My Priorities

Let’s Work Together
to Make Chapel Hill Livable for Everyone

Reverse Council action on the LUMO text amendments.
Create affordable and missing middle housing without sacrificing single-family neighborhoods that lack HOAs, NCDs or restrictive covenants. The approved LUMO text amendments will not provide such housing.
Accept the Planning Department’s key takeaway from its May 17^th report: “Most cities saw the most significant increases in Missing Middle Housing through larger development projects, not as infill development on individual lots.”
Understand that housing does not follow simple supply and demand economics, especially in a college town where demand is essentially unlimited. The “trickle down” approach does not yield missing middle or affordable housing.
Provide real support, not a minimal payment in lieu, for those in affordable housing displaced by upscale development.
Incentivize developers to build what we actually need (affordable, missing middle units), avoid clear-cutting tree canopy and provide community benefits.
Partner with UNC to take primary responsibility to house its students and staff, since it owns 30% of the available land and has repurposed existing university housing, such as Odum Village.
As a Council, take the lead on development, not developers or real estate investors via town staff.

Council members should be delegates who make decisions based on citizen input rather than on personal beliefs and preferences like trustees.
Focus on converting plans into action.
Restore advisory boards to development review, especially for traffic, stormwater and environmental impacts.
Be transparent. Use a town hall format to better engage with citizens.

Increase parks spending (now $4/person) to approach that in surrounding communities ($17/person).
Expand and upgrade our parks and green space to mitigate climate change.
Reverse the Council decision to use the American Legion property (bought with park bonds), for housing.
For equity and accessibility, create a community park on the entire American Legion site with the pond as its centerpiece.
Preserve our tree canopy, defined as mature shade trees not replanted saplings.
Add long requested park amenities (splash pad, skateboard park, adaptive playground).
Remove toxic coal ash to safe, regulatory-compliant sites prior to any development.

Prioritize local ownership over out-of-town corporate landlords.
Preserve the local character of Chapel Hill, especially in downtown along Franklin Street.

Be pragmatic. Prioritize meeting the $60M in deferred needs, especially for core services.
Reduce discretionary spending, e.g., expenditures on consultants.
Increase taxes gradually and only if absolutely necessary.
Avoid questionable spending decisions, such as funding the access road for the Hartley Apartments
Do not repurpose bond money voters approved for one use (parks) to fund another (housing).

Connect and expand our greenway system.
Update a town-wide traffic analysis.
Build the N-S bus rapid transit line along MLK from Southern Village to Eubanks Road.
Invest in more electric buses, particularly for the N-S BRT.