Issues

Chapel Hill is a great place to live, but it’s not without its faults.  Here are the main issues Mr Suttle has heard from the citizens of Chapel Hill.

• High Housing Cost:
  The average cost of a median single-family home in Chapel Hill can range from $450,000 to $750,000. For recent grads or younger families, this makes the American dream of owning a home seem like a distant memory.  Chapel Hill needs more affordable housing options.  This can be achieved by looking into affordable alternative building materials like hempcrete for home construction.  
• Traffic Congestion:
  Our roads are an embarrassment.  Aside from their distressing condition, the roads are not designed to handle the amount of traffic we have, especially during a University event.  We need to focus on infrastructure to repair and rethink the roadways in Chapel Hill
• Homeless Population:
  The town has turned its back on the people that need its help the most.  The old East Rosemary Parking Deck has been turned into a homeless encampment.  The few resources the town has for the homeless are underfunded and not advertised in a way that those who need them even know they’re available.  By partnering with groups like Trosa, we can increase the number of resources available and look into building a halfway house and a shelter to help our homeless population get back on their feet and off the street. 
• Franklin Street:
  Absentee landlords have driven rents through the roof, forcing local businesses like Ascension Tattoo to close their doors.  Corporations are buying up multiple properties very close to each other and changing the landscape of what once was a picturesque Main Street in a college town.  We have chains like Raising Canes and Zaxbys moving into spots once operated by local residents with an entrepreneurial dream.  
• Public Transportation:
  Citizens in Chapel Hill depend on public transit, and trust that they will arrive safely at their destination.  This is a trust the town has broken.  Faulty equipment, poorly trained drivers and a disregard for safety procedures have led to far too many accidents in recent years.  The public transportation department in Chapel Hill needs a complete overhaul to ensure the safety of everyone that relies on the buses daily to get them to work, school or anywhere else in town.