The Lone Rangers - NYTimes.com

Where is Obey Creek on the gentrification continuum?

Four Square Blocks: Portland - NYTimes.com

Compare.

What People Buy Where - NYTimes.com

How to apply to Obey Creek?

"A Guide to Location-Based Marketing" - EContent Magazine

How to get the most out of this for Obey Creek?

"A Guide to Location-Based Marketing" - EContent Magazine

How to get the most out of this for Obey Creek?

Quand le métro de Montréal trace ses usagers pour leur suggérer des achats ciblés

How do we make this work here?

CHTC Talks with Obey Creek Developer About Affordable Housing - Chapelboro.com

Such a waste of energy that will accomplish so little.

Nonprofits Want Carrboro To Collaborate On Arts Center - Chapelboro.com

Interesting.

Think All Businesses In RTP Are Huge? Think Again | WUNC

Where is the analysis of what this might mean for Obey Creek?

PITTSBORO: Chatham Park plans reopened for debate | Chatham Park | NewsObserver.com

I have not heard them - UNC Hospitals - as a part of the discussion about Obey Creek. Isn't it inevitable that they will have some presence there?



"Chatham Park will also break ground on its very first building, a UNC Hospitals office near Northwood High School, on Tuesday. State commerce secretary Sharon Decker is scheduled to speak."

Editorial: Give the Chapel Hill Farmers’ Market a lasting home | Editorials | ChapelHillNews.com

Why aren't we talking about Obey Creek the same way?

Bâtir la ville intelligente : l’indispensable union des forces

Compared with Obey Creek?

Town of Chapel Hill, NC : Obey Creek Meeting Materials

They have turned this into a monster.

Duke faculty react to proposal to build new health center on ‘Anderson Woods’ site | The Herald-Sun

How does Obey Creek compare with this?

Nature Preserves - TLC

Do we know how Obey Creek looks compared to this land - Horton Grove?

Mean streets: Our guide to making downtown Durham safer for the blind—and everyone | News Feature | Indy Week

We should do this sort of thing for the two miles circling Obey Creek on many issues including this one.

Obey Creek Project Proposes Senior Rental Housing And "Curated" Retail Mix - Chapelboro.com

Really is amazing.

test

The Daily Tar Heel :: Police to use design to prevent crime at Obey Creek

Amazing on many levels.

CHTC To Talk Housing And Design For Obey Creek - Chapelboro.com

What a waste.

CHTC Votes To Proceed With Negotiations For Obey Creek - Chapelboro.com

It smells really bad.

CH Town Council Talks Traffic, Transit Around Obey Creek - Chapelboro.com

I wish I had confidence that they know what they are doing.

Amazon to Open First Store - WSJ

An anchor for Obey Creek?

The Daily Tar Heel :: Concerns raised over Obey Creek development

Discord.

CHAPEL HILL: Chapel Hill firm to build fire station, offices on town land | Chapel Hill | ChapelHillNews.com

My concern is how this deal was struck - saving the Town 1.5 million? Is that a chit that the developer soon gets to cash in for Obey Creek approval?

$400-500M Durham Innovation District plan covers 15 acres :: Editor's Blog at WRAL TechWire

This appeals to me so much more than the PERRY plan.

Obey Creek Plans Raise Environmental Concerns - Chapelboro.com

So, if the trees are that important, why allow anything to be built at Obey Creek? Honestly, it is scandalous to see how the developer has made the debate about him and his ideas and no one is really advocating, effectively, for what might be best for Chapel Hill and the people who live here.

Fiscal analysis

This is extremely informative and anyone interested should at least go through the PowerPoint. What it seems to conclude is that the net revenue to the Town from the proposed development would be about 1% of the current Town revenues. In other words, net revenues would rise 1%. Does that mean a potential decrease in Town real estate taxes by an offsetting amount? My response to this appears first below:

"This is very helpful.

 Since this is all predictive, can you provide a similar fiscal analysis of East54? for example, so that we can see how a project – not that old – actually translates into one-time and annual revenues and costs? Why rely only on a good-faith prediction when real data on real property is available so that we can test the validity of this analysis in a real case?

Thanks."

From the Town:

"Hello all,

Attached to this email is the fiscal analysis of the proposed Obey Creek development requested by Council during their June 23, 2014 Business Meeting. The Council will be reviewing this information during their upcoming work session on Wednesday, October 1^st at 6:00pm. The meeting will be held in Meeting Room B of the Chapel Hill Public Library, 100 Library Drive.

More information about the Obey Creek development agreement process can be found at www.townofchapelhill.org/obeycreek

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!

Megan

Megan K. Wooley, Community Sustainability Planner Community Sustainability Division  |  Planning and Sustainability 405 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.  |  Chapel Hill NC 27514 Town of Chapel Hill  |  www.townofchapelhill.org t: 919-969-5059  |  mwooley@townofchapelhill.org

The Daily Tar Heel :: Chapel Hill Transit receives grant for new buses

So, does this grant impose other federal obligations on the Town of Chapel Hill that might affect Obey Creek?

The High Line Opens Its Third and Final Phase - NYTimes.com

Lessons for Obey Creek?

To Save the Planet, Don’t Plant Trees - NYTimes.com

How do we apply this to Obey Creek?

Cities Project : NPR

Much to learn.

Funding climate stalls Carolina North project | The Herald-Sun

What is more likely to stall Obey Creek?

"FedEx to Add 50,000 Seasonal Jobs" - ABC News

It's stories like this that make me wonder what stores will want to be at Obey Creek. How many seasonal jobs will get added to retail stores in Chapel Hill this year? What's the trend in the size of the Fedex workforce?

Neighbors oppose $100M Lloyd Farm development project | Carrboro | ChapelHillNews.com

We need to compare and contrast with Obey Creek.

Here's What's Becoming Of America's Dead Shopping Malls : NPR

Is this Obey Creek some years in the future?

Next Town Council action this Wednesday

The memo.

Affordable Housing in New York’s Luxury Buildings - NYTimes.com

Seems right on point.

Handmade Landscapes - NYTimes.com

I think this merits a lot of attention at Obey Creek and well beyond.

Curbing Cars | Rethinking The Way We Get Around

A perfect site for Obey Creek.

Yes to Housing in Our Backyards - NYTimes.com

I am intrigued by the idea of smaller homes/apts as a way to make more housing accessible. Would that not offer some new possibilities for Obey Creek?

‘Behold! New Lebanon’ Offers Rural Tourism - NYTimes.com

Obey Creek opportunity?

Micro-unit apartments: Tiny and booming | Marketplace.org

Couldn't these be a net positive for Obey Creek.

"Fresh Air for Conventions" - NYTimes.com

How about for Obey Creek? Don't we need to be thinking about more fresh air not only there but in the 2 miles around both Obey Creek and all of the vehicles on 15-501 and 54?

"Highway Patrol seeks clues in deaths of Chapel Hill bicyclists" - NewsObserver.com

This tragedy seems to me to be relevant to Obey Creek. Two deaths is two too many on the very road that runs alongside Obey Creek. How do we make as certain as we can that this will not happen again?

Expansion Celebration at Twig - Chapelboro.com

It is good to see Mediterranean Deli and Twig expanding. Two very local businesses. What can we expect at Obey Creek?

Chatham Development Briefing | Chatham Chamber of Commerce

Why not do this for the area around Obey Creek, but not focused so much on Obey Creek?

Chapel Hill Buzz: Construction plans outlined for 123 W. Franklin | The Herald-Sun

See item on The Egg and I. Should we be delighted that another franchise has come to Chapel Hill, courtesy of East West Partners?

Chapel Hill Buzz: Construction plans outlined for 123 W. Franklin | The Herald-Sun

See item on The Egg and I. Should we be delighted that another franchise has come to Chapel Hill, courtesy of East West Partners?

Chapel Hill Buzz: Construction plans outlined for 123 W. Franklin | The Herald-Sun

See item on The Egg and I. Should we be delighted that another franchise has come to Chapel Hill, courtesy of East West Partners?

Chapel Hill Buzz: Construction plans outlined for 123 W. Franklin | The Herald-Sun

What can we learn from this for Obey Creek?

PAUL : French Family Bakery and Patisserie since 1889 - Search Our outlets /

This is a SUPERB French bakery - why not get them to come to Obey Creek? That would draw people even if they have to walk a bridge to get there! Or La Farm in Cary - a Chapel Hill outpost?

Vendeur à l’ère digitale: un métier en voie de disparition? (1/5)

Remind me, the source of all that new revenue for Chapel Hill from Obey Creek?

Walmart - Chatham

What can we learn about where people live who now shop at Wal-Mart? Will they tell us what they know?

America's Best Main Street: And the Winner Is....

Much to be learned.

America's Best Main Street Winner: Collierville, Tennessee! (Home Town of Worldview Weekend Headquarters). | Worldview Weekend

More.

Idyllic and historic main streets across the USA

Things to learn here?

Sears Posts a First-Half Loss of Nearly $1 Billion - NYTimes.com

How can this not be important for Obey Creek thinking?

Gallery-The grand opening of a new Microsoft retail store at The Streets at Southpoint | The Herald-Sun

The sort of store we want at Obey Creek?

Family Dollar Rejects Takeover Bid by Dollar General, Citing Antitrust Concerns - NYTimes.com

Would we be better off with one of these stores than some of those mentioned?

The Daily Tar Heel :: Carrboro Arts and Creativity District denied grant

What could we do in and around Obey Creek?

The Daily Tar Heel :: Chapel Hill works on Rosemary Street hotel plans

Id sure love to see the specifics on tax revenue projection.

Shopping Made Psychic - NYTimes.com

Where does this leave Obey Creek?

CHCCS Eyes New School Sites - Chapelboro.com

An important piece of the package.

RadioShack in Need of Rewiring - NYTimes.com

So relevant to what Obey Creek will be, or not.

Teens And Mall Culture: The Fading Love Affair? : NPR

What are the teen assumptions when it comes to Obey Creek?

Delivery Start-Ups Are Back Like It’s 1999 - NYTimes.com

This has got to have an impact on blithe assumptions made about business opportunities at Obey Creek.

DOT resists calls for crossing signal on U.S. 70 | The Herald-Sun

I don't think enough attention has been paid to the safety of people crossing 15-501. The bridge idea addresses some of that, but only if it gets used. Would it/will it?

Air quality

What studies have been done on air quality along 15-501 in the area of Obey Creek? What impact would additional vehicles have on this reading? What impact would the removal of X trees in order to build Obey Creek have on this?
Is this on anyone's agenda?

Walmart, J.C. Penney and Other Retailers See a Tentative Shopper - NYTimes.com

What do we imagine that this world will look like 10 years from now - bricks/mortars, all internet, Relay Foods, or what?

Nimble transit planning | The Herald-Sun

I don't sense that this is part of the Obey Creek thinking at all.

New Trail Along the Hudson Goes Only So Far - NYTimes.com

Why cannot whatever happens at Obey Creek include some further work on extending the Southern Community Trail or whatever it is called. It, like the one in this story, now abruptly dead ends.

Terri Buckner: Chapel Hill needs more tools, fewer hammers | My View | ChapelHillNews.com

"Figuring out what to do about local businesses has to start with an assessment - that I have never seen - of the "stock" of local businesses we have in Chapel Hill. Which ones make the list? A locally-owned franchise? Southern Season? Or limited to the smallest like Chapel Hill's oldest - Lacock's? Do we support them because they are "local" and/or because they provide products or services that we value through our patronage? It seems to me that we have a pretty tiny collection of businesses that are "special" in some way that we all want to protect and preserve. Just for example, which are the local businesses - with some description of why they are important - in the Ephesus-Fordham area? I think we could get our arms around the bigger issues if we have in front of us the details of the small ones."

Using Urban Design To Combat Climate Change | WUNC

Can we afford to lose all those trees at Obey Creek?

Reckhow: Rules tweak needed for building placements | The Herald-Sun

That's what Obey Creek needs -- a good tweak!

Internet Sales Threaten Shopping Mall Culture : NPR

Have we talked about this enough in the context of Obey Creek?

Mayors Innovation Project | Events | |

Where is the public representative?

"9:00 – 10:30am
Bus departs from Carolina Inn
​Bus tour of Ephesus-Fordham, Obey Creek, and Southern Village
Rosemary Waldorf, Bryan Properties & former Mayor of Chapel Hill NC
Jim Earnhardt, Bryan Properties
Jason Damweber, Assistant to the Town Manager
Eric Feld, Planner II
Dwight Bassett, Economic Development Officer
Loryn Clark, Executive Director, Office of Housing and Community"

CHAPEL HILL: Town Council advances Obey Creek talks | Chapel Hill | ChapelHillNews.com

And so it keeps going.

Web-Based Start-Ups Help Small Businesses Compete - NYTimes.com

Opportunity?

The last of a legacy | The Herald-Sun

I don't think we are hearing enough about what the developer is doing in other places like Durham.

New Hotel Proposed For West Rosemary Street - Chapelboro.com

We seem to be getting a lot of hotels!

Linda Haac: Lessons from 300 East Main Street | Guest Columns | ChapelHillNews.com

And for Obey Creek?

In Paris, a Playful Path Along the Seine - NYTimes.com

Lesson for Obey Creek?

ATT Construction | Triangle Rails to Trails

I'd like to know more about how much this bridge is being used. It's pretty relevant to the bridge idea for Obey Creek. Ditto on the underpass for Meadowmont and the new tunnel under Culbreth.

What We Do | Active Living By Design

Do they have ant Obey Creek role?

Don’t Like Your Neighbors’ House? Sue Them. - NYTimes.com

What to be learned from this?

Carrboro Firm Develops Web App to Register Voters in Libya - Chapelboro.com

What is it within the control of the Town that might have led them to find a new home in Chapel Hill?

Glen Lennox Approved, Obey Creek Plan Conditional - Chapelboro.com

Sounds testy. Why not build a COSTCO there?

Developers And Other Bad Guys - Chapelboro.com

Odd piece.

CHAPEL HILL: Town Council advances Obey Creek talks | Chapel Hill | ChapelHillNews.com

Let's remember the three who opposed this and make sure they get re-elected. As for the others, replace them!

Jeanne Brown: Council needs vision before negotiating Obey Creek plan | Guest Columns | ChapelHillNews.com

Well, that's certainly part of the story.

The Aging Population is Growing, and So Are its Retail Needs

Lots relevant here to Obey Creek.

Town Leaders Talk Obey Creek, Glen Lennox...And Chatham Park - Chapelboro.com

This is quite a good summary.

Today in Small Business: Why Traditional Retailers Should Fear the Amazon Phone - NYTimes.com

What about Obey Creek?

The Daily Tar Heel :: Pharmacy closes, but Sutton’s Drug Store remains

This and the story today in the DTH about Hanna's Grill - a very impressive tale of fortitude! - remind me that there are lots of forces at work over which we have no control, from storms and criminal acts to big chain drugstores. Why should we have any confidence at all that PERRY understands all of that any better than anyone else? Who understands it best?

Firm to conduct manager search - fayobserver.com: Local News

It seems to me that it is time to start asking a lot of questions about how STANCIL does his job. Others have asked questions in the past and why aren't we now?

Winmore Winmore » A Thriving Community in Chapel Hill/Carrboro

What does Obey Creek have to learn from this? How well have they done with retail?

Development Competition Would Be Beneficial - Chapelboro.com

Not sure I fully get his point.

Developer Calls For Higher Density - Chapelboro.com

Well worth reading, especially the first comment.

University Mall Adds New Tenants - Chapelboro.com

This seems so unconvincing.

The Daily Tar Heel :: Pedestrians gain from West Franklin face-lift

Lessons for Obey Creek?

If one wants to walk from Obey Creek to downtown Chapel Hill, what is the route that matches in efficiency what one can do in a car? In other words, is there a direct route? And, most important, if there is one, how many people walk it per day?

Joe Buonfiglio: Obey Creek: An erosion of trust | Guest Columns | ChapelHillNews.com

Perhaps the most troubling part of all this is how little most people seem to care.

Shopping bus?

Shouldn't we be looking at how a shopping bus could be organized for people living within the two mile radius so as to cut down a little on cars? Surely, we can figure this out!

San Francisco Repurposes Old for the Future - NYTimes.com

I wish we could do this on the Obey Creek land.

Rethinking the Traditional Retirement Community - NYTimes.com

What options does this present for Obey Creek?

Green roofs

Piece today on France3 at noon in France on toits verts in Paris. How many do we have set for Obey Creek?

Innovative mayors

With all of these mayors coming to Chapel Hill, including a tour of Obey Creek, I wonder what the rest of us might tell them about Chapel Hill Town innovation? Bringing the highest priced movie tickets perhaps in NC to Chapel Hill? Raising the property taxes to the highest or one o the highest in NC?

Sidewalk/trail use survey?

I wonder if the Town ever studies how much pedestrian traffic there is on sidewalks, trails, etc. The sidewalk/trail in front of East54 for example, or the sidewalk along 15-501 in front of Southern Village?

Southern Village Pharmacy

How do we get a better feel for how this pharmacy is doing?

Letter of intent?

If Target is still the elephant in the Obey Creek room, then shouldn't we insist on a letter of intent from them with respect to the property? If such a letter does not emerge, what is the basis on which we are expecting to them to come? If not Target, who? And if another store, then how about a letter? Surely, the letter can be written with caveats such that the store would lose nothing if the plans fall through, but I sure would like to hear them say that they want to do this as of now.

Welcome to Costco Wholesale

I wonder if there would be any more traffic at Obey Creek with a COSTCO than with what is currently "on the table"? Would COSTCO insist on a gas station as part of the package?

Ken Larsen's web site - Ephesus-Fordham Redevelopment Project

Nicely done!

Un tas de fumier sur les marches de la mairie de Tende | Menton | Nice-Matin

I wonder what an Obey Creek protest version of this might look like?

Big mixed-use projects must withstand economic cycles | StarNewsOnline.com

What can we learn from this?

Etats-Unis : un avertissement à la France en replay - 8 mai 2014

Oh dear.

Coversheet

I can only imagine the Obey Creek version of this.

Ephesus-Fordham: We Can Do Better - Chapelboro.com

Potentially very telling commentary. Perhaps we should all be looking to contact those mayors who plan to visit Chapel Hill this summer, if indeed they are coming.

Land Use law

Here is the source for last post.

Neighborhood Commercial

Current zoning.

2020 Comprehensive Plan

I see nothing here that provides a reason or rationale for changing current zoning on the Obey Creek land.

Briar Chapel | Chapel Hill | North Carolina | New Homes

Why is there no commercial services as a part of this? And none in the designated commercial areas along 15-501?

Chapel Hill North Shopping Center - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

For this and every other commercial shopping area of the Town of Chapel Hill, what is both the historical and current statement of costs and revenues to the Town (and the County) from this land and its occupants?

The relevance of tumult at Target?

Is Target still in the Town's dreams?

Council Readies For June Vote On Glen Lennox Plan - Chapelboro.com

What lessons to be learned?

Months after merging with OfficeMax, retailer closing 400 stores - chicagotribune.com

We should fully understand this in an Obey Creek context.

Grading The Ephesus-Fordham Plan - Chapelboro.com

And we learn.....

Opinion: Stand and Deliver - Chapel Hill Magazine

There is much to be learned from what she says here. I still don't have a very good feel for what projects already approved by the Council - and built and functioning - have done for the Town. For example, where is the comparison of the value added - in every respect, including value subtracted - from Timberlyne shopping center, from 140 West Franklin, from the "green" building that went bankrupt, from East54, from Meadowmont, from Southern Village, etc?

One NYC Indie Bookstore Survives By Being Small And Specialized : NPR

Opportunity?

Google Maps

This is the first time I've seen Obie Creek on a map. Not sure about the spelling.....

This sadly speaks for itself

"Dear Ed,

Thanks. I was told in an e-mail from Town staff that the reason for the delay in preparing minutes was because it was so “labor intensive” to write them. Your message is the first time anyone has suggested that minutes will not someday be written of the meeting. As I understand it from press reports, there was considerable give and take between those Council members present and others participating in the meeting. What was asked, how it was answered, and how it was discussed no doubt plays a role in the continuing evolution of this process. We, the taxpayers, are entitled to know what was said and done at that meeting, and this note is a formal request for just that report.  Anything less is unacceptable.

I had early asked if we taxpayers could sit in on the meetings between the Town staff and the developer seeking a change in the current zoning. I was told no, and that none of those meetings would be noticed.

Frankly, I find the entire process a charade, largely intended to permit negotiations between the Town staff and the developer to run their course without having to bother with anyone who may disagree with the direction that those two groups choose to move.

Either the Town of Chapel Hill is committed to full transparency and inclusion or it is not. I am rapidly understanding that it is the latter, and since no one else who is a part of the “government” in this case seems to care, it is for the rest of us to seek legal and public opportunities to challenge the Town’s secrecy. It is a terrible waste of effort and resources, but sometimes this becomes necessary.

In any case, thanks for your note.

Cheers,

Terry

From: Ed Harrison [mailto:ed.harrison@mindspring.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2014 9:20 PM
To: Terry MAGUIRE
Cc: 'Amy Harvey'; 'Roger Stancil'; 'Flo Miller'; 'Ralph Karpinos'; 'Town Council'; 'Catherine Lazorko'; 'Carolyn Worsley'; 'Sabrina Oliver'; ken@wfarchitecture.com; 'John Richardson'; 'Amy Oland'; 'Matthew Brinkley'; 'Glenn Davis'; 'Tina Vaughn'; 'Angela Gerald'; 'Renee Moye'; 'Megan Wooley'; 'Jeff York'; 'Jim Orr'; 'JB Culpepper'; 'Loryn Clark'; 'Bill Webster'; 'David Bonk'; 'Eric Feld'; 'Gene Poveromo'; 'Jennifer Phillips'; 'Donna Bell'; 'George Cianciolo'; 'Jim Ward'; 'Jim Ward'; leestorrow.ch@gmail.com; 'Maria Palmer'; 'Mark Kleinschmidt'; 'Mark McCurry'; 'Matt Czajkowski'; 'Sally Greene'; 'Christina Strauch'
Subject: Re: 4/21/14 and 4/23/14 Continued Business Meeting and Public Hearing Pre- and Post-Meeting Materials Posted

Terry,

In more than 12 years on Council, I recall few if any minutes from Council work sessions. It generally isn't procedure to take them. It could be that a work session later in the process might result in a list of main points from staff for Council to evaluate. This was the case after the Glen Lennox Development Agreement work session a couple of months ago. 

Ed"

So-called "public information" meetings

Obey Creek Public Information Meetings

The Town of Chapel Hill will hold public information meetings related to the proposed mixed use development on the east side of U.S. 15-501 South across from Southern Village. The meetings are scheduled for noon to 1:30 pm on Wednesday, May 7, and 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 15, in Room B of the Chapel Hill Public Library.

Residents will hear from the Town and the development team on several topics including design, transportation, housing strategies and the environment. Both meetings will follow the same format and topics, so residents can choose the more convenient day to attend.

Obey Creek is a 124-acre property under consideration for a proposed mixed use development. It is one of two potential developments using a new development agreement process. The Obey Creek Compass Committee, appointed by the Town Council, is scheduled to provide the Council with a report and an outline of issues this fall to be discussed should the project move into a development agreement negotiation.

Obey Creek is within Area 6: U.S. 15-501 South, one of six future focus areas outlined in Chapel Hill 2020, the community's comprehensive plan. Future focus areas are portions of Chapel Hill most likely to change in the future due to vacant land, underdeveloped sites, and their locations along transportation and transit corridors. In total, these areas represent about 24 percent of the land in Chapel Hill, and they do not include the predominately single-family areas and neighborhoods of Chapel Hill. The town’s other focus areas are Area 1: Downtown Chapel Hill; Area 2: North Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard/I-40; Area 3: South Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard/Homestead Road to Estes Drive; Area 4: Highway 54; and Area 5: Ephesus-Fordham.

For more information on the Obey Creek Development Agreement process, visit http://www.townofchapelhill.org/obeycreek.

Questions? Email developmentagreement@townofchapelhill.org with “Obey Creek” in the subject line. 

Chapel Hill, NC | Chapel Hill, NC Announcements - Political - East West Partners Management Co.

But it is here.

East West Partners

I wonder why the full page ad from the Chapel Hill News today is not here, or at least I cannot find it?

Casinos in the Exurbs - NYTimes.com

Is this the answer for Obey Creek?

Still No Vote on Ephesus-Fordham Plan, But Lots of Public Input - Chapelboro.com

The most frustrating part of all this is the challenge of the amateurs whom "we" have elected to the Town Council. It really is so disappointing.

Small Businesses Fight Big-Box Stores By Specializing : NPR

What can we learn from the experiences of very different businesses in and around (2-3 miles) Southern Village? Consider the number of people joining and using O2 Fitness at Cole Park Plaza and the apparently struggling Tutti Frutti in Southern Village. Is it a function of product or service or of need or necessity? What to learn from this?

Bookshelf | In Architecture, Small is Big

Shouldn't we focus on this?

Leveled by Landslide, Towns Mull How to Rebuild - NYTimes.com

The loss was horrendous, of course, and we need to make sure we do the right thing by Obey Creek.

Obey Creek | Chapel Hill, Our Town!

First time I am seeing this.

Can Paradise Be Planned? - NYTimes.com

What if we turned Obey Creek primarily into a place to park and profit from Chapel Hill?That might be to go to a job, or it might mean to shop or to eat or even take in a film. What if the gateway to Chapel Hill from the south were to become a place to ditch your car and to hop on incredibly convenient transit that would take you anywhere you wanted to go in the town. Perhaps others could be built at the Friday Center, along 15-501 to the northeast on the Town/County line? We'd then focus all of our Town resources on providing routes for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders to enjoy all that is in the town.



"Whether viewed through the lens of data, nostalgia or aerial photography, automobile-dependent sprawl not only has a damaging impact on the environment but is also connected to poorer economy, health and safety. There’s no question that things need to change. The Smart Growth report suggests that many decision-makers like mayors and planning commissioners are re-examining traditional zoning, economic development incentives, transportation access and availability (or the lack thereof), and other policies that have helped to create sprawling development patterns — and are opting instead to create more connections, transportation choices and walkable neighborhoods in their communities. Still, I fear we’re going to be stuck in traffic for a long time."

Suburbs Try to Prevent an Exodus as Young Adults Move to Cities and Stay - NYTimes.com

Do we need to take this into account in considering Obey Creek?

Bayer CropScience opens $2.4M bee center in RTP to improve bee health, agriculture - Triangle Business Journal

I'd love to see a side-by-side comparison of the developer's current plan for Obey Creek and one that, instead, used the land for a dedicated business/research purpose with a link of some kind locally. For example, a crop research center?

Washington Retail District’s Future Rides on Streetcars - NYTimes.com

Maybe a more radical approach is needed for Obey Creek.

Bait & Switch 101 - The Ephesus-Fordham Plan - Chapelboro.com

This certainly reflects my sense of this plan.

CHAPEL HILL: Chapel Hill council shares vision for Obey Creek | Chapel Hill | ChapelHillNews.com

This sure raises more (all) questions than it answers (none).

Rizzoli Bookstore May Be Better Off Elsewhere - NYTimes.com

How could we make Obey Creek so better than this?

Opposition Keeps Mounting to LG Project on the Hudson - NYTimes.com

Looks a bit like Obey Creek, no?

Battle for the Bigger Screen - NYTimes.com

Would Obey Creek get out ahead of this?

CHCCS Officials Ask Town Council To Save Room For Schools - Chapelboro.com

Have we seen a full discussion of how Obey Creek might be used as a school site? That presents its own traffic issues, especially with so many parents driving kids to and from school instead of walking.

The Daily Tar Heel :: Chapel Hill , Carrboro offer limited office space for growing businesses

This does not somehow ring true. Parts are; others not.

Poll on Target in Southern Orange County

75% of respondents have a view on this; 48% want a target in Southern Orange County.

Town of Chapel Hill : South 15-501 (Obey Creek)

I don't recall ever seeing this.

Que choisir entre la Coulée verte et la plage à Nice? | Nice | Nice-Matin

I keep thinking that there is a larger role for Obey Creek to play than simply another strip mall.

942 Your Exercise Prescription for Good Health - The People's Pharmacy®

This program talks about incentivizing good conduct. What do we want to encourage at Obey Creek?

Amazon Now Delivers Grocery and Household Items through New Service | Morning News USA

Would Obey Creek bettter serve as an area depot for this sort of stuff?

Initial road rankings could help Triangle | The Herald-Sun

Maybe a traffic circle at intersection 15-501 and 54?

In Vietnam, Pizza From Farm to Table - NYTimes.com

I still think there is a huge farm-to-table opportunity at Obey Creek, whether the farm be there and/or whether the table be there.

Who's Really Unhappy About Roses Closing Shop at UMall? Seniors - Chapelboro.com

Why not offer an incredible deal to come to Obey Creek? Why should we limit "affordable" to housing only?

A Village Stadium Is a Symbol of Power for Hungary’s Premier - NYTimes.com

Might this be the answer for Obey Creek. We could call it Mark Madness?

Glen Lennox Through the Wringer - Chapel Hill Magazine

This all seems so incredibly cumbersome.

For the Tech-Savvy With a Need for Speed, a Limited Choice of Towns With Fiber - NYTimes.com

How could this be worked into Obey Creek?

Town Council 9 April 2014

So, the Town government has been meeting privately - the public specifically has been excluded - with the developer and outside people paid for by the developer, and now they will tell the Council what to do. The absence of public involvement in this stage of discussions is horrifying.

In Gary, Ind., a ‘Gateway’ Has Become ‘the Eyesore’ - NYTimes.com

How do we really make something of the southern gateway to Chapel Hill that could be Obey Creek?

A Tax Break to Anchor Tech Growth in San Francisco - NYTimes.com

What is the price that Chapel Hill will ask the developer to pay in order to change current zoning?

Census Estimate Shows New Shift To Urban Core | Here & Now

Impact on Obey Creek thinking?

Resto pour bébé - Vie pratique - Télématin - France 2

An innovative idea for Obey Creek?

How Can Bookstores Stay Alive? - Room for Debate - NYTimes.com

Relevance for Obey Creek?

Brookstone, Specialty Retailer, Preparing For Bankruptcy Filing - WSJ.com

Impact on Obey Creek thinking?

10 Food Museums Besides The Museum of Food and Drink - Bon Appétit

Why not?

Comment les musées renouvellent la ville

Why couldn't Obey Creek have a real draw for people who might come there anyway, like some sort of a museum. How about a "Museum of Food"?

Do You Live in a Food Desert? — Walk Score Blog

If you count Weaver Street Market, I think we will come out better, but the five minute rule is tough. That said, not many people within 5 minutes of Obey Creek today!

Zoning Issue Delays Restaurant, Retail, Manufacturing Development in Carrboro - Chapelboro.com

It seems to me that we should analyze what's happening there to see how it might shape Obey Creek plans.

Surging Rents Force Booksellers From Manhattan - NYTimes.com

How about insuring affordable book store space in Obey Creek? Is there a market to support one after the earlier failure?

The End of the Suburbs: Where the American Dream Is Moving: Leigh Gallagher: 9781591845256: Amazon.com: Books

For Obey Creek?

Caruso Affiliated

Can't Chapel Hill engage him in some way? The fall of the mall......

A dying breed: The American shopping mall - CBS News

What could be more relevant?

NSC Study » North-South Corridor Study public meetings March 26

Critically important for Obey Creek, I would say.

CHTC Wants More Time And Data For Glen Lennox Plan - Chapelboro.com

Maybe we all ought to be a lot more active in this matter, too.

Reading, Writing and Renewal (the Urban Kind) - NYTimes.com

How could we make Obey Creek a force for even greater diversity in Chapel Hill?

Staying Home, Connected to the World - NYTimes.com

How do we apply all this to Obey Creek?

The Cold, Hard Lessons of Mobile Home U. - NYTimes.com

Affordable housing in Obey Creek? Where is the map of all mobile homes in Chapel Hill?

Parkside Town Commons | Portfolio | Kite Realty

Is this the model for Obey Creek?

Emails Link Duke Energy and North Carolina - NYTimes.com

Let's see, this compares to Obey Creek in what way?

A North Carolina Based Google Fiber Rival? | WUNC

Impact on Obey Creek?

Sound & air

How do we measure the noise level of 15-501 along the potential Obey Creek stretch as well as air quality - both covering a half mile on both sides?

About | Bread Furst

This is the sort of place we ought to seek and celebrate at Obey Creek.

It’s Unclearly Defined, but Telecommuting Is Fast on the Rise - NYTimes.com

Impact on Obey Creek planning.

The Fight Over Counsel For The Unemployed | WUNC

Reminds me of Obey Creek.

Growing An Urban Neighborhood, One Store At A Time : NPR

How about growing Obey Creek this way?

The Mall Is Dead, And It's Taking Sbarro With It

What's the message here for Obey Creek?

RadioShack to Close Up to 1,100 Stores - WSJ.com

Will we see Obey Creek shops closing too, maybe even while they are being built?

The Daily Tar Heel :: Google Fiber might reach Chapel Hill

How to put this to work for Obey Creek?

CH Town Council 'Wonk' Praises Federal Light Rail Approval - Chapelboro.com

Now, how to incorporate this into Obey Creek planning?

Bleak Retail Reports Continue With Sears and Best Buy - NYTimes.com

How do we get way out ahead of this news at Obey Creek? Where will retail be in 10 years in Chapel Hill and for area residents? Is there such a projection?

Target’s Data Breach Is Reflected in a Dismal Earnings Report - NYTimes.com

Is Obey Creek an antidote for this?

Tesco under pressure to abandon profit margin targets | Business | The Guardian

The BBC reports today hearing the head of Tesco say that customers have never changed their habits more quickly than they are doing right now. Is Obey Creek poised to plan for this?

Village Pediatrics - Pediatricians serving Chapel Hill NC

It would be good to know if the owners feel that their practice is successful.

2) Neighbors Challenging Zoning and Land Use Decisions | ARC Land Matters

I wonder if any of this will get used at Obey Creek?

Ephesus Church plan

How does all this compare/contrast with Obey Creek?

Area 1 ņ northeast quadrant (Rams Plaza, Hampton Inn, and Volvo property)

x 80,000 square feet (SF) of retail space

x 40,000 SF of office space

x 264 apartment units

x 150 senior residence units

x 150-room hotel

Area 2 ņ southeast quadrant (Colony Apartments and vicinity)

x 70,000 SF of retail space

x 268,000 SF of office space

x 375 apartment units

x 35 townhome units

x 150-room hotel

Area 3 ņ west of Fordham Boulevard (Village Plaza, Days Inn area)

x 108,000 SF of retail space

x 60,000 SF of office space

x 260 apartment units

x 150-room hotel

Small World, Big Idea - NYTimes.com

For Obey Creek?

Demographic Shifts Contribute To The Changing Face Of Retail : NPR

Is Obey Creek being planned to be out AHEAD of this?

BBC News - Study shows urbanisation's impact on biodiversity

How to look at Obey Creek in this light?

Artisanal movement reaches the food court scene

Why couldn't we take this kernel of an idea and make it grow into a food-centered innovative approach to all of Obey Creek? Why not make it part of the food capital of North Carolina - Chapel Hill?

WomanCraft Marks Grand Opening Mon In Carrboro - Chapelboro.com

Exactly where do locally-owned businesses fit?

A City Wired for Growth - NYTimes.com

How will it be at Obey Creek?

1842922

Across the street and surrounded on three sides by proposed Obey Creek development.

Fewer Benefits for Target’s Part-Timers - NYTimes.com

Is this the kind of leadership we see associated with Obey Creek?

Retailers Ask: Where Did Teenagers Go? - NYTimes.com

What are the Obey Creek assumptions about where they are going?

Construction Underway On $1.8 Million Phase Of Riverwalk Project In Hillsborough - Chapelboro.com

The Obey Creek version of this is what again?

Immobilier: l'Etat veut la densification urbaine, les Français non

How does this compare?

Habitat participatif : la copropriété solidaire en replay - 27 janvier 2014

Shouldn't this be on the table for Obey Creek?

Habitats Solidaires : UNISSON-Montreuil : Projet d’Habitat Participatif Mixte

Apparently there are hundreds of these all over France today. In North Carolina? Obey Creek  model?

Town Council Wary Of East Franklin Hotel Plan - Chapelboro.com

Hmm. Our amateur city planners at "work" again.

Le géant de la distribution Wal-Mart va supprimer 2.300 emplois

Impact on Obey Creek thinking?

Duel at the Old Fulton Fish Market - NYTimes.com

Lessons to be learned for Obey Creek.

Solar independent building in Paris

A new building has just opened in Paris in the 15th arrondisement that is self-sufficient in producing all of its electrical energy. I cannot find a story yet, but it was mentioned on Telematin this morning on France2.
Why not in Obey Creek?

The Daily Tar Heel :: Amazon.com to begin collecting sales tax

How will this affect Obey Creek viability?

Homes a Short Walk From Princeton Prove a Tough Sell - NYTimes.com

What do we learn from this?

Le Figaro - Actualités

A graphic in today's Le Figaro shows the Champs Elysee as a
park without any cars. Perhaps the drawing will show up as a graphic later.

Imagine, however, that 15-501 were to be turned into a park?
Radical idea with such a wonderful result for so many of us. Imagine a snow day
to have a sense of what it would be like. 

The Daily Tar Heel :: Town Council extends Obey Creek planning

The people who serve on the Chapel Hill Town Council simply are not qualified for the job, and if they for some reason are, they don't act it.

My comments to the Town Council

"I suspect that this message concerning the Obey Creek agenda item tonight probably will travel the greatest distance to reach you as I am sending it from France. Sometimes it is easier to see things back in Chapel Hill more clearly from a distance.

So it is with Obey Creek.

What Roger PERRY and the Obey Creek property owners want to build on the land may be its highest and best use in every sense of that term. I simply do not know, and I argue that you, the Town Council, do not know either.

Yet you see pre-determined to move down a path called “development agreement” that sounds nice to you and gives you some illusionary cover.

I think you need to stop right where you are in this process and do the work that you are obligated to engage for our benefit BEFORE making the developer happy.

That work consists of concretely and factually laying out the reasons WHY any change in current zoning of the Obey Creek property ought to be considered. What, specifically, are the expected benefits laid out in fine detail?

For reasons that can only be explained in terms of some kind of influence exercised in some way by the developer over the Council you have chosen to ignore this step.

Ultimately, which is not far away, a court may have to determine how appropriate your refusal to address this question may be. I hope it does not come to that.

In order to avoid the costs of a judicial proceeding, and, mostly, in order to do your jobs, you need to lay out for us why any change should be considered.

Only with that basis convincingly established, can any of us judge what the rules should be for the use of the Obey Creek land, more or less restrictive than they are today.

So, from here in France where my French community still believes in reasoned decision making, I implore you to do what you are obligated to do – lay out in detail the reasons for change – before moving ahead with the development agreement process.

You should stop the entire process, put those documented reasons together, and then start whatever process you like if you feel those reasons truly support further consideration of any change in current Obey Creek zoning.

Terry MAGUIRE"

Gun Control And Obey Creek Top CHTC Agenda - Chapelboro.com

It should be an interesting meeting.

Projet Ikéa à Nice: la contre-attaque vient du ciel | Nice | Nice-Matin

How about a drone's view of the roads around Obey Creek at various times of the day?

Jean-Paul Viguier Architecture . Projet . UGC Ciné Cité Paris 19

Why can't we do at least this well, this innovatively, in Chapel Hill and specifically in Obey Creek? Why not make Obey Creek a real "gate" to the city of the Chapel Hill with a grand introduction?

Town of Chapel Hill : News Releases : Solar Development Informational Seminar

Obey Creek?

Thinking Outside the (Big) Box - NYTimes.com

This has to matter.