Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 16:14:44 -0500
From: “Tom Glendinning”
Subject: Chatham Park Observations
Simple and in outline form:
1. The census department forecasts that the population of the county will grow by more than 55,000 to 60,000 people in the next 30 years. If these families buy individual lots of seven acres spread throughout the county, 154,000 acres of land will be developed.
without infrastructure
22 times more land will be occupied by the Park
with no jobs will be created by their houses (except construction work)
residents will have to commute for work causing real traffic problems
no public transport will be affordable in that scenario either
no shopping centers will be built
no business or industry will be planned
no streets, landscaping or amenities provided
2. Traffic is the result of residents living in any community. The projections in the last Pittsboro Matters (PM) post are ridiculous. Has anyone observed the reduction in travel on US 15-501, US 64 and other Chatham highways since the crash of 2008? The traffic flow is the same as the flow during the 1970’s and 1980’s in off rush hours. People are not driving as much as they used to before fuel costs $ 3.25 to $ 4.00.
3. 9.6 vehicular trips per day per household is a stretch by any measure.. It is possible in a household of two children, carried to school by a parent who then takes them to soccer or dance lesson after school, going out for latte and later, shopping. Alternately, in a house with bored people who go out to lunch, run errands for each loaf of bread and attend meetings five out of seven days a week. I see neighbors who make 1/3 those trips per day and do quite well. Some days, I do not leave the house at all.
4. I had a relative in Reston, VA and do not remember the problems described in the PM post. I came from a town of the same population as Chatham Park projects within a smaller area than the Park. It was well planned and had only rush hour traffic filling the main roads. Is Meadowmont in Chapel Hill a horrible development? It has the same type of design as the Park will..
5. The new interchange on US64 bypass will be designed by the NCDOT. Take a look at our interchanges around Pittsboro and Siler City. They are NCDOT models of landscaping with few equals in the state. They are beautiful.
6. As to the criticism of KFC and Lowes, these businesses located where the market was adequate for the stores. They followed the landscape criteria of the town. What is wrong with them, I ask? If there was a problem, it should have been addressed by planning or regulation.
7. As to parking at South Point, I have found adequate parking every time I have gone there.
8. As to the projected traffic jam from the Park, the NCDOT has planned for increased traffic very well. I am pleased with the new roads and how they reduce traffic flow problems. I can go anywhere in the Triangle in shorter time than trips used to take. And the roads are very safe and well built..
So, here I am responding to a post by those who claim to be experts and forecast doom and gloom for us. My fault for letting them frame the argument. Forgive me. But I do my best.
Some questions:
30,000 people moved into the county over the last thirty years (1980 census 33,415), doubling our population. Forecasts for growth by2044 are double again.
Has the last doubling of population in Chatham County destroyed our lives? Has it ruined our county? Should we shut the gates on the next 60,000? Were these last 30,000 people so bad that we should stop the building places to live, places to work, places to enjoy for our future neighbors?
Tom Glendinning