So, looks like if we’re serious we’ll have to flash some cash…

The Planning Board wields great influence. Their decisions not only lead to policy changes altering our physical landscape but have direct impact on the Town’s economic and cultural future.

Advisory board minutes (when they are kept, when they are current) often document a few points of contention, some clarifications and the end-product. What is “important” isn’t necessarily captured. Nuance is the first casualty.

There is ZERO excuse for not providing audio recordings of every advisory board meeting. Video documentation, preferably on-line, for the Planning Board - especially considering the volume of visual evidence presented - is necessary.

Besides providing background on decisions affecting our citizens - a fundamental requirement for anyone espousing open governance principles - recording meetings might actually improve the process.

Some of CitizenWill’s readers know about the internal struggles the Tech Board had. I think if we had been recording the meetings, it might have tempered some of the ill feelings and possibly improved the brevity of folks (like myself) that made some meetings drag on.

A little bit of self-promotion: we’ve got a couple of stories in today’s DTH relating to Carolina North and the airport. I don’t know if you’re reading our blog, but we usually link to and update stories that are relevant to current issues in town. Here’s the link for the airport/CNorth post: http://blogs.dailytarheel.com/?p=1337. I’d love to hear your feedback!

Emily

Holden, a few quick points.

One, the economic justification for siting a new airport in Orange County are not supportable at this point in time. The Talbert/Bright 2008 draft economic report is, frankly, a joke. It is embarrassing that a great institution like UNC maintains that this report’s projections are credible. Reality is a necessary component to this process.

Two, the Authority cannot be staffed exclusively with folks that have “better expertise” in airport development. Local residents deserve not only a seat at the table but enough of a presence to sway the decision-making process. In the end, a balanced approach, pulling talented individuals with informed opinions across the spectrum, will better serve the interests of both the University and the State’s citizenry.

Third, Talbert-Bright has said twice now that AHEC’s future is at RDU. While I support AHEC’s mission and am completely open-minded on improving their ability to serve our State’s needs, continuing to use AHEC as a justification for creating a new general aviation facility doesn’t wash.

Finally, here’s a link to a chronology of UNC positions on HWA’s growth and usage.

http://townhall.townofchapelhill.org/Agendas/ca040414/10-Response%20to%20Petiton%20re%20Horace%20Williams%20Airport.htm

It’s an interesting course that UNC has charted over the years.

Thank you for posting your thoughts on HWA (and entertaining commentary). I look forward to seeing the evolution of your and the University’s thinking on this issue.

Thanks Fred for the flight data, I’ve added a photo of a Cessna 550 to the post.

More information on the plane here:

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N173AA.html

ID Type Orgin Dep. Time Arriv Time
N173AA C550 Blue Grass (KLEX) Tue 15:28 EST Tue 16:23 EST

and left late:

ID Type Dest. Dep Time Arriv
N173AA C550 Blue Grass (KLEX) Wed 00:13 EST Wed 01:29

I hope our friends from KY spent some money while here!

I seem to recall D.R. and company using the phrase “human scale” quite a bit when they sold Council on the original Southern Village plan. Where does this project fit into that vision? Also, what is the chance that condos will be built instead of a hotel?

Hopefully they will come back with a better plan more suitable to the site and compatible with the vision that initially “sold” Southern Village.

Will,

The developers are intentionally misleading when they refer to a “four story hotel,” This is the way that the developers would like the public to perceive the structure, particularly since it gives the appearance that they are making concessions, but it all depends on your point of view, more specifically… on where you stand.

Entering Southern Village from 15-501, a resident or visitor will confront a five story structure. Sitting at Weaver Street Market or when entering or leaving the church, what people will experience is a building that is five stories tall.

The only way this building will be perceived as four stories is from the slope above it, either slipping onto Market Street the back way, or from the village green. It is from this vantage that the developers insist that the structure is four stories.

On the day of the meeting, John Fugo sent out a message to the Parking Lot Listserve with the following quote:
“The highest design we have ever talked about was 5 stories. Now we are at 4 stories at the stage end, and we like that as well.”

I replied to the entire list, asking Mr. Fugo for clarification: “For clarification, isn’t “4 stories at the stage end” still the same thing as “5 stories at the entrance to Southern Village end”?

Fugo’s one word answer, “Yes.”

The developers have described this as a four story building surrounded by two and three story buildings. In reality, it is a five story building surrounded by two story buildings. Every building at the lower end of Market Street in only two stories, the three story buildings don’t begin until the second half of the next block, well beyond the hotel.

In summary, someone jumping out of a top floor window towards Weaver Street Market would fall five stories from a four story building. I hope that future references will accurately describe the proposed hotel as five stories.

Thank you for your attention,