IDEAS

Community Convention Culminates in Three Big Bold Ideas

On November 7, 2019, the Big Bold Ideas Steering Committee convened 175 diverse delegates from across the Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro Community for the Big Bold Ideas Community Convention, a milestone event in the collective goal-setting venture called Big Bold Ideas. Through the four-hour convention, the community gathered, selected, and united around the following three big bold priorities for collective action in the years ahead:

Create Dramatically More Affordable Housing
Increase all Students' Performance and Close the Achievement Gap
Accelerate Innovation and Workforce Development

*Going forward, the final three ideas will advance to the Steering Committee and the Chamber’s professional staff to create defined and actionable objectives, perform research, and identify funders and champions. The implementation plans for each Big Bold Idea were discussed at the Big Bold Ideas Steering Committee meeting on December 5, 2019 and at
The Chamber’s Annual Meeting on January 31, 2020.

Read the release

Scroll down to review all 500+ original ideas

Resources for investigative journalism have been drying up. Support investigative reporting in local or state media
Uncover history of enslaved African Americans + Native Americans in the area; erect monuments/publish history that honors them & educates us
Work w/developers+ elected officials to incentivize making arts spaces in future developments:density, in-fill, transportation adjacent, etc
Substantially increase the public art in very public places. Huge, memorable, public art.
Single venue for music and performing arts to house instruction, performance, and restaurant space with broadcast capabilities.
Have an annual cultural fair on Franklin Street, in order to gain an appreciation for the rich cultures that make our community so special.
Artist space like Golden Leaf in Durham
Create an online community newspaper that will intensely cover Chapel Hill government, economy and culture.
More public art spaces
Consumer based art center
Prioritize the weird
Cultural center with regional influence
Convert the current police station building into live/work space for artists
A vibrant downtown anchored by a world class art and performance center (on parking lot 2?)
Create a center for arts and culture for the city consumers and creators
SUPPORT OUR CREATIVES!
Determine feasibility of recreating a Chapel Hill museum that can reflect, [internally?] the history of our town, be a major draw for visitors
Find more studio space for artists
Music in the air
Create a museum that would highlight the accomplishments of African Americans in CH/Orange before we forget how we got here.
Create more arttainment in CH
CH museum that exhibits community history more broadly than it is now
Put clash space in Amity Station building
More community-shared experiences/celebrations
Continued engagement and fun events
Reclaim Chapel Hill/Carrboro as a live music destination to increase tourism and rebrand the area as a artistic hub
Transform the Franklin St. post office into a community performing arts venue and gallery.
Like other cities, have an artist-in-residence position within town government to work creatively with all town departments
A County funded and supported arts center
Partner w NCSU School of Design(or other) to pilot low cost creative spaces using blueprints from Rural Studio http://www.ruralstudio.org/
Public/private partnerships to create a real arts infrastructure, models are Creative Suitland
Local artists collaborate w/ community to create striking perm. sculpture installations in roundabouts to inspire visitors/residents alike.
More live music downtown
Make Chapel Hill weird again--more like NoDa in Charlotte and Little Five Points in Atlanta
Create an arts district for Chapel Hill where music and art thrive.
equitable, free access to arts (music, studio art, dance, theater)
Develop an arts district that supports economic development, racial healing and community development, AND public school arts programs
Incorporate the arts into upcoming affordable housing projects to provide community pride, a sense of place, & neighborhood connectivity.
Affordable housing that includes creative maker space for inter-generational and community collaboration, like https://www.nonstopart.co/
Create a Center for Nonprofits that would complement LAUNCH, 1789 and the CUBE as a joint venture of the local govts, UNC and Durham Tech
Make Chapel Hill north (Holdle Williams Tract) a more collaborative venture pathway by public and private collaboration
Have local foundations dedicate 1% of their corpus to a social enterprise capitalization and investment fund
A single unified development ordinance across Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Orange County
Merge Carrboro & Chapel Hill into a single municipal entity that can be more efficient and coordinated on the challenges our community faces
A Tool Lending Library in every community.
Supporting the nonprofits within our community
Strong county leadership development pipelines including youth, UNC folks, volunteers, board service, etc.
Bring churches into partnership
Look to the Columbus Partnership as an example of corporate organizing to benefit the WHOLE community
Create an Executive Service Corps that consults with local nonprofits to create impactful solutions to community challenges
What unifies us? Build up our community.
Expanding partnerships
Nonprofit hub
A [good?] consensus on where CH is going, what it should be, and what it looks like, so we can act instead of arguing
Learn to balance the needs and interests of 60,000 people
Core function analysis w/ towns and county…alleviate duplicity wherever possible
More connected triangle
Increase synergies and collaborate between CH-Durham-Raleigh
Think of things more regionally (Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Durham, Raleigh) and play off the synergies of each
Explore the full breadth of options for public/private funding partnerships around housing, education, and economic development
Relationships/partnerships. If we intentionally met in smaller groups to think about problem-solving, it could lead to so much.
Create regional ecosystem (break down the geographic silos)
Cross jurisdictional collaboration
Cross jurisdictional planning
Enhance partnership between UNC and Town of CH Govt
Partner more
Community forums that bring in all to raise issues, share ideas, discuss & be part of the solution. No one agency is the “problem solver.”
Take out egos, Chambers, Cities, Universities
Trust and transparency – zoning understanding
Trust and transparency
merge libraries
Simplify our processes. We are cumbersome & lengthy. Opinions are valued/welcomed but can shut down or change good ideas.
Stop talking in such a divided society.
Convene diverse communities to get all the voices in the room to get something done.
Create a movement when communities come together.
Sit on the edge of discomfort. More optimism, less patience. I am ready to solve.
Lobby Carrboro Aldermen and other key town officials to attend annual meeting and engage with Chamber at a higher level
Chamber should join the Orange County housing collaborative
More tools from the legislature to address community challenges.
Improve the relationship between the towns and the university
Term limits for elected officials.
Reduce division in our community
Improve regional synergy, especially with Chatham
Keep doing a fantastic job
World class launch
Make Sherburne President of the Universe and Delores Bailey Mayor of Northside
Create
Use data driven processes
Examine recombining the Raleigh/Cary +Durham/Chapel Hill MSA to drive economic development in the region
Private investment in public realm. Create dignified affordable housing, narrow the achievement gap. Change the narrative of Chapel Hill.
Engage proven social change leaders for underserved populations to shape collaborative philanthropy for Co-Impact (Leland, 2017)
Provide tax breaks to businesses that repurpose older buildings instead of taking land for new ones, and maintain the small town appearance.
Get 5-10 medium sized companies to move to Orange County in 7 years.
Change the perception that we are not a business-friendly environment.
Develop Carolina North – business incubator – work/life play
Brand Chapel Hill as an Innovation District
We need a young professionals summit. A conference across Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Orange & Chatham County
A new economic driver that is unique
Economic development collaborative org structure – one strategic plan
Economic Development has to be inclusive and not just big game hunting.
Making sure commercial real estate companies do a good job of recruiting and taking care of our small business owners after they open up.
A focus on economic development in which people (not chains) can actually afford to open businesses in Chapel Hill
A large business incubator with childcare. It might help CH/orange attract/retain business if there were more resources and space to thrive
Hotel in Hillsborough
Bookstore
Downtown bookstore
Thriving downtown, New businesses
Create pathways for economic diversity
Bioscience and technology business center – great concept for training and recruiting university students
Diverse, thriving downtown economy year-round
expanding local business, not national chains
1st class job of facilitating ideas and businesses of CH
Economic development issues in the greater Orange County
The the growth and development of Chapel Hill and Carrboro emulate the development of the University in density and scale
Improve tourism/connect the dots between OC as a whole
Time to own that we are an affluent bedroom community and that is our best way to brand, niche and recruit business.
A tourism destination
Dedicate portion of budget (1%) from large scale construction projects (over $3M(?) pub and private) to town beautification (art, planters)
Increase community tax base
Review CH North taxes
Make sure we have the childcare we need so that everyone can go to work.
Thriving downtown by 2025. Could involving UNC be the answer?
Let the Downtown Partnership go to work for a thriving Downtown Chapel Hill-Carrboro with a unified downtown master plan
Campaign to get residents to buy local!
Refine downtown.
Lowering the risk to open up in Chapel Hill
Giving our businesses resources and support
Double down on innovative space! Identify a 5-10-year plan
Back to School promotion to drive new students and families to Chamber businesses
Entrepreneurship/incubator programs and spaces
Stores, mom and pop stores, pop ups
Effectively support minority businesses
Better environment/space for start-up businesses
Creatives/businesses
Prioritize the weird – help creative small business be successful
Fix the construction approval processes in our town.
Set clear goals for downtown success. # new units of housing, # new square feet of retail, # new square feet of office, # new parking spaces
Smart growth: Increasing business density for redevelopment. Don't be afraid of buildings taller than 4 stories.
We use the LUMO rewrite process to make the town we want it to be.
Do a big outdoor networking event
Increase people's financial wellbeing.
Double the amount of people living downtown
Quality child care accessible for ALL children
All children under 5, either homeless or in affordable housing, are in high-quality child care.
Let's close the achievement gap for minorities and help get more kids to college by creating a program like the Emily K Center in Durham.
Provide no or low cost after school/summer camp for all
Increase education about new media and risks for teachers.
Don't focus only on STEM in schools. Art, Music, PE and Social Studies are equally important parts of the education of every human.
Integrate housing stipends for teachers who live in district to encourage community and teacher retention
Integrate the County and the CHCCS school system to share resources!!!
Create affordable after school classes starting in Kindergarten. Provide more assistance to teachers.
Universal Pre-K for all kids in Orange County
Connect "out of school" with "in school" and get all kids reading on grade level by grade 3!
All children read on grade level by Grade 3
Have town officials be regular guest speakers so students can understand who shapes our town and the importance of local government.
Every child reading on grade level by grade three
Prioritize early childhood education with every child ready for kindergarten on day 1
Incorporate virtual class times in student homes for school makeup days. There are many benefit to this.
Universal Pre K for all children in Orange County
Ultimate Frisbee should be recognized as a legitimate high school sport
Our children deserve school buildings that are safe, healthy, and environmentally friendly.
Schools in CHCCS district should adopt a sister school from less fortunate/funded district to share with to promote kindness and community.
First grade academy that targets children already behind and is blended with regular classes.
Host a movie series on the importance of early childhood education - like the Fred Rodgers Movie -
Collaborate on the campaign for grade level reading
Bring a force of volunteers to engage schools through mentorship to address achievement gap
Universal Pre K
All kids reading on grade level by grade 3
Robust family engagement and business leader engagement in schools
Civic engagement in our youth.
Follow the District C approach https://www.districtc.co/our-approach
Summer literacy programs for Prek-3rd grade throughout the community
Make local economics part of the curriculum in our K-12 education programs
School District number for for every child
Lifelong learning center: PreK-retirement
Make summer a time of continued learning, fun, and food for all children over the summer
Free Pre-K starting at 3 years old
Unify the education system – charter and private and school systems
Improve literacy throughout the town
Education from the parents up (blow up the current system)
Improve literacy through collaboration with corporate sector, faith-based groups, and families.
Experiential education that gets kids out of classroom at an early age.
Family Success Alliance expanding to more zones
Families! Books! Service! Local! A nationally recognized annual children’s literacy festival celebrating our values of inclusion & education
Universal (free) pre-school.
Provide quality literature to elementary aged school children that is easily accessible to them on school buses for the ride to/from school.
Free bike, music, and swimming lessons in Elementary Schools.
computer classes
Eliminate suspension (in & out of school) in CHCCS. It's not an effective behavior modifier, it reduces learning, & increases dropping out.
Made all 6th graders and up code (computer programming) literate.
All children reading on grade level
Improved access to afterschool programs and school facilities
Increase number of local volunteers in schools
Focus on school success
Merge school districts into 1 - Orange Co + CHCCS
Merge school systems
Create something like the Emily K center in Chapel Hill to make sure all children are successful
Partnership to increase the number of teachers of color in CHCCS
Truly integrate schools and accept nothing less than equivalent performance from students regardless of race
A pre-k to College program for descendants of the enslaved people who built the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Prioritize education and equal access and opportunities
Develop teacher housing supplements for local apartments as a strategy for recruiting then retaining the best teachers
More businesses help in schools, serve on advisory councils, & use Navigator (NC Business Committee on Ed) to invite students to business
Make Chapel Hill a carbon SINK by 2025. A Texas city transitioned to 100% renewable energy; if they can, we can https://tinyurl.com/y34o3vem
A big, bold, GREEN idea to educate, encourage, and incentivize clothesline use to save energy
Save the bees! Establish thriving bee colonies at our government buildings to teach the importance of pollinators in our food system.
Tree promotion programs (tree planting, education, etc)
Integrate natural assets: creeks/rivers/greenways
Public utility – reduce carbon foot print
A county-wide “Marshall plan” to create alternative energy generating capacity and reduce fossil fuel use for transportation energy use.
25% increase in solar energy production/use in 5 years
One unified climate action plan between Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Orange County
City-wide composting for all homes & businesses, with compost cycling back for local farms and community gardens.
50% solar powered Chapel Hill/Carrboro by 2030.
Free compost collection supported with pay to throw garbage collection reducing our trash by 80%.
Invest in local carbon sequestration
Plant 1 new tree for each resident in Chapel Hill in the next 5 years.
Reduce our emissions 80% below 2010 levels by 2030. This Climate Justice goal is what is necessary if we are to have a livable future.
Plant deciduous trees in parking lots so there can be shade when parking cars in summer and light (no leaves) in winter
More electric charging stations. Build passive solar (facing roofs south) with 2 to 3 foot overhangs to block summer sun.
Prohibit clear-cutting
Create a public electric utility (or push toward 100% re private utility)
Use bio-diesel for all school buses, CHT buses, fire trucks, and other vehicles. Improves air quality and children's health; reduces CO2.
For Hillsborough to make our 2030 no fossil fuel goal
Form joint partnership with town, university ,and healthcare system like Blue Cross Blue Shield
Locate a transfer station for solid waste and recycling in Orange County & plan to have our own small, creatively designed landfill in OC.
Create a waste to fuel plant, like Entsorga in West Virginia
Solar panels on all new government construction
Create a community composting system that's easy for families to partake in.
Get Orange County to recycle ALL plastics, especially No 1
All government/school vehicles are electric.
Better leverage Lake Jordan and/or University Lake as an asset for our community
Have a storm water master plan to mitigate the flooding issue in the area of Eastgate/University Place
CH should try a Universal Basic Income Experiment. CH is expensive, and a UBI experiment could help low income residents.
Truly invest in supporting families breaking the cycle of poverty
Make in-depth racial equity education an on-boarding requirement for all positions of systemic influence in the community.
Racial equity
Opportunities for all – breaking down barriers
Spread resources across non-English speaking communities
Ensure that every eligible voter has proper ID and register every eligible voter in the region
Leadership (elected, jurisdictions staff, advisory boards, nonprofit boards, etc.) in OC should reflect the demographics of the community
Every government agency must have bilingual, bicultural staff according to % LEP population by language
Stop hating on each other, peace, love, and understanding
leading community on racial reconciliation
Dismantle the systems that have created the problems we have--specifically the white supremacy culture
Make Chapel Hill the best community for social mobility in the state/country
Improve everyone's access to food and transportation.
Have a computer in the library where people can search the catalog sitting down
Create an Annual Heat and Plumb the County in Orange County, NC
I would like to see a program focused on seniors, meals, funding, housing resources and care.
Large-scale food bank system that ensures no low income families/children are left hungry or not eating nutritious foods
No family, kid, person is homeless or hungry in Orange County
No one goes to bed hungry
All children under 5 eat healthy food and are physically active while in child care.
Grass to Gardens - Create community gardens to educate children on fresh fruits and vegetables.
Become the plant-based foodie capital of the world
use mobile food service to engage a collaborative network of social support services to serve nutritionally at risk
use FoodTrucks to engage a collaborative network of social support services to serve nutritionally at risk
Eliminate childhood obesity.
All have access to affordable, nutritious food. Food is grown w/ regenerative agriculture practices & we teach how to use produce seasonally
Feed the kids!
Make sure all children have something to eat at home.
Opportunities for food systems in Orange County
Orange County Food Council will have community buy in and engagement in all jurisdictions.
Build permanent fenced vegetable gardens open to the community to rent. The vegetables produced are for family consumption and can't be sold
Save our kids: 0 suicides by 2025. Reduce suicides through prevention, education, bias reduction, and early intervention.
Free psychotherapy for everyone who wants it in our community
1:3 children are currently at risk for hunger in Orange County. We can eliminate childhood hunger through a community food system approach.
An initiative to tackle the issue of access to healthcare for all in the community.
Increased mental healthcare services
Make the 6 points of wellness a way of life for our seniors in Orange County
Healthcare should be a nominal fee so all can afford it
Health systems with nominal copays
To expand mental health care services in our community that take on a more holistic approach to serving clients.
The residents of our community should have better access to affordable healthcare
Provide a free moderate exercise program to encourage wellbeing and build supportive social networks among expectant and new moms.
Reimagine student food backpack program to include efficiencies, food preference, home delivery and meeting individual nutritional needs.
Kids eat enough healthy food all day, every day, which will improve local health, narrow the achievement gap, and improve our food system.
Do something about the social determinants of health (transportation, healthy food, etc)
No child goes to bed hungry--we need to feed our children
Create policies that acknowledge and support the aging population
Address the needs of the aging population: home health opportunities, walkability, housing, transportation and social needs
Healthier food for every child at school cafeterias. No sweets as snacks. Offer cooking classes at school.
Inform people about pesticides and the harm they cause
That all of our cost burdened households in Orange County are able to more easily afford their housing.
Develop infrastructure to meet the needs of an expanding older adult population (housing, food access, green-spaces, transportation).
Create affordable housing/age-in-place options for older adults in OC to decrease by 15% # of older adults moving to other counties by 2030
500 more affordable housing units by 2025
Rent control for units occupied by families that work in town.
Best practice fully funded rapid rehousing program
Kick out GSC (predatory apartment complex owners)
Create more affordable housing!
The predatory housing companies that run all of the "affordable" housing complexes are eliminated from Chapel Hill (by buying them out)
Build affordable housing on public/school parking lots
We create 10,000 units of affordable housing in the next 10 years
Orange County, Carrboro, and Chapel Hill have the ability to partner with Habitat and build housing on land we own.
For mobile home park residents of Chapel Hill & Carrboro to have permanent land available in Chapel Hill & Carrboro if they get displaced.
Increase affordable housing for people making less than 30% of area median income.
80% of market-rate housing providers accept housing subsidies and review tenant backgrounds on a case-by-case basis by 2024.
Create enough affordable RENTAL housing for folks with the lowest incomes, so that everyone who wants to live here can, regardless of income
Increase affordable housing for people making less than 30% of area median income.
We create 1000 units of affordable housing in the next 10 years
True public and private collaboration to create affordable housing units. A carrot rather than a stick.
Make room for more family neighborhoods for modestly paid workers
Build a horse racing track in rural Orange and generate funds for affordable housing from betting on the horses.
Workforce housing – providing realistic home ownership options for town, UNC, UNC-H employees
Diversify the variety of housing in Chapel Hill to include more single family homes & land as opposed to multi family housing.
Increased housing and living affordability; is this an economy of scale? We must advocate for more local business and industry.
Affordable, quality housing for 10-90% AMI
Comprehensive affordable housing that involves commitment from all stakeholders and participants (i.e. developers, town, banks)
Functional, successful, non-political CH Historic District Commission that rewards/encourages restoration, renovation, & smart development.
Chamber/business public private partnership for workforce housing
Maximize revenue for affordable housing, education, and other pressing needs rooted in our shared values
Citizens should be able to live within walking distance
Housing within 10-15 minutes of work or school.
Town of Chapel Hill buys all manufactured home developments at risk of displacement & partners with nonprofits to build affordable housing
Make affordable housing a priority for all publicly owned land including Greene Tract and Legion Road
Close the Orange County Affordable housing gap of 12,500 units in the next ten years.
Provide housing accessible to all low income workers within the County, especially reaching all UNC and UNC healthcare workers.
Build or convert 1,500 units into extremely low income housing in five years.
Fill the gap in need vs. reality re: affordable housing. 12,000 units or more
University or UNC Healthcare partnership to build and manage affordable housing for seniors
Have UNC Hospitals donate land or funds to make more affordable housing possible.
In the next 10 years create 500 units of micro homes in 10+ mixed income developments for people w/extremely low, low, and moderate incomes.
Any UNC development includes affordable housing so their employees can live affordably in OC by 2025
Any development by UNC Healthcare includes affordable housing such that their employees can live affordably in OC by 2025.
Close the gap and create 5,500 affordable apartments for persons/families that earn less that $20,000 by 2030.
All town owned land be used to develop affordable housing to reduce the gap of the 15,766 households in OC that are cost burdened by rent.
Create an $100M affordable housing fund with private, local government, and philanthropic sources.
Fully fund the Partnership to End Homelessness' priority proposal for rapid re-housing. Help generate political will for it.
affordable housing (I can't afford to stay here)
Institute policies to enable at least 51% of town employees (including schools, transit, etc.) to live in town.
Become a leader in affordable housing by building beautiful, adaptive apartment buildings that enhance community and ecosystem
More affordable housing options for locals.
Focus on creating not just affordable housing, but "deeply" affordable housing over the next 5-10 years
We need to make sure all of our children are housed.
More affordable housing addressed on a bigger and more regional scale
Improve access to workforce housing
Create a community where everyone has a decent place to live.
More affordable housing for the people who work and serve our town.
All UNC and UNC healthcare workers can afford to live in Chapel Hill within 5 years.
Create innovative & inspiring affordable housing like Memphis ARTSPACE that incl. art, gardening, work space, non profits under one roof.
By 2030, at least 51% of all municipal and school district employees will live within the jurisdictions they serve
Create a teacher housing supplement so more local teachers live here.
Build a home for transitioning veterans
Eliminate controversy, Create task forces on student housing and “statues”
Build affordable housing for marginalized populations and offer workforce development programs
Build affordable housing on/above school parking lots
Affordable housing is integrated on all school sites so that all teachers can live affordable in OC by 2025.
transportation focused Live/Work housing (rentals and ownership) for workers in the creative economy
Double the number of our certified living wage employers in two years
All employed adults (18+) in Chapel Hill/Carrboro making a minimum of $14.20 (or current living wage) by 2025.
Create a talent pipeline for local employers through workbased learning
All employers in Orange County shall pay a living wage
By 2030, CH/Carrboro will have nation's highest per capita work from home rate.
By 2039, using churches, schools, new spaces, everyone will be within 1 mile of a coworking space.
Every business in Orange County paying a living wage.
Find a living wage job for anyone who wants one
100 businesses agree to hire a felon. We then create a certificate program that gives felons a chance at a new start.
Non-technology-based jobs. Opportunities for living wage jobs for non-traditional learners/communities recognizing the lack of safety net
Introducing/empowering women and people of color to pursue technology jobs
More robust career/tech opportunities
Engage UNC students with the Chamber. Educate them on value of a chamber and keep them for local jobs post-graduation
Family friendly policies like flex scheduling/telework, publicly funded childcare, health work life balance, & expanded paternal leave
3-5 different trades
Survey businesses for positions with high turnover, identify unemployed cohorts and match people to specialized skill training, then jobs.
Everyone in our community making a living wage
Provide education and avenues for students to fulfill potential who are not ‘university’ students
Use Peaslee Tech/Lawrence College and Career Center model to develop a similar facility that fits the needs of Chapel Hill and Orange County
Promote an education mindset from birth to preschool through K-12 to college and trades (plumber, electrician, mechanic, furniture restoration and bricklaying)
Invest more resources in workforce development; change the conversation about what a successful career is for the children of our community
More programming for kids like job readiness & technical training, more recreational spaces, & more resources (therapy/healthcare)
More jobs and visible opportunities for people with disabilities. Think: Stadium seaters, guides, visitor services workers
Opportunities for all. Attracting and retaining career ladder jobs while breaking down barriers to self sufficiency
more jobs paying a living wage
Community wide embracing of a living wage to fight poverty together
Establish family friendly policies that support working families.
Less screen time in school. Go outdoors.
Create a county athletics facility. Creating more space for people could open up more room for camps and if attendance is free or reduced.
Rec facility that partners OC, Town of Carrboro, Town of Chapel Hill, UNC-University, UNC Healthcare and incorporates the arts.
Build a multi-purpose cultural center to host meetings, classes, social gatherings, an outdoor amphitheater, and a farmer's market.
More walking and bike trails throughout town that get you to the library and other special places
more access to play and playing fields
Community-based fitness center for low income adults and underserved communities.
Create a tournament-quality recreation space to draw in out-of-town visitors, maybe on Eastowne land
A world class park of size and substance, preferably with a significant water feature
Improve public pools in Chapel Hill. Add a 2nd pool and splash ground at Hargrave (outdoor) and Homestead Aquatic Center (indoor).
All children can afford to play sports.
More summer camp spots for needy kids to eat and learn and feel part of our community
Every child has the opportunity to play organized sports year round, regardless of the family's ability to pay.
Create more sports and rec centers like Rock Chalk Park
Build hiking and biking trails that connect the communities together. Create recreational areas that can be used for natural recreation.
Let's build a land use strategy for rural areas, keeping the rural landscape but also opening it up for use and recreation.
close Weaver St in front of Weaver Street Market to vehicle traffic. Make the area into a pedestrian plaza!
Double the mileage of greenways and public trails in the region in the next 8 years.
Connect all existing greenways and trails with full bike lanes within Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
Thoughtfully dedicate certain existing roads for bicycles only. Many roads have no bike lanes. Existing bike lanes are in poor condition.
Water fountains in every public park & greenway trailhead.
Substantial investment in parks including the creation of water features for kid and adult play
Invest in the Hargraves Community Center facilities and programs to create a downtown destination for kids and families.
Create a bike/greenway from Carrboro to Hillsborough - use existing rail corridor
Add a splash pad downtown as a kid/family destination - next to Hargraves Center!
Water Splash Pad Park
A greenway system that connects our towns and that connects Orange County with Durham and Jordan Lake by 2030
Preserve the character, flavor, life of the region (don’t get lost in the growth)
green space – music, parks, dog park
trails that connect the towns
Create a cleaner NC starting with the roads and streets of Durham and Chapel Hill
Stronger network of bicycle facilities (community and recreational)
Riverwalk to Waterstone
Integrate natural assets (rivers, greenways, creeks) w/ new development
Turn the rural buffer into an asset for the whole county. Let's not treat it as a barrier, but determine how the community can use the land.
Create bike and pedestrian only streets.
Make the Chapel Hill Library more accessible on the bus instead of building a library in Carrboro
Improve the walkability and bikeability to Henry Anderson III Community Park.
Recreation – UNC health and UNC athletics partnerships
Affordable after school sports program for grades 4-8.
A series of artist-designed fountains, solar-powered and interactive, so our families have public outdoor spaces to play in summer.
Entertainment/sports complex
Up rural transition areas to the west & south to look at continuing values of the rural buffer so Chapel Hill can attract the best/brightest
Allow families to use school playgrounds after school.
Create more affordable swimming classes for children. Include swimming as part of school PE classes.
Outdoor eating/dining (sidewalk dining)
Turn the 100 block of Franklin St into Chapel Hill Square: a common area for arts, music and discourse, available to town and gown alike.
Revolutionize downtown by converting 100 block of Franklin to Chapel Hill Square: a place 4 all to gather/speak & collectively share ideas
Thursday night out on side street between Franklin and Rosemary during the summer
The redevelopment of University place should include a large outdoor gathering space that can be a town center
Guided tours on bike or walk
Livability. Environmental growth but maintaining – and recapturing – small town community feel
Open meeting space – Centro – piazza – European model, Closed to traffic streets – ped friendly gathering places for all – free and open
Shared community space
Fund the downtown revitalization: events/programming, placemaking, and improved appearance. Bridge the gap b/w “nostalgia” and the future.
Make Orange County feel smaller
Sense of community. Local food, local entertainment, family togetherness and passeggiata.
Shared community space
Focus on creating great experiences in wide variety. The environment helps supply this and so do people.
Multi-gen amenities
Multi-generational amenities for children as well as seniors
Use more shared space similar to Kansas City.
Keep the identity of Carrboro. Role of Carrboro, soul of one, artists...more of what it used to be.
A Grand Ferris wheel somewhere near the border of Chapel Hill and Carrboro to bring residents from the two towns together.
Build public spaces for people to gather indoors for free with structured ways to engage with others and make new friends.
We need a bucket list for Franklin Street
Make Orange County feel smaller
Free snack food for our teens a the library and teen centers
Best college town on earth!
Policemen will not wear guns displayed in public places
Chapel Hill and Carrboro become a "High Quality of Life" world class city emulating some of the greatest cities around the world.
Ban telemarketers from our daily lives
Transform Chapel HIll/Carrboro into an Urban Village.
Unify Chapel Hill so it feels smaller.
Transform top of parking deck (preferably Wallace) into downtown park with greenspace, playground, amphitheater, summer splash pad, & court
Flowerpots
Create a shared visual image that binds us like DC cherry trees or Wilmington Azaleas & around which festivals and identity can be built
new Carrboro library
Pedestrian zones/ped only streets, beer garden, vibrancy
Make walking/biking viable by building sidewalks and bike lanes to connect residential communities with schools, hospitals and downtown.
Every street in Carrboro/CH will have a sidewalk and safe bike path.
Create better Greenway connectivity within Chapel Hill and also beyond to our neighbors.
Better bike lanes! Protected bike lanes!
A regional transportation system with aesthetically pleasing dense walkable communities at light rail & BRT stations.
Take Franklin Street downtown to 2 lanes, creating green and other creative space while allowing restaurants to offer more outdoor seating.
Complete the greenway system to connect major commercial areas with residential – “paint the lanes” bike friendly
In 5 years, every road in town will accommodate bike or pedestrian use.
Allow bikes on Franklin Street and build a safe bike path
closing all roads for several hours.
Pedestrian only street(s)
Create pedestrian district
A pedestrian Sky-Bridges linking Carrboro and Chapel Hill commerce and social hubs.
Ensure Chapel Hill and Carrboro are linked to all modes of regional transportation
Improve infrastructure-- the roads before we do anything else. There are so many apartments going up at present probably with 2 cars each.
Change the yellow flashing lights @ our HAWK intersections to red. Stick to zebra crossings that every pedestrian & driver understands.
Build a parking deck downtown Carrboro to allow visitors and employees to park and walk
Light up crosswalks in Carrboro and Chapel Hill to prevent injuries.
Build bypass from Chatham to Durham to decongest the Chapel Hill thru-traffic and better connect our region for jobs of the future.
Build and improve high speed transit connections between Chatham, Chapel Hill, and Durham (like Bus Rapid Transit)
Build a parking deck in Carrboro to deliver a comprehensive long-term walkable community solution
Build a tunnel from I-40 to underneath campus and direct link to north Chatham County. Eliminate traffic build up in between.
Implement a downtown transit loop that runs from the Planetarium to Carrboro Town Commons for better visitor and resident access.
Comprehensive transit plan including the LRT.
Structured parking for all of downtown
Mass transit system (more than CHT local) that has widespread community support
Make parking after 5pm free in downtown
Parking! More of it…and free, please!
Trail + transit-oriented development
Enhance bus stops and add BRT lines. Some bus stops now are only a sign. What about a place to sit to get out of the rain?
"Copenhagenize" main transportation network (54, MLK, Franklin, & Estes)
End paid parking in Downtown Chapel Hill and develop commuter corridors on NCDOT roads
By 2030, X modal trail connecting ATT to MST via CH/CBO.
provide evening transportation for the public
Increase bus ridership to 100% of town residents using the bus at least 4 times per year by 2025.
Create a public transit shuttle to and from RDU and park & ride lot. Can buy day passes.
New developments should include sidewalks and bike trails to be better connected
Every street in Chapel Hill and Carrboro should have a sidewalk
Build more sidewalks and safe bike paths around schools. Relocate parking away from schools while remaining in walking distance.
Make ways to schools safer for pedestrians and bikes. Children shouldn't have to walk on streets. The focus is on cars at the moment.
Build a pedestrian and bike only bridge.
Paint street lines with glow in the dark paint.
Bring back the trolleys! Create a downtown loop and paint the trolleys Carolina blue and fit them with eco-friendly hybrid engines
Close Franklin Street off a few times a year to cars
By 2025, town and school bus systems will be combined.
Ensure all local government services and officials are easily accessible online. (Fees, permits, registrations, civic engagement, etc.)
Invest in smart growth that creates walkable, attractive spaces, with good public transportation. More density = less sprawl and CO2.
Require town level decisions to consider environmental impacts, and impact on CO2 emissions
End homelessness in Orange County - no one waiting for housing and people experiencing homelessness are re-housed in 30-90 days
Fill all gaps in Orange County homeless service system
Require solar grid fed roof tops on every new house, apartment complex and business in Orange county in 2021 and going forward
For every 30 houses in new developments or apartment developments, 1 affordable duplex house is built in the complex.
Make a bike lane from Carrboro to Maple View Farm on Dairyland Road and Greensboro Road.
Require solar roof tops for every house or apartment newly built or restored in Orange County to feed to the electric grid. GREEN!
Tackle re-segregation of our schools
Identify a permanent space for a Food Truck plaza, or mixed-used green space
Multimodal greenway connecting the greenway systems in CH, Carrboro, & Hillsborough, and that connects OC w/ greenways in Durham & Chatham

3 Big Bold Ideas For a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro