Keep Chapel Hill a Livable Town

Our goals:

• Advocate for local practical policies that address our #1 problem: Global Warming
• Improve traffic and transit problems;
• Protect and improve our college town character;
• Require high standards for new sustainable development;
• Promote affordable housing, jobs and parks for all residents to enjoy;
• Spend tax monies efficiently;
• Encourage open, respectful, and civil community dialogue;
• Promote transparency in government at all levels;
• Help citizens make their government work for them. We will meet with anyone who is seeking to solve a problem dealing with town governance.

,What we do:

• Offer constructive suggestions to Town leaders on matters of policy, planning, and governance with the aid of well researched and data driven analysis;
• Grow a network of Chapel Hill residents and other stakeholders who share subject matter expertise and an interest in keeping our town livable;
• Produce a newsletter with timely essays and comment on local issues, hold public educational forums by noted speakers, all for the purpose of bringing thoughtful discourse and constructive change to our community;
• Educate neighbors about Town policies on transportation, affordable housing, financial management, and the implications of poorly planned new development; and
• Identify and support candidates for elected office who share our organization’s values.

We face these challenges:There is a housing crisis nationwide that makes it difficult to find housing people can afford at all levels.

• Nationwide trends favor low borrowing rates for storage sheds and luxury apartments, not retail or office.
• Redevelopment of older properties reduces the stock of affordable rentals nationwide and here in Chapel Hill.
• UNC housing policies charge fairly high rates for on-campus living, thus encouraging off-campus living.
• We are slow to put plans in place to address rapidly growing traffic congestion on our major roadways.
• Tribalism is a feature of our national politics. Sometimes it happens in local politics, too. Our organization encourages respect for and exploration of all points of view, and a thorough analysis of new ideas.

We believe that if we succeed in electing the right leaders, we can mitigate paralyzing traffic congestion, support neighborhoods, preserve tree canopy, and become a model city for North Carolina.