D.R. Bryan has spent the last nine years working in conjunction with the town of Chapel Hill and its Town Council to help implement the Small Area Plan for the southern area of Chapel Hill. As the developer of Southern Village, he has focused his energies on creating a place that families would want to live and on improving the quality of life for those who choose to live there. He now wants to focus those efforts on the town of Chapel Hill, applying his experiences as a member of the Town Council. We all know that developing a neighborhood like Southern Village in Chapel Hill is no small feat. Even those who would not choose to live in Southern Village can surely appreciate the patience, dedication and solution-minded approach Bryan must have had in order to realize what was once just an idea.
I hope he has the opportunity to bring those qualities to a seat on the Chapel Hill Town Council. One of Bryan's first priorities as council member will be to work to implement the Small Area Plan for the downtown area. As Chapel Hill residents, we can all agree that downtown Chapel Hill is a wonderful and vital component of the life of our town. But we also can agree that it could be even better. Bryan will work to reverse decentralization by encouraging both residential and commercial development in underutilized areas while preserving existing buildings. Bryan strongly supports efforts to build housing in downtown for town and University employees. He would also like to recruit a grocery store to make the downtown area more livable. Bryan also recognizes the need for improved pedestrian safety, which is of obvious concern for anyone who spends time downtown. As a resident of downtown Chapel Hill, I strongly approve of Bryan's vision for downtown and look forward to positive changes under his leadership. He is a person of integrity who will work to find workable solutions to issues facing the town and its residents. I encourage you to vote for Bryan for Town Council.
John B. Oettinger
Chapel Hill
