Citizen Will

Tag: ram-development

  • No Green For Greenbridge

    Looks like the rumors I’ve been hearing for the last few months are true, the much touted Greenbridge project is in deep financial trouble. The high-density development (which has saved Downtown according to the local Chamber of Commerce director Aaron Nelson) hasn’t been able to sell units and pay its construction bills according to today’s […]

  • Lot $$$5 Lurches Forward?

    Council has been quite patient with their development partner RAM Development. The Lot $$$5 project has seen delay after delay, the basic tenets under which is was justified shifted substantially over that time. For instance, developers apparently didn’t need the Lot $$$5 project to whet their appetite for Downtown projects as three are on-going. Even […]

  • A Bit Older, Less Grayer

    I ended up talking about the troubling aspects of both East54 and the Lot $5 with a native Chapel Hillian after a recent community meeting. While introducing myself they exclaimed “you’re Will Raymond? I saw you speak several years ago about the Town’s Downtown project” but, they went on, I “looked different”, even younger than […]

  • 140West: RAM Development’s Money Tree, Chapel Hill Taxpayers Moneypit

    Local commentator and involved citizen Fred Black invited me to do a WCHL1360 Who’s Talking segment last week. It airs this evening (Tues. Aug. 3rd, 2010) at 6PM. While the subject was supposed to be the Lot #5/140 West project, which is slated to finally get started later this month, Fred used this opportunity to […]

  • Twisting the Zoning Pretzel

    Tonight I asked the Council, once again, to reconsider cutting corners in the zoning process to push their “dense” development agenda. Just as in this Spring’s approval of the new TC-3 zoning district (A Matter of Process: Greenbridge and Council’s Devolving Standard of Public Review), the Council is trying to slide through a far-reaching zoning […]

  • Lot #5 Development: “…up through the ground come a bubbling crude…”

    Well, not quite “black gold” or “Texas tea” but it appears that more “refined trouble” is brewing under Lot #5 (MAP). Chapel Hill’s taxpayers will have to wait for next week’s official lab confirmation but, as of today (Mar. 20th, 2007), initial field tests of some of the nearly 30 core samples show “interesting” signs […]

  • Lot #5 Downtown Development: Do you smell gas?

    As we know, There are known knowns. There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns. That is to say we know there are some things We do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don’t know we don’t know. — Donanld Rumsfeld, Feb. 12, 2002, […]

  • Oh,Oh Walgreen

    One of RAM Development’s Chapel Hill projects is the poorly sited Walgreen’s on the corner of MLK (Airport Rd.)/Weaver Dairy Rd [MAP]. I’ve commented ( Godzilla vs. Bambi: RAM Development and Chapel Hill) on the problematic expeditious manner this project is taking through “official” channels. Our Council’s dealings with RAM Development shouldn’t even have the […]

  • University Station: “Absurd” and “Absolutely Ridiculous”

    The University Station project – a development hugging the South-side of I-40 on Chapel Hill’s North perimeter – is up for review tonight (Feb. 19th). Local resident John Doyle called Townhall to comment that the proposal was “absurd”, “absolutely ridiculous” and emphasizes that he’ll “make sure” any Council members approving the plan will not serve […]

  • Downtown Development Initiative: Listen and Learn How Negotiations Went Awry

    I worked to elect all three Council members – Cam, Sally, Bill – intimately involved in the RAM negotiations. I’ve found them to be good folks with a keen interest in promoting what they think is best for our community. And that is why listening to these audio recordings was one of the most dispiriting […]

  • Hillsborough425: Google Earth Fly-By, Alpha Quality

    Alpha quality? This is my first release of a “fly-by” created with Google’s mapping tool Google Earth [v4.0291.beta], drawing tool SketchUp and published concept plans to model new development in our community. In this case, modeling RAM Development’s 322 luxury condos visual impact. The large McMansion-like teardown, unfortunately, is displacing Hillsborough Street’s affordable 111 unit […]