Mid-rise condominium towers have been approved in Chapel Hill. Thousands of new homes are being built around Pittsboro and Clayton. It's getting harder by the day to know where Wake Forest ends and North Raleigh begins. Is the Triangle growing into one seamless metropolitan area? Can our small towns retain their unique identities, or will success destroy them?
An upcoming Q section will explore this topic and will publish some of the comments posted here.
Reprinted from the OrangeChat blog
Comment from: Debra [Visitor] | Edit
03/14/07 at 14:08
I moved to Chapel Hill 11 years ago and loved the village feel to the place. Then, along came Meadowmont, Southern Village and all the other development. And while its much more controlled than in places like Cary, Garner and Apex, Chapel Hill has lost much of its charm. The small town feel is nearly gone. So is much of the southern politeness and helpfulness.
As I have for 11 years, I cringe when I see those log trucks going by on the road because I know it means more trees have been chopped down to build more McMansions.
Stil, Chapel Hill is a great place to live, with world-class schools and health care, and a solidly progressive philosophy on the environment and the less fortunate. I don't want to be uber-critical; I still love it here. But, it is definitely far less cozy and comfortable than it was 10 year ago.
Reprinted from the OrangeChat blog <blogs.newsobserver.com/orangechat>Author: Paul Newton (IP: 12.145.92.28, 12.145.92.28)Email: paul@paulnewton.comUrl: Comment: It has been my observation that the term "Small Town Charm" means different things to different folks. How does one define "Small Town Charm" and "success" within the context of the Triangle? Who determines what is and what is not "success"? I think some would be surprised at just how many different answers this question would elicit. "Small Town Charm" and "success" are in the eyes of the beholder are they not?Tom Jensen's comments about Hillsborough are a great example. The casual visitor to Hillsborough might very well come away with the very same impression as Tom. I know that prior to moving to Hillsborough (and subsequently becoming involved), I used to think the same way. In my experience, "Small Town Charm" is most often evoked when a group of citizens are either opposed or are in favor of something. For example, the recently approved three story Orange County government buildings complete with a parking garage next to a residential area was deemed to be wholly appropriate and would enhance Hillsborough's "Small Town Charm" by Orange County and those in favor of the project. Meanwhile, across town, a two story condominium project proposed to be constructed on Churton Street in an area zoned residential will "destroy Hillsborough's small town charm and historic fabric" by those opposed to the project.Ultimately, I think it is the responsibility of each small town to define what they mean when they say "Small Town Charm" and "success". If the media or a casual visitor happens to agree with a particular town’s definition, then great. However, every community has its own qualities and characteristics that make it unique which ultimately defines its sense of place, small town charm, and special character. No two communities are the same. As such, the media and casual visitors should not cast assumptions or attempt to pass judgment over one town's "Small Town Charm" versus another's. The Triangle area consists of many diverse values and identities so to attempt to cast them all in the same light seems to be rather one dimensional.
I guess the answer depends on your definition of the word. When we moved here more than eight years ago, Wake Forest was a charming small town with a warm atmosphere and friendly people. Traffic was light, and getting to Raleigh was a breeze. What a difference a few years make.
Today, the roads in and out of town are clogged with cars and trucks, no matter what the time of day, and those roads are usually lined with discarded trash. Large chain stores have forced many small business to close (Jones Hardware comes to mind), and the center of commerce has moved from town out to US 1. In short, Wake Forest now looks like any other ex-small town with too many people and not enough resources.
So who do we blame? It's a given that developers, given free reign, will build on every square inch of land available until there's nothing left. That's what they do. Existing residents have very little say in whether yet another sprawling development is erected in their neighborhoods. It's a city's commissioners and other leaders who are charged with the responsibility of maintaining a good quality of life for its residents, and in that sense, Wake Forest officials have failed their constituents miserably.
Their conventional argument is that more people bring with them a larger tax base, enabling a city to expand its services and amenities, but reality disproves that specious contention. Were that indeed the case, roads in the area could actually accomodate both existing and projected traffic, and schools wouldn't be considering year-round schedules. Unbridled growth is good - for developers and politicians.
For the rest of us, I'm afraid the situation will only get worse.
I was disgusted and ashamed to read the Q section of last Sunday's paper. Rob Ridings, Eunice Brock, Debra Beller, and Philip Duchastel sounded like children fighting over a sandbox!
Each of these people are terrified that newcomers will destroy their dream. Who's dreams did you destroy when you moved here ten years ago? Have you sent them an appology card? Probably not! The Triangle is a diverse, growing, and vibrant region and we should thank God for that. It's foolhardy and immature to think time should stop now that you're in town.
Finally, a few hallmarks of liberalism that burned bright in your posts:
1) The belief of being smarter and more compassionate than anyone else.
2) The feeling of being granted the moral authority to assert your will over others.
3) An intense lack of faith in others.
4) A preoccupation with supposed conspiracies.
5) A contempt for widespread success and achievement.
a) Wrapped in the term "McMansion" is a personal distaste for common success. It's a way of belittling the dreaded "common person." it's a form of classism, for Liberals have a very strong sense of class, of who "belongs" where in society.
Walking in the warm spring air
Reprinted from the OrangeChat blog
Comment from: Tom Jensen [Visitor] · http://tomjensencolumns.blogspot.com | Edit
03/14/07 at 14:05
When I went to Hillsborough on Monday night for their board meeting I parked at the Courthouse even though it's about seven blocks away from the Town Barn because I wanted to walk through downtown.
Walking back around 8:30 to my car in the warm spring air in the dark down a well lighted Churton Street, reading all the historic markers along the way with the street lights, I couldn't help but think that even as Hillsborough's gotten bigger, it's really maintained its beautiful, historic downtown.
Hope they can keep it up.