the new Tree ordinance, and for additional planning staff to handle the load of impending development including Carolina North.
Carrboro's recent budget hearing elicited only one public speaker: Robert Dowling to ask for additional money for Orange Community Housing and Land Trust.
Who woulda thunk it? I agree 100% with this statement by Fred Black:
Community activist Fred Black ... said many people who complain about panhandlers really are talking about something else: "being different in Chapel Hill."
"We have a perception issue," Black said. "We're talking about the perception of threats in downtown Chapel Hill. People use the verb panhandle as a convenient label for what they don't look like."
- chapelhillnews.com | Foy: 'I want people to vent', 2/21/07
I really hope this doesn't spark yet another tirade against the poor people who are forced to live on the streets due to misfortune, mental illness, and lack of community support. Instead of panhandling, let's talk about poverty in Chapel Hill and what we are doing about that!
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