Buckhorn Village: 'Business as Usual' or sensible economic development?

Buckhorn Village is a proposed 'center like The Streets at Southpoint' (N&O, Jan 12) to be located in Orange County. Over a million square feet of retail, hotel & movie theater uses are proposed on 128 acres at the intersection of Buckhorn Road and I40/I85. They estimate the County would realize $7.2 million a year in sales & property tax revenues. But what might these revenues cost us?

James Carnahan asks this question on the Orange Politics blog. Take a look at what he has to say and weigh in yourself: go to the blog here

Take a look at The Village Project article about Buckhorn Village.

The Orange County Comprehensive Plan Coalition

Orange County has begun to update its Comprehensive Plan for the first time in 25 years. The update will be the key document that county government and the commissioners will use to make decisions about land use, transportation, housing, economic development, environmental protection and other critical issues.

Because Orange County is at a critical crossroads economically, socially, and environmentally, a diverse coalition of community stakeholders have come together to create and endorse a vision statement and a set of goals and objectives for Orange County's Comprehensive Plan Update that brings together these principles in a way that truly promotes a sustainable future for our county.

The Village Project would like to thank the Strowd Roses Foundation for its generous grant that is helping to make our work on the Orange County Comprehensive Plan possible. To read more about the coalition, see our new brochure and the Coalition website at http://www.thevillageproject.com/cpu.

The coalition believes sustainability is achieved when stakeholders representing diverse interests work together cooperatively to assure a healthy balance among interdependent social, environmental and economic priorities. Therefore we encourage county residents and other stakeholders to join the coalition and to participate in the update process. For a list of upcoming public participation opportunities, click here.

Celebrate Car Free Day by supporting a train stop in Hillsborough!

On September 22, 2007, somewhere around 10:10 A.M., Amtrak's Train number 80, the Carolinian, will run through Hillsborough. The train won't stop, but Orange County residents will be there encouraging local and state governments to add an Amtrak stop in Hillsborough in celebration of international Car Free Day.

Members of The Village Project and the Walkable Hillsborough Coalition will hold an event beginning around 9:50 A.M. on Saturday the 22nd to highlight the need for Amtrak service for Hillsborough and Orange County. The event will be held at the corner of Eno and South Nash Streets in Hillsborough, in view of the railroad tracks (opposite the former Flynt Mill).

Check out www.gocarfree.com for more details. See you there!

Local Coalition gives voice to sustainability

The Village Project has partnered with a diverse group of local groups to form a coalition that focuses on the three aspects of sustainability: environmental, economic and social equity. The Coalition will present our vision statement to the Orange County Commissioners tonight at the public hearing on the Comprehensive Plan at 7:30 PM in the Gordon Battle Courtroom, 106 E. Margaret Lane, Hillsborough.

See the Herald-Sun article for a news report (registration may be required).

The sustainability of the Carrboro Greenspace includes more than the environmental aspect

Members of The Village Project weigh in to the online discussion surrounding the Carrboro Greenspace, an undeveloped 10.5 acre plot of land near the heart of Carrboro. The imminent sale of the land has sparked a community debate on how the land should be used. The Village Project believes that the three aspects of sustainability - economic, social, and environmental - should be addressed with any new development of the land.

Carolina North Forum: A discussion between the town and the university

James Carnahan, board member of The Village Project, discussed the Carolina North project and how it could affect the surrounding towns in a Forum between town and university officials on April 18, 2007. Listen to the podcast.

Ensuring an ecologically sustainable future for Orange County

Orange County is in the process of updating the Comprehensive Plan, which helps to guide growth and development within in the county for the next 20 years. The Village Project has produced a perspective statement that articulates our organization's principles, goals and strategies for ensuring that when growth takes place, the outcome will be a built environment that is ecologically, socially & economically sustainable.