Friends and neighbors,
Today I entered the race for Chapel Hill Town Council. For those that don't know me, I'm chair of the Chapel Hill Planning Commission, as well as a bank regulatory lawyer and part-time stay-at-home dad.
The central issue in this election is the future shape of Chapel Hill's growth and development. Most people don't realize that Chapel Hill has a new development framework. I'm running for Town Council to implement it swiftly, thoughtfully, and collaboratively.
The Complete Community framework, as it's called, starts from the idea that we want a town that's affordable, sustainable, and livable — because it's planned thoughtfully, and painstakingly protects the qualities that make Chapel Hill unique. This is what I want, and chances are it's what you want too.
How does it accomplish these things? It calls for new development to be walkable and mixed-use, not built around cars. It calls for different housing options, especially ones that people can afford. And it calls for a much more extensive system of greenways and linear parks, as well as better transit, to connect it. There's something in it for everyone. And it's very different from what the Town has been doing. That's the point. If you want more housing options, more stuff you can walk to, more bike infrastructure, this is for you. If you care about quality design and are tired of indiscriminate clear-cutting, the framework explicitly addresses these things too.
Here's the catch. It doesn't magically happen. It requires a sustained effort with a lot of attention to detail, a lot of planning and coordination. Nobody is better positioned than I am to put the Complete Community vision into practice.
Once we show how better development works, people are going to wonder why we weren't doing this before. But first we need to elect candidates with the skills and experience to know where to start.
That's where you come in. Please help spread the word about my campaign, and vote this November!
Jon Mitchell
Candidate for Chapel Hill Town Council
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