You would think that a Progressive town manager would use a phrase like “hold the line” to talk about steady tax burdens on residents during the Great Recession and not use the smoke and mirrors of tax rates to hide spending increases. You would think that an increase of 29.1% in town staff salaries and wages since 2004 would not be considered by Progressives to be ”holding the line”. You would think that a Progressive town governance board and staff wouldn't hide behind the state's “revenue neutral” reassessment laws that allow a town to increase your property taxes and declare them “revenue neutral”. You would be wrong.

The headlines read, the upcoming Carrboro budget will “stay the course”. What course are we talking about here? Are Carrburbans being considered the main course by town staff? Town manager Steve Stewart positively was beaming, Carrboro “has held the line on property taxes” for five out of the last eight years. Really? Are we talking about Carrboro? Are we talking about the tax burden on a Carrboro resident or about the property tax rates? Did your tax bill remain the same for five out of the last eight years? No???

Woah! Pulpsters know better than to trust local Progessive town staffers opining on fiscal reality. If facts aren't optional for you, then let's trip over to the State Treasurer’s office and see what's what.

Carrboro property tax revenues increased from 2004 to 2009 by 38.9%. (Tax revenues are NOT tax rates, they are the booty the town extracts from you.) Not for one year did the Carrboro tax revenues hold the line. On a per capita basis, property taxes increased 25.5%. Did your income increase that much in the last five years? Do you think the town has “held the line”?

What about Carrboro’s spending on town employee salaries and wages? They increased 29.1% from 2004 to 2009. On a per capita basis they increased 16.4%. Did your income increase that much in the last five years? Do you think the town has “held the line”?

Unlike local Progressives, fiscal conservatives remember that debt is an important component of financing profligate spending. Carrboro debt service increased 27.7% from 2004 to 2009. On a per capita basis it increased 14.1%. Your debt service probably exceeded that. After all, you have to pay for the town debt service. It’s called increasing town taxes.

Let’s compare what happened with Carrboro to similar towns grouped together by the State Treasurer.

In 2009, Carrboro residents paid 36.3% more in property taxes on a per capita basis than the group average. From 2004 to 2009 Carrboro property taxes on a per capita basis increased 47.9% more compared to the group average increase. Do you think the town has “held the line”?

In 2009, Carrboro residents paid 10.7% more in for town staff salaries and wages on a per capita basis than the group average. From 2004 to 2009 Carrboro salaries and wages on a per capita basis increased 54.8 % more compared to the group average increase. Do you think the town has “held the line”?

What about Carrboro sales tax revenues? Those revenues increased from 2004 to 2009 by only 6.8%. They didn’t even keep pace with inflation. Of course,if you turn your back on Costco and a super Harris Teeter you will won't see any sales tax increases. On a per capita basis they actually fell by 3.3%. Do you think the town elected officials and their staff should be treated with more respect for this negative performance?

Now let’s trip down Carrboro memory lane. Neither the Carrboro governance board nor the town staff ever do, so it'll be a pretty lonely ride. In 2004, Carrboro forecast harvesting over $600,000 a year in new taxes from the Northeast Annexation. To date, it spent but a fraction of those taxes on services for the annexees, clearing over $400,000 annually. Did the town elected officials and town staff use those annexation profits to pay for the Carrboro fire substation? No. Could the fire substation have been paid for by now? Not quite, but almost. Instead, Carrboro’s elected officials spent the money on hiding what the true Carrboro tax rates would be today. How else could they get you to pay for their cumulative 29.1% increase in town staff salaries & wages?

Over five years later, those annexees still don’t have regular Carrboro fire service. They have the same service they had before being annexed. Over five years later, those annexees travel on roads not annexed by Carrboro. They crumble despite Alderman Jacquie Gist’s public admonition of years ago to stop complaining, “We’ll annex your roads!”.

According to Alderman Dan Coleman, town staff is doing ”a good job”. According to Alderman Gist, Pulpsters should look at Carrboro ”with more respect and not for comic relief”.

More respect for ”holding the line” with a 38.9% property tax revenues increase, a 27.7% debt service increase, and a 6.8% sales tax revenue increase that was actually lower on a per capita basis? More respect for hiding property tax rate increases behind the property reassessment “revenue neutral” laws? Just as soon as you stop laughing!

In most of North Carolina, a town that sits on thousands of cheap rental apartment units would not consider itself to have a problem with affordable housing.

However, Carrboro is most certainly not like the rest of the towns in North Carolina. Here, in a predominantly rental apartment community, affordable housing becomes affordable hosing of taxpayers.

At a recent town governance meeting, the Boa again demonstrated its keen grasp on the physical realities of Carrboro. Mayor Mark Chilton said, “We have a lot of people who are hurting at a lot lower income levels than we’re currently reaching. Our current system doesn’t ever encourage anybody to create affordable rental housing for people who live on social security/disability income.”

Really, what about the thousands of rental apartments that start at $600 per bedroom a month? Aren’t they affordable housing?

Alderman Jacquie Gist supported Mr. Chilton, saying, “We’re doing great at reaching graduate students and not that great at reaching truly, truly poor people and we got to turn that around. The Orange County partnership on homelessness is slowly working on that, but I’m tired of putting money towards grad students.” Pulpsters will remember that a few years ago Ms. Gist suggested welcoming the homeless into Carrboro with wine and cheese accompanied in the background with sonorous string music.

Mr. Chilton didn’t reserve all of his concern for the working poor. According to Mr. Chilton, the town should be worried about those making as much as $60,000 a year. “At a hundred percent of area median, you’re really stuck. You don’t qualify for any subsidy. You don’t qualify for any help.” As someone living on a trust fund, Mr. Chilton understands the pain of living within one’s means. (See N&O Affordable Hosing Story.)

Representing the not-visibly-employed in Carrboro, Alderman Sammy Slade offered his wisdom. “There’s also a way of seeing how we compare to other places, and how we are a place that doesn’t allow for people…with more means to be in this community.” Did Mr. Slade really run on a platform of increasing tenement housing for the not-visibly-employed?

No word on whether or not the Boa will ask for a special town law capping market housing pricing, thereby enabling more people to live in Carrboro.

No word on how much more “make work” will be created to keep the overstaffed Developer Service Department looking busy rather than reducing the staff to meet actual need.

No word on whether or not Carrboro will adopt the 140 West Franklin parking garage model, where non-affordable housing unit owners park in a private gated garage area, but affordable housing unit owners park in the public garage area. (See Article VI of the Development Agreement.)

In most of North Carolina, a town would be glad to have a Costco store set up shop. Costco is seen as a responsible big box retailer by most people who don’t believe that local government should pick economic winners and losers.

However Carrboro, the blind beacon of absurdist anarchism, most definitely is not like the rest of North Carolina. In Carrboro, local government is based on rewarding your friends, enabling them to pursue new boundaries in business efficiency and customer service.

None other than Orange County State Senator Ellie Kinnaird has given up on trying to bring a Costco to Carrboro. Revealing a moment of lucidity, Ms. Kinnaird declared that “[Costco is] very well suited to the county. Bringing a big-box store like Costco would have created jobs for low-income community members.” In a capricious moment, Ms. Kinnaird showed concern for building the commercial tax base in a town copmaratively devoid of competitive commercial businesses that aren't tied into local government.

Never fear, the Carrboro rulers, the competition-strangling BOA asphyxiated any further efforts by Ms. Kinnaird. In her words, “I’m giving up. It’s a lost cause.”

Alderman Jacquie Gist, armed with two decades of blathering experience, but zero years of business experience, declared that Costco would hurt the small businesses in Carrboro. According to Ms. Gist, big box retailers like Costco “only have loyalty to themselves”. Ms. Gist failed to explain how Costco is different from local retailer Weaver Street Market (WSM). Apparently, the abandonment of Carrboro for administrative and production facilities in Hillsborough are the acts of a more loyal local business to Ms. Gist. But then Ms. Gist during the fall elections used big box retailer Staples for some of her campaign supplies, a dreaded big box retailer not located in Carrboro, but conveniently located for Carrboro hypocrites.

Ms. Gist further demonstrated her financial perspicacity by saying that Carrboro is doing better financially thant many places that have a Costco. The reason? “Big corporations are a part of the reason the economy is the way it is”.

Not to be left out of any bad decision, vehicular assault expert Alderman Dan Coleman publicly told Ms. Kinnaird to ”take her ideas about Costco to Chapel Hill”, as Ms. Kinnaird is moving to Chapel Hill. Such respect for the woman who launched Mr. Coleman's political career in Carrboro is to be expected from Carrboro's most infamous misogynist.

Ms. Gist was backed up in her peculiar wisdom of government-business nepotism by one of her pals. Mr. Jason Baker, WSM owner services and events coordinator, argues that Costco, with a far greater logistics efficiency than WSM, somehow leaves a larger carbon footprint per delivered good than WSM. Ever the visionary, albeit one freed from empirical confirmation, Mr. Baker says that money from local businesses is better for the community as a whole.

It all boils down to controlling people’s behavior. In Mr. Baker’s words, “We don’t need to tempt people with bad choices”. (See the DTH Costco Catastrophe Story.)

Furthermore, Mr. Baker, a UNC political science major and erstwhile political pollster, neglects to explain how Costco is a “bad choice”, considering that WSM employees don’t receive the same suite of benefits as Costco employees. The average WSM employee doesn’t receive:
1) a solid health care plan;
2) a dental care plan;
3) a pharmacy program;
4) a vision program;
5) a 401(k) plan;
6) a dependent care assistance plan;
7) a personal/family/work care program;
8) a voluntary short-term disability program;
9) a life insurance plan;
10) an employee stock purchase plan;
11) a health care reimbursement account;
12) a long term care insurance; and
13) a long term disability program.
The average Costco employee does receive each of these benefits.

Did Mr. Baker also forget to mention that Costco pays a higher average wage than WSM?

In most towns in North Carolina, having the state department of transportation (NCDOT) pay to expand a heavily used road and add bike lanes and sidewalks to boot would be considered a great deal. In most towns, government exists to serve the people, not to have people serve the government.

However, Orange County is different. Creating traffic bottlenecks to get people out of their cars is considered “enlightened government”. Your pain is town gain.

For the past six months the Carrboro governance board (BOA) has been in a micturation contest with NCDOT. The BOA wants what it wants and doesn’t see why NCDOT doesn’t change its statewide programs to suit Carrboro.

What does the BOA want? They want a major road leading from the rapidly growing Chatham County (Smith Level Road) to remain choked at two lanes. Just add bike lanes and sidewalks so that pedestrians and cyclists can watch the traffic jams safely.

What does NCDOT want? It wants to widen the road in anticipation of the road traffic projected over the next 25 years. The road is already crowded and slated to become more so. As an incentive, NCDOT would throw in sidewalks and bike lanes at the same time.

NCDOT has a program that can provide just sidewalks and bike lanes. Unfortunately, that Bicycles and Pedestrian Division can’t fund anything in Carrboro before 2011, and Carrboro may have to wait until 2017.

Immediate funds to improve Smith Level Road are available through another program called the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The catch is that the remaining available TIP money from the last approved cycle is for enhancing roadways for the dreaded car, and not solely for installing sidewalks and bike lanes. Unfortunately, NCDOT doesn't appreciate that the BOA values respect for its opinions and wants, no matter how zany, above all else.

In the petulant words of Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton, “[sidewalks and bike lanes] are not given the kind of weight or priority that roadway projects in other communities are given. I haven’t actually heard a reason why this can’t be part of the state TIP.” In other words, Mr. Chilton sees no reason why he shouldn't be accomodated, because, well, he's the mayor of Carrboro.

Unfortunately, Mr. Chilton knows that sidewalks and bike lanes can be funded by TIP. However it's up to the BOA to give NCDOT a priority listing for such a project. (Which begs the question, why didn't Mr. Chilton think enough of the sidewalks and bike lanes to include them in the currently funded TIP cycle?) Perhaps he has also forgotten that on 16 September 2008, he had the chance at a BOA meeting to add the Smith Level Road bike lanes and sidewalks to the town’s recommendations for the next funded TIP cycle (also 2011 to 2017). Too bad he didn't amend the list then to fund the sidewalk and bike lanes in the next TIP cycle, but then that would be showing subservience to routine, planning, and good governance.

As a public service, the Pulp offers to Mayor Chilton the following TIP link. Pulpsters can submit their own questions alongside those of the mayor.

Alderman Jackie Gist again most clearly reveals the creativity used by the BOA in addressing local transportation issues. If she can walk to her part-time job, why can’t you? “People will do what’s easiest for them to do. I would love to see it become a pain to drive a single occupancy vehicle because when it’s a pain in the neck people are going to change their behavior.” (See Chapel Hill News Road Story.)

Smugly pronouncing the BOA’s rejection of NCDOT aid, Alderman Dan Coleman states, “So the motion is, then, as “Mythbusters” put it, ‘We reject your reality and substitute our own'.” (Say, that doubles for a criminal defense too.)

That about sums up progressive governance in zany Orange County. Philosophy is based on an entertainment television show.

No word on when a resolution will be introduced to change the town name to “Cycleboro”.

In March 2008, the Pulp reported on the Boa providing a cornucopia of monetary gifts to Roberson Square, one of the many developer pal groups concentrating on densifying the Carrboro historic district.

The developer pal party continues with an even denser project.

On 26 August 2008, the Boa approved the Butler project off Brewer Lane. As approved, the current 3400 square feet of commercial use (sf) will balloon to a lower floor of 22,170 sf of office space capped by four residential floors, totaling 57 units in 76,793 sf (for an average size of about 1350 sf). Underneath will be a two story parking garage with 136 spaces, thus adding another 40,000 sq ft to the project total (about 140,000 sq ft). Pulp readers should remember that the Roberson Square project approved in February 2008 had more commercial/retail space (about 32,000 sf) but less residential space (only 18 units in about 33,000 sf for an average size of about 1800 sf).

Of course, an affordable housing component has been leveraged out of the developer for the yet another southern Orange tax-exempt organization, the Orange County Housing and Land Trust empire that continues to grow. Mr. Robert Dowling, head of OCHLT, having recently received a 25% salary increase in bad economic times, approved by the Boa and paid for by local taxpayers is not happy with the gift of five units.

The Boa reduced the originally proposed nine units (total of 6750 sf) to only five units, so long as the developer pays $100,000 to the OCHLT town fund for each of the four units not built. At 750 sf, Mr. Dowling considers the originally proposed affordable housing units too small in size, likely to attract young single people, not the true low-income residents Mr. Dowling wishes to attract. In Mr. Dowling’s words on young single people,”They're not bad people, but they're temporarily low income. And as a result this is transitional housing for them.” So four of the five units to be built will be upped to about 1000 sf each.

As with the Roberson Square project, The Butler ”virtual children” will play in the courtyard used by the ground floor businesses in lieu of real recreational facilities. Again, this project is designed to retail at a nominal $250 per sf.

Again as with Roberson Square, the Carrboro Developer Service Department (aka town planning staff) orchestrated a plan to change the “rules” for The Butler. According to the town planning staff, there’s no problem with The Butler being built (all almost 140,000 some sf) on the existing about .9 acre site without additional area logistical staging and construction parking. Supposedly, historic business district parking and traffic flow will not be adversely affected.

More importantly, the infamous town zoning PILOS (”payments in lieu of”, see were brought out in full force. Town staff recommended granting the developer PILOs for a reduction recreational facilities, as well as for the need for affordable housing from 9 units (comprising about 7000 sf) to five units comprising about (5000 sf). (See Pulp PILO Virtual Affordable Housing Debate.).

Ordinarily, existing zoning laws would require a project of this magnitude to have 149 parking spaces, and not the approved 136 parking spaces, a difference of 13 parking spaces. These missing spaces would require (even in the newly downsized parking space limits approved recently by the Boa) the developers to convert an additional 5100 sf of the about 140,000 sf total project developed area from what is now revenue producing area into parking. At a sales revenue value of $250 per sf, the Boa approval of reduced parking is worth about $1,275,000 to the developer.

Perhaps more interesting is the parking algorithm in existing zoning ordinances. The table below compares the physical attributes of Roberson Square versus The Butler. Even though The Butler has three times the number of residential units found in Roberson Square, parking spaces are barely doubled. Such is the genius of the Boa. Such is the “parking plan” of the Boa. (See Pulp Parking Values Story.) If the residents of The Butler don’t cocoon themselves in Carrboro without a car, then an additional 30 parking spaces should have been required, carving out from revenues an additional $2,947,500 of footage.

How much do the $400,000 PILO fees “cost” the developer? By paying these fees, the developer can free about 2000 sf into full revenues. That space will yield (at about $250 per square foot) $500,000. The developer gets more.

No word from the Carrboro Developer Service Department on who will pay for the public parking garage needed for yet another dense growth limited parking jewel.

PILOs are the social engineering tool de jour in Carrboro for attracting “the right kind of people”, i.e., those who agree with the Boa, and reducing the reality based population in Carrboro. But if you’re not a stenographer, then the nuts and bolts of PILOs portends fatter profits for developers… with ordinary citizens, aka financial mules, getting the screws.

After the Boa passes the The Butler CUP building permit, Alderman Gist is reported by the Chapel Hill News to say, ”What I'm sensing now is 'community as commodity'. People build community and then other people come in and profit from the community that others created and built.” However, one is touched by Alderman Gist's concern with protecting Carrboro residents with which she agrees, it must be balanced by her lack of interest in protecting the neighbors of intrusive developments such as Pacifica or Winmore. In those cases, her sense of concern was dominated by her not liking or agreeing with those financial mules who also built their communities in Carrboro.

No word from Mr. Dowling on the real “bad people”, those who can afford housing in Carrboro without his assistance.

UNC ‘s waterless urinals, symbol of sustainability, turn out to create foul smells.

UNC will substitute ultra-low-flush devices for the odoriferous wonders installed in 2002. Deposits inside the waterless urinals have been blocking the plumbing system at times, leading to foul smells. Apparently other sustainability advocates have been discovering the same thing.

In addition, after installing the toilets, UNC modeled the maintenance costs for the urinals, which require expensive disposable maintenance cartridges. (See Daily Tar Heel Urinal Story.)

Meanwhile, the fact based negative experiences of UNC haven’t deterred the Carrboro Boa from calling for waterless urinals in all commercial construction projects in Carrboro. See Pulp Waterless Toilet Story.

No word on whether or not Alderman Jacquie Gist will take a recycled bike over to the UNC surplus yard to recycle the flushed waterless urinals.

The Carrboro Boa (see Phictionary) works hard to earn its reputation for unequal enforcement of the law and the shredding of private property rights to aid its friends. The latest example of such behavior is the intervention of the Boa into the ability of the owner of an apartment complex to control who can park on private property.

The “Trampling of Human Rights” Incident

Abbey Court is an apartment complex of about several hundred units located off NC 54 in Carrboro non Jones Ferry Road. Near to the complex is a makeshift day worker pickup location. The complex is also near a bus stop and has been used as an unofficial park-and-ride lot. The Abbey Court manager has been facing problems with cars in the complex that don’t belong to renters. In response, the manager started enforcing parking rules that included requiring official parking stickers issued by the complex and enforcing the parking rules by towing away offending vehicles.

In most towns in North Carolina, such enforcement would be no cause for government intervention. In this case the Abbey Court complex manager won't give parking stickers for cars with body damage. Moreover, they won’t give stickers to car owners who can't produce registration and other paperwork. However, the Abbey Court owners (Tar Heel Companies of North Carolina) made the mistake of enforcing its rules against illegal immigrants, the “cause célèbre” of ciudad del santuario (sanctuary town) Carrboro. Residents say the policy discriminates against the mostly Hispanic residents, some of them illegal immigrants, who can't comply. If only the residents had all been pasty white, impoverished Anglo US citizens, then the Boa could have ignored their plight.

Feeling emboldened by Boa support for illegal immigrants, Abbey Court residents took on the towing company hired by the Abbey Court owners. A resident threw a bottle at a tow truck removing a vehicle. More dramatically, a male visitor grabbed his daughter and stuck her in the back seat of his car, a car which had been hooked up already for towing. He wanted to keep it from getting towed using his daughter's physical endangerment to do so. Mayor Mark Chilton got a call about 10 p.m. on a Thursday evening from an Abbey Court resident. He and Alderwoman Jacquie Gist got up and went to Abbey Court immediately. According to Mr. Chilton, the driver unhooked the car with the endangered child, ”but only after demanding (and receiving) a $100 cash payment from the owner of the car.”

Mr. Brad Chandler (Chandler's Towing) disagreed with the Mayor’s version. According to Mr. Chandler, the tow truck operator had already hooked the white Nissan Sentra to his truck when the owner ran out of an apartment carrying a child in a car seat, a fact now confirmed . The child-endangering parent had been visiting someone at the complex. After the vehicle had been hooked up for a tow, the child-endangering parent opened the driver's door and snapped his child in to the back seat.

According to Mr. Chandler, ”We didn't hook to a vehicle that had a child in it. The people were outside screaming, 'Put the kid in the car, put the kid in the car.' ” Mr. Chandler said the tow truck driver requested payment because the car was violating the complex's vehicle policy.

Neither the Mayor nor the Carrboro police so much as warned the “muy macho” child-endangering parent regarding his use of a child to stop a tow truck. However, in finest southern Orange traditions, the Orange County Office of Human Rights and Relations is investigating the apartment complex owners and the towing company.

The Boa Strikes

In response to this incident, the Boa met in a highly unusual summer recess meeting on 31 July 2008. After much breast beating over the apartment complex owner’s exercise of control over a situation ignored by town officials, the chaotic state of parking at Abbey Court, the Boa was constrained by home rule to passing an ordinance limiting towing fees to $50 in Carrboro. The ordinance also limits retrieval fees to $100 and $20 a day for storage.

The “Trampling of Humans” Incident

On 4 August 2008, the carnage at Abbey Court continued with renters continuing to endanger towing truck operators who are complying with the law. Mr. Jesus Sanchez Basurto, 25, claimed he didn’t realize that a tow truck driver had put a boot on his car. He got into his car and tried to drive it away from the tow truck before it could hook up his car. When the car wouldn't move, Mr. Basurto opened his car door to see why the vehicle wasn't moving. He left the car in reverse. It lurched backward and ran up on the curb. Somehow he was pulled under his own car, and the car ran over his foot. The towing truck operator did nothing beyond having already put on the boot.

See Herald Sun Towing Story.

The political celestial orchestra is in pre-election harmony in southern Orange.

First, big commish candidate, self-proclaimed long-time local time activist, Hillsborough resident, former OWASA director, former county planning board member, former chair of the local developers’ rights support group (the local Sierra Club, see Phictionary), former Federal Bureau of Prison employee, and AWOL environmental injustice activist, Bernadette Pelissier, calls for local laws that would force homeowners to retrofit water saving fixtures in order to sell a home. (Conveniently, Ms. Pelissier neglects to call for forced retrofitting on rental units owned by her bourgeoisie rentier friends.)

Now, the Carrboro Boa, replete with bourgeoisie rentiers, follows Ms. Pelissier’s tune with an “hallelujah chorus” for forced water conservation in Carrboro. Speaking at the 18 March 2008 Boa meeting, OWASA utility manager generalist, Pat Davis, didn’t see controlling growth as the cornerstone of OWASA’s sustainable water management strategy of the future. No, the answer is conservation. Southern Orange residents should adopt a semi-arid lifestyle!

Alderman Joal Hall Broun took an ambivalent view, concerned that forced water fixture retrofitting would penalize the wrong people. She’s more interested in eliminating lawn irrigation in Carrboro. You may have a right to own dirt in Carrboro. But your right to have a lawn is in question.

“Widest margin” vote getter Alderman Jacquie Gist advocated for a continuation of the foisting of municipal responsibilities on homeowners’ associations (HOAs). Yes, according to Ms. Gist, HOAs should be responsible for enforcing Stage 3 water restrictions on their residents, not OWASA. Your neighborly water police can share their love by ratfinking you out to OWASA. In the words of Ms. Gist, ”Water is a public good that is owned and needed by all of us, and it comes under pressure as we experience growth.”

No word on whether or not Ms. Gist will ever grasp the connection between carrying capacity, lifestyle, and growth.

No word on when the first shipment of Joshua Trees will arrive in Carrboro.

In related business news, shares of Kohler went “into the toilet” in light trading.

Roberson Square is the working name for a new project approved by the Boa at its 26 February 2008 meeting. It will sit where the old Andrews Rigsbee Hardware store stood on South Greensboro Street in the heart of the Carrboro historic district around Maple Avenue. The local media dutifully reported what was decided. A five story, mixed use building of 90,000 some square feet (sf) with parking and an affordable housing component (see Phictionary) was approved.

Astute observers saw a different picture, a picture of the Boa giving manna from heaven for another dense development. Roberson Square is a six floor (including a basement parking level) building with about 25,563 sf of parking for 65 spaces. Commercial/retail space will occupy about 32,000 sf. The remainder (about 34,000 sf) is residential. The Roberson Square ”virtual children” will play in the courtyard used by the ground floor businesses in lieu of real recreational facilities. This project is designed to retail at a nominal $250 per sf. The Carrboro Developer Service Department (aka town planning staff) orchestrated a plan to change the rules for Roberson Square.

According to the town planning staff, there’s no problem with Roberson Square being built (all 90,000 some sf) on the existing about .9 acre site without additional area logistical staging and construction parking. Supposedly, historic business district parking and traffic flow will not be adversely affected. More importantly, the infamous town zoning PILOs (”payments in lieu of”, see Phictionary) were brought out in full force. Town staff recommended granting the developer PILOs for a reduction in the need for parking spaces and PILOs for higher residential density (three additional housing units) because “affordable housing” is part of the project . (See Hot Orange PILO Virtual Affordable Housing Debate.).

Ordinarily, existing zoning laws would require a project of this magnitude to have 104 parking spaces, and not the approved 65 parking spaces. The 65 spaces require (even in the newly downsized parking space limits approved recently by the Boa, see story) 25,563 sf. If the 104 spaces the code “requires” had been applied, then an additional about 15,400 sf of the total project area (91,575 sf) would have been needed for parking and could not produce sales revenues for the developer. At a sales revenue value of $250 per sf, the Boa approval of reduced parking is worth about $3,800,000 to the developer. Although the Roberson Square project is designed to attract more people to the historic business district, less parking will be needed. Such is the genius of the Boa. Such is the “parking plan” of the Boa. (See Hot Orange Parking Values Story.)

Ordinarily, in order to get above normal zoning density approved by the Boa, the developer would have to build three additional housing units dedicated to be affordable. At a sales revenue value limited to about $200,000 each, the total developer sales revenue value for these three affordable units would be about $600,000 instead of the $1,350,000 value that would be realized at $250 per sf. Now, the developer only has to make a contribution to yet another tax-exempt, southern Orange organization, the Orange County Land Trust (OCLT), in order to market those three units at a higher value.

So what are the costs to the developer for these gifts?

Does the developer have to pay OCLT the difference between $1,350,000 and $600,000 (the additional revenues for the three units? No. Nobody really knows at this point. The Boa CUP approval didn’t spell that out.

Does the developer have to pay the town for the $3,800,000 of space freed from parking requirements? No. Nobody really knows at this point. The Boa CUP approval didn’t spell that out.

PILOs are the social engineering tool de jour in Carrboro. Astute observers anticipate a spate of local media puff pieces on how PILOs save the world. But if you’re not a stenographer, then the nuts and bolts of PILOs portends fatter profits for developers… with ordinary citizens getting the screws.

No word on whether or not Alderman Gist’s decision months ago to put her Maple Avenue home up for sale was triggered by her single street access to a main road, a limited access that must go past the construction and completion of Roberson Square.

An anonymous complaint asks Carrboro to enforce its rules against carbon loading trucks dispensing food in the parking lots of local establishments. BOA members react by injecting immigration issue and bemoaning “anonymous complaints”. No explanation is given or asked as to how the entire Carrboro town staff was blind to these trucks operating in the Carrboro downtown, one being located opposite the Weaver Street lawn party.

“Widest margin” Alderman Gist wants to know who ratted out the trucks. She’s writes to the Carrboro Citizen saying “I am very worried by the real possibility that hard working entrepreneurs who are adding to our community could be put out of business and have their livelihood threatened. It is un-American and certainly un-Carrboro. If Carrboro cannot offer a welcoming home to immigrants trying to achieve the American Dream then maybe I don’t know Carrboro as well as I think I do.” She doesn’t mention any concern for the health of residents eating food from these units, nor does she express concern for these entrepreneurs paying the same taxes that local restaurants pay.

The BOA provides no word on how Carrboro intends to prevent portable ptomaine palaces. An Orange County health inspector says they are permitted to sell food only if they work with an approved and inspected commissary. No BOA member asks if they do so.

See Carrboro Citizen Taco Truck story.

With stunning duplicity, all of the winning candidates elected to the Boa last Fall discover a need for parking in the Carrboro historic business district. Only four months ago, Aldermen Joel Hall Broun, Dan Coleman, and Alderman (then candidate) Lydia Lavelle all said repeatedly in public forums that there was no problem with parking in the Carrboro historic business district. Bourgeoise mill house rentier, dense developer, and tax exempt expert Mayor Mark Chilton even ridiculed candidates in local political forums who begged to tell the reality.

Showing their respect for logical consistency, the Boa attended a retreat to ponder personal values, a Boa first, (see Poet Lariat - Boa Annual Tent Revival) and discovered that parking is a problem in the historic business district. (No word on whether or not “parking” is an emerging value in Carrboro.)

Now in a “dance with bricks” pirouette, the Boa wants a long term parking plan in place, most likely in place after they have approved the development plans of their political friends along Main Street, saving them the loss of profits from including adequate parking spaces.

Alderman Jacquie Gist leaped feet first into reality by saying that the new residential developments approved by the Boa in and near the district will force new residents to rely on parking on residential streets. (Translation, the Boa is approving residential development with insufficient parking allowances, a profit-enhancing move for its loyal local developer constituency.)

No word from Alderman Gist on how people visiting historic district businesses are supposed to park.

No word on apologies from Mayor Chilton now that he has reversed into the parking mess, perhaps awaiting the next election when all will be well again, at least until the vote is in.

See Carrboro Citizen Tent Revival Story.

For years members of the Carrboro governance board have made negative comments about town residents who choose to have grass on their property. Choo-choo line cutter, local pedestrian hazard, and Carrboro alderman Dan Coleman wrote a column in the Chapel Hill Herald displaying his impressive scientific foundation for being against grass growing. Self-described “widest margin” Carrboro alderman Jacquie Gist responded publicly by declaring that “grass makes you stupid”.

A new study from the prairie lands suggests that grass will have the last laugh on the aldermen, showing the price Carrboro residents pay for politicians determining and maintaining public policy based on a “facts optional” world view.

Perennial herbaceous plants such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) were evaluated by University of Nebraska researchers as a cellulosic bioenergy crop in multiple acre sized field trials. Switchgrass produced 540% more renewable energy than nonrenewable energy consumed. Switchgrass monocultures managed for high yield produced 93% more biomass yield and an equivalent estimated net energy yield than previous estimates from human-made prairies that received low agricultural inputs. Estimated average greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from cellulosic ethanol derived from switchgrass were 94% lower than estimated GHG from gasoline.

Switchgrass (adapted to the prairie climate and ecosystem) leaves corn (a non-prairie plant) stalking a distant second place.

No word from Aldermen Coleman or Gist as to when apologies will be issued to Carrboro grass owners.