Chapel Hill 2020 meeting sees turnout of 200 to discuss drafting plan

At a Thursday night meeting, more than 200 people met to discuss the next steps in drafting the town’s comprehensive plan.

A group of town officials and residents attended the meeting at East Chapel Hill High School to help finalize focus committees for Chapel Hill 2020.

The plan will help guide the town growth for the next decade.

“We’re a small town, and in this economy we can’t count on the federal or state government,” said George Cianciolo, co-chairman of Chapel Hill 2020. “We’re trying to do this as uniquely as possible and set an example that a town of this size can accomplish this.”

At a previous meeting, attendees brainstormed growth-centered themes they wanted to see included in the plan.

At the meeting, Chapel Hill 2020 leaders surveyed attendees about their opinions on the themes through survey clickers.

Attendees chose transportation, development and growing the town’s tax base as the most supported themes.

Town and University relationships, arts, public safety and environment were also topics residents want to see included in the plan.

Focus committees will be centered around those seven topics. The committees will submit ideas to include in the plan and will continue to provide input once it is implemented after June 2012.

“The topics worked on are each a chapter of the plan,” said co-chairwoman Rosemary Waldorf.

Cianciolo said the committees will evolve to fit the town’s needs throughout the planning process.

“We want to continually evolve, and for the better,” he said.

People signed up for the committees of their choice at the meeting, and officials said they hope to have focus committees formed by Oct. 27.

Once formed, individual committees will meet weekly, and all committees will meet together every three weeks.

“When the groups get down to business and have to face real concerns such as budgets, reality will set in,” Cianciolo said.

But the plan caused mixed reactions among some residents.

Jeanne Brown and John Schmidt, members of Neighbors for Responsible Growth, an organization dedicated to preserving quality of life in Orange County, said they are worried that the plan is too optimistic and idealistic.

Schmidt said he likes the small-town aspect of Chapel Hill and hopes that the plan won’t over-develop the town.

The next Chapel Hill 2020 event will be an Oct. 22 open house.

Contact the City Editor at city@dailytarheel.com.