Orange Comprehensive Plan Press Release

PRESS RELEASE Aug. 21, 2007

For more information contact: Allan Rosen, 382-9483, ncprout@aol.com or Kevin Schwartz, 962-0520, kschwartz@unc.edu

Coalition forms to guide commissioners on Orange Comprehensive Plan

CHAPEL HILL -- Leaders of a diverse group of local organizations that have banded together for the first time are set to unveil their plan for keeping the Orange County Board of Commissioners focused on the centrality of compact, walkable, mixed-use, transit-supportive communities as the commissioners move forward on a new planning document with a 25 year horizon to guide how the county will look and feel in the future.

The group will hold a news conference at 10 a.m. Friday in the board room at McClamroch Hall on the Vilcom campus off Weaver Dairy Road to announce and discuss the coalition’s objectives.

The county’s Comprehensive Plan update is intended to guide growth and development through the year 2030. It has not been revised since 1981. The county is set to hold a public hearing about the plan goals at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 27 at Gordon Battle Courtroom, 106 E. Margaret Lane, Hillsborough.
The plan update is divided into eight major areas, each known as an element: County Profile, Economic Development, Housing, Land Use, Natural and Cultural Systems, Recreation and Parks, Services (Utilities) and Community Facilities, and Transportation. Commissioners hope to have the plan approved by next August.

The Comprehensive Plan Coalition will discuss what it hopes the commissioners and public will focus on within those eight elements. The coalition was formed by groups with traditionally disparate and sometimes opposing interests, but all are aware of the need to work together for Orange County to have a sustainable future and of the unique opportunity the update provides the coalition to engage in this civic debate.

“Various stakeholders who cooperatively come together to help plan our future can only be in the best interest of Orange County and its citizens,” said Fred Black, Chair of the Community Action Network, one of the coalition partners.

Village Project Co-Chairman Allan Rosen said that his group was excited to participate in the coalition. “The update affords all of us the chance to support a comprehensive plan that is informed by the sustainability paradigm and based on best practices,” Rosen said.

Other partners are: the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, Inter-Faith Council for Social Service, the Homebuilders Association of Durham, Orange, & Chatham Counties, and Walkable Hillsborough. Additional coalition partners are expected to be announced within days.


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CAN to Participate in Coalition

Along with other Orange County organizations and groups (complete list is forthcoming), the CAN Board voted to participate in the Orange County Comprehensive Plan Coalition. The purpose statement follows below. Stay turned for more information on this important process.

Purpose Statement
The Orange County Comprehensive Plan Coalition


In October 2006, the Orange County Board of Commissioners initiated a two-year process to update the county’s Comprehensive Plan. This presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for community stakeholders to come together and provide guidance on how Orange County should grow and change in the future.


Coalition members are committed to working together to:

· learn more about the county’s Comprehensive Plan and help educate the community about its importance,

· provide input to the county planning and advisory boards, and especially to the County Commissioners, about our shared priorities for promoting a path to sustainability that balances environmental health, social equity, and economic prosperity, and

· present a common voice for diverse stakeholders to express our common interests in planning for a future where environmental conservation, energy efficiency, affordable housing, social equity, economic development, preservation of regional agricultural production and transit-ready, walkable, mixed-use, communities are simultaneously realized.


Coalition members believe the Update should:

· determine where new compact, walkable, mixed-use, transit-supportive growth and development should occur within the county’s planning jurisdiction,

· make affirmative commitments to providing public sector infrastructure investments to stimulate development that promotes economic prosperity, social equity and environmental health, and

· provide a framework such that the future of Orange County will be sustainable, just, and equitable.


Sustainability is achieved when stakeholders representing diverse interests work together cooperatively to assure a healthy balance among interdependent social, environmental and economic priorities. Our coalition is committed to ensuring that the County Commissioners include these goals in the updated Comprehensive Plan.


August 6, 2007

Campaign and Elections Workshop Held on April 28

On Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. until noon in the Chapel Hill Town Council chambers, the Community Action Network held it’s second workshop covering the offices of Carrboro Board of Aldermen, Chapel Hill Town Council, Orange County Board of Commissioners, School Boards, Hillsborough Town Board.

Gary Barnes, CAN chairman, proclaimed the event a success, and said, “We offered this workshop as a public service and we provided useful information that we hope will stimulate interest in running for local offices and working on campaigns.”

The workshop format was questions to a panel of former elected officials and volunteer campaign workers. Members of the audience then participated by asking questions of the panel members. Panel discussion and questions were moderated by Rosemary Waldorf, a former Chapel Hill Mayor. Panel participants included Nick Didow, a former Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board member; Tom Jensen, recent UNC-CH graduate who has been active in a number of local campaign; Thomas Mills, a political consultant; Ruby Sinreich, a former candidate for Chapel Hill Town Council; and Mark Kleienschmidt, a Chapel Hill Town Council member.

After panel discussion and questions from the audience, participants broke into small, unstructured informal groups where questions were asked about running for office and working on campaigns. Additionally, the Community Action Network prepared a resource packet for all participants, including basic information about how to file for elections, samples of reports required by the Orange County Board of Elections, and a campaign activity timeline.

On the OrangePolitics blog, former Chapel Hill Town Council candidate Will Raymond wrote:

Just got back from the forum. I commend C.A.N. for providing an excellent
educational opportunity for new candidates. As the election season progresses
and the candidate pool solidifies, I hope they would consider doing a
“refresher” version (maybe post July’s signup date).
Frequent (and occasional) OP posters Tom Jensen, Ruby Sinreich, Allan Spalt, Nick Didow, Mark Kleinschmidt and Fred Black gave their advice on everything from the
“nuts-n-bolts” of running a campaign to managing the press to getting up to
speed on issues.

Another attendee and CAN member wrote:

Nancy, thank you to you, Fred Black, Rosemary Waldorf, the panel participants,
and all who pulled all the candidate information together for the very
informative candidate workshop CAN held this morning.

I'm sorry I had to leave quickly after the panel finished because I also had a Book Group meeting this morning which I didn't want to miss entirely.

My thanks to all for all their work in this useful workshop,

Lynne Kane
Chapel Hill
resident
CAN member

A video (98 minutes) is available at :

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8406773552890244852

Here are some of the pictures taken that morning:

Critical Election Dates

Candidate filing beings - Noon, July 6, 2007
Candidate filing ends - Noon, July 20, 2007
Advertisement of election - September 22, 2007
Advertisement of election - September 30, 2007
Candidate filing beings - Noon, July 6, 2007
Candidate filing ends - Noon, July 20, 2007

Advertisement of election - September 22, 2007
Advertisement of election - September 30, 2007
Advertisement of election - October 17, 2007
Advertisement of election - October 20, 2007
Absentee ballots available - October 5, 2007

Registration books close - 5:00 p.m., October 12, 2007

One Stop Voting beings at BOE - October 18, 2007 (locations and times to be announced)

Absentee ballot approval meetings - October 16, 2007
Absentee ballot approval meetings - October 23, 2007
Absentee ballot approval meetings - October 30, 2007
Absentee ballot approval meetings - November 6, 2007
Absentee applications by mail deadline - 5:00 p.m., October 30, 2007

One stop voting ends - 1:00 p.m. November 3, 2007

All absentee ballots received at BoE - 5:00 p.m., November, 5, 2007

Date of Municipal Election - November 6, 2007 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.

Board approves provisional ballots - TBA
Official Canvass - 11:00 a.m., November 13, 2007
Certificates of Election issued - November 19, 2007