Forum Highlights Various Wishes for Parking Lot

The reformation of the 75,000 square foot lot, located on West Franklin Street, is a result of the Chapel Hill Downtown Small Area Plan, adopted in March 2000, to encourage residential and office development in the area.

UNC students, Chapel Hill residents and Town Council members were invited to the forum to hear opinions from four panelists and voice their opinions afterward.

The meeting was opened by Sierra Club Chairman Robert Porter, who said Chapel Hill should use the space to keep the town unique.

"We need to be a special place, not just another place," Porter said. "Good public places bring people together."

Local business officials also attended the forum.

Chiropractor Chas Gaertner, who works near the area in question, said there are too many buildings surrounding the area to make an open space work.

"There's a major flaw in the plans," Gaertner said.

James Morgan, founder of Art on Weaver, spoke on the benefits of putting a public work of art in the space.

"Public art has the ability to make a space special and memorable," Morgan said.

UNC Professor Greg Gangi, former chairman of the Sierra Club, said creating a town plaza would help residents get to know other residents.

"(Open space) would help (residents) meet new people and learn new things," Gangi said. "Public space provides a sense of wonder. People would experience diversity."

The forum comes on the heels of an Oct. 10 council meeting where several SEAC representatives shared their ideas for the parking lot with town officials.

At that meeting, the council chose to wait on the measure and passed two resolutions -- one stating members' goals for the downtown area and the other approving the process of putting together the workshop.

No official action has been taken at this point to determine the parking lot's future.

Gangi also said public space would increase the interaction between Chapel Hill residents and UNC students.

"Public space has the opportunity to fuse town and gown together," Gangi said. "Public spaces encourage public conversation."

Council member Pat Evans said one of the problems of making a town plaza is that local residents live far from the downtown area.

"Most people don't live within walking distance," Evans said.

Robert Humphreys, executive director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Commission, said downtown Chapel Hill already is a place for people to meet each other.

Humphreys said he thinks the town should hold forum to come up with an alternate use of the space.

"This is a community-wide effort," he said. "We need to figure out what will draw people there."

The City Editor can be reached

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