Slip Daily Sar Hppl
New Hotel
Will Only
Help Town
A proposed addition to West
Franklin Street could breathe
new life into the downtown
area.
And for once, there seems to be
broad support for new construction.
Last week, the Chapel Hill Town
Council held a public hearing on The
Franklin, a five
story, 66-room
hotel slated to be
built across from
Ham’s, where
the abandoned
Trail ways Bus
Station currendy
sits. The bus sta
tion was pur
chased last year
by Richard and
Robert Capps of
Greenville for
$795,000. The
JONATHAN
CHANEY
CITY
COLUMNIST
Capps also own hotels in Greensboro,
Jacksonville and Greenville.
A surprising number, from a
broad range of groups, spoke in
favor of the construction project at
the meeting.
The Downtown Commission and
the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of
Commerce voiced support, as well as
residents of the Northside District and
the historic district to the south of West
Franklin Street.
Getting residents and business lead
ers to agree on the fate of downtown
Chapel Hill is far from an all-too-com
mon occurrence.
But there is good reason to wel
come a business like The Franklin to
West Franklin Street.
A hotel located at the heart of the
downtown area is certain to be a boost
for local businesses - especially eater
ies such as the Carolina Brewery, Four
Eleven West, 23 and Pyewacket
Restaurant.
Unlike many higher-class hotels
and inns, The Franklin will not have a
restaurant within its walls. That means
the occupants of those 66 rooms will
have to venture out to eat -and lucki
ly Franklin Street is not low on options
for hungry visitors.
In fact, The Franklin’s passing on
an internal restaurant probably is a
large reason behind the vocal support
from local businesses.
Also, retail shops will undoubtedly
benefit from the added foot traffic up
and down the street.
So business owners have a vested
interest in seeing a hotel added to the
downtown landscape.
But what do residents have to gain?
One obvious benefit is the addition
of jobs at the hotel that are easily
accessible by mass transit.
Secondly, hotel planners have been
careful about drawing up plans for a
structure that doesn’t superimpose
itself, or “drown out,” surrounding
areas. After all, a five-story building on
Franklin Street could appear mon
strous beside small one- and two-story
shops.
To counter that fear, the upper
floors of The Franklin will be tiered, so
that only the first two floors are seen
by pedestrians.
In addition, two levels of parking will
be built below the hotel. That way,
there will not be an extra burden on the
already-cramped parking situation
downtown and a mid-sized parking lot
will not lower the area’s aesthetic quali
ty
These considerations by the hotel
planners helped win over local resi
dents.
And let’s face it: almost anything
would be better on Franklin Street
than the current abandoned bus sta
tion.
I don’t believe that residents, busi
nesses or the Town Council should
worry about the new hotel being an
eyesore either.
Number one, it’s catering to the
wealthier set - so aesthetic quality
(both within and outside) will be
important.
Also, designers have said that the
structure will be brick and reconsti
tuted stone, with wooden windows.
So it will fit right in with the architec
ture of the University and surround
ing area.
All in all, the proposal seems to be
a good mix of much-needed business
development, balanced with smart
growth planning. This is the type of
“smart construction” that both Chapel
Hill and Carrboro should continue to
pursue as both towns grow in the com
ing years.
The proposal will come up for a
vote before the Town Council on Nov.
12. If approved, The Franklin could
be up and running as soon as summer
2003.
Hopefully, I’ll come back a few
years from now as a wealthy alum and
be able to afford staying there ...
Columnist Jonathan Chaney can be
reached at jhchaney@email.unc.edu.
Campus Officials Respond to Mail Threats
DPS officials have received
numerous phone calls about
suspicious mail, but so far
all have proved harmless.
By John Frank
Staff Writer
UNC Mail Services officials said
Tuesday that they have not identified
any packages as potentially harmful,
... " C -
SKETCH COURTESY OF HANBL'RY EVANS ARCHITECTS
The construction of four new residence halls on South Campus is meant to alleviate strain as UNC embarks on implementing its Development Plan.
The sketch above is an artist's conception used for planning the new buildings, which are close to completion (below).
Plan Mandates Housing for More Students
By Matt Viser
Senior Writer
The University plans to add 3,300
more students to UNC’s campus during
the next eight to 10
years.
Some have dis
puted whether the
University needs to
grow at such a rate.
But University
officials say they
have a plan to
accommodate all
additional students.
The lingering
discussion has been
made somewhat
moot by the town’s
passing of UNC’s
Development Plan
on OcL 3.
Plans to accom
modate new stu-
IT
Building for
the Future
A four-part series
examining UNC's
Development Plan
■ Oct 10: Analysis
■ Oct 17: Transit
■ Today: Housing
■ Oct. 31: Additions
dents now have been given the green
light.
A Bed for Every Head
The late Chancellor Michael Hooker
developed a plan in 1998 for “a bed for
every head.” His mission was to provide
a residence for every new student
More Riser Seating Unlikely
By Jessica Sleep
Staff Writer
Officials say architectural and seating
difficulties within the Smith Center pre
vent the possibility of building addition
al risers in the near future.
Although they have explored the
possibility of constructing anew riser
section under the west end of the bas
ketball court, officials say it is not a fea
sible option for the upcoming basketball
season.
“Right now we don’t have the capa
bilities to do risers on the other end,"
said Clint Gwaltney, director of ticket
operations.
Gwaltney explained that constructing
new risers is very difficult logistically
because the west end of the Smith Center
is configured differendy than the east
end, where the risers now stand.
Gwaltney said the two exit tunnels
located on the east end made it easier to
construct risers last year because the
seats were already elevated, so people
were able to see the court over students
standing in the risers.
But he said the seats located in the
west end are not elevated, so any stu
dents standing in riser sections would
despite the adoption of strict guidelines.
But the Department of Public Safety
and the Department of Environment,
Health and Safety have responded to
about 20 emergency calls on campus
regarding suspicious mail in the last week.
In every case, the DPS officers deter
mined there was no credible threat.
University Mail Services, the sole
recipient of all University mail, said
regardless of the precautions it takes, its
system is not foolproof.
“We are doing our best to screen and
■MM!' fj. . , aRSHgI. YoSwH'' ■TT * H
enrolled at UNC.
Hooker’s plan was part of a deal made
with town officials that aimed to combat
a high cost of living in Chapel Hill.
In 2000, the average house in Chapel
Hill sold for $311,000, almost twice as
much as a home in Durham.
Town officials worried that the
University’s growth would only add to
students’ demand for housing in Chapel
Hill, further inflating the cost of living.
But UNC officials were aware of the
town’s concerns and took them into
consideration when devising plans for
obstruct the view of people seated in the
comers near the basketball court
Gwaltney said the architect who built
last year’s risers and the Smith Center
also assessed the physical possibilities of
building new risers on the west end, but
concluded that constructing new risers
would be much tougher logistically.
Steve Kirschner, director of sports
information, said he doesn’t think con
structing new risers will be an option.
Kirschner said one problem with
building new risers is that there are
already people sitting in the area where
the risers would be built.
Kirschner said building risers last
year was easier because there were more
empty seats in the Smith Center, so offi
cials were able to move people around
to make room for the risers. But he said
that this year there is no extra space to
relocate people who already have tick
ets behind the west basketball goal.
Carolina Athletic Association
President Reid Chaney said that in
order to construct the risers last year, 50
to 60 alumni had to be moved to make
room for the risers.
But he said to put risers on the west
end of the basketball court, about 180 to
190 alumni would have to be relocated.
News
watch for suspicious packages, but it is
incumbent on faculty and staff to be
alert,” said Tommy Brickhouse, manag
er of University Mail Services.
EHS Director Peter Reinhardt said
the reports of suspicious mail were made
by faculty, staff and students.
The deans’ offices at the College of Arts
and Sciences and the School of Medicine
each received two of the 20 suspicious
pieces of mail last Wednesday.
Reinhardt said people are being cau
tious about the mail they receive in light of
the largest growth project Chapel Hill
and the University have ever seen.
“We didn’t want to push more stu
dents into the community,” said Sue
Kitchen, vice chancellor for student
affairs.
“When we first started talking about
enrollment, members of the town were
very adamant about us accommodating
that growth on campus.”
More Space for More Students
During the next 10 years, students will
be shuffled repeatedly to accommodate a
Chaney also said finding comparable
seating for those alumni is difficult
because most of them have seats near
the basket.
Chaney said to build new risers,
alumni would have to lend their sup
port. “Even if we can get 150 alumni to
change their seats, if we don’t get the
other thirty we need, then we can’t build
the risers,” he said.
Chaney said students also play a role
in whether the risers can be constructed.
He said the demand for additional risers
must be supported by adequate student
attendance at the games. With the
exception of the Duke University game
last year, not all student tickets were dis
tributed for every home game, he said.
“When we try to get more student
seating and create more risers, it hurts
our chances when there are student tick
ets left over after each game,” he said.
But Chaney said new risers are still a
possibility in the future, even though
there won’t be any constructed this year.
“Yes, I definitely do believe it’s still a
possibility,” he said. “But it can’t happen
overnight.”
The University Editor can be reached
at udesk@unc.edu.
the recent anthrax scares.
“We are cautious because we never
know when it may be a credible threat,”
Reinhardt said.
University Mail Services staff are also
being careful to look for “red flags” when
manually sorting mail, Brickhouse said.
The service’s five main indicators to
identify a suspicious package are the
lack of a return address, handwritten
mailing addresses, irregular or bulky
packaging, excessive postage and items
marked “personal” or “confidential.”
complex housing plan for South Campus.
Four residence halls, the construction
of which is in progress, will be completed
by spring 2002, and students will begin
moving in for the fall 2002 semester.
Four rooms will be suite-style with
two double bedrooms sharing a semi
private bathroom. The residence halls
will provide 900 more beds for under
graduate students.
Although the four residence halls
were not part of the Development Plan,
Karen Geer, administrative officer of
facility planning, said the new residence
halls will facilitate the progress of the
Development Plan.
“They’re almost finished,” she said.
“Only the buildings that are going to be
built from now forward are in the
Development Plan, but (the residence
halls are) going to house a thousand stu
dents.
“They will start the migration of stu
dents to the South Campus.”
Next, anew married student housing
complex will be built in the Baity Hill
area. Eleven three-story buildings will
be constructed and eventually will
replace the Odum Village apartments.
University officials say the 50-year-old
apartments are in dire need of repair.
See HOUSING, Page 4
DTH/KATIE RIGGAN
Town May Incorporate
Tract in Transit Plans
By Angie Newsome
Staff Writer
Concerns about future traffic prob
lems prompted town officials Monday
to address the impact of UNC’s pro
posed Horace Williams development on
regional transportation plans.
The Chapel Hill Town Council voted
to continue participating in a regional
transportation study and instructed town
staff to develop a process to connect
regional mass transit plans to the future
Horace Williams development
No plans now directly link the tract to
a proposed corridor that would connect
areas of the Triangle with various forms
of mass transit
Council member Kevin Foy said it
was important to consider the tract
when planning the corridor.
In 1995 the Durham-Chapel Hill-
Carrboro Transportation Advisory
Committee initiated a study of how to
plan the corridor, which recommends
transit options like bus lanes, diesel rail
and light rail.
Town Manager Cal Horton said the
Wednesday, October 24, 2001
Brickhouse said the lack of a return
address, the typewritten address labels
and the incorrect addressees on the
packages received by the two deans’
offices should have been caught by
University Mail Services.
“They just slipped through,” he said.
All faculty and staff on campus also
received an e-mail from the DPS, EHS
and University Mail Services last week,
informing them of safety precautions to
See PACKAGES, Page 4
ASU Keeps
Freeze on
Expenses
But UNC-CH Provost Robert
Shelton says that no freezes
on spending or renovation
have been ordered yet.
By Amanda Lee
Staff Writer
Appalachian State University offi
cials have said they will continue freez
ing all nonessential spending until there
are indications of a more stable state
budget situation.
But UNC-system officials said it is up
to individual universities to choose their
response to looming threats of budget
cuts.
Two weeks ago, Gov. Mike Easley
indicated that the UNC system might
have to contend with budget reductions
of up to 4 percent.
But Easley has said he will try to
avoid targeting educational programs
when looking for additional savings
within state expenditures.
Appalachian State has been signifi
cantly affected this fiscal year. Not only
was it allotted $2 million less by the state
than last year, but the university must now
deal with additional decreases in funding.
Appalachian State officials immedi
ately began limiting expenditures as
soon as they realized the ensuing short
fall of state-appropriated funds.
Bob Shaffer, associate vice chancel-1
lor for pubhc affairs at Appalachian’
State, defined the freezing as immedi-;
ately curtailing some expenditures.
The university will freeze most vacant;
staff positions, reorganize staff positions;
to prevent hiring, halt spending on non-’
instructional items, curtail traveling for>
faculty and freeze repairs and renova-*
tions that have not yet begun.
“We’re using a twofold approach,”*
Shaffer said. “We are looking to both*
protect current employees and preserve!
the quality of our education by elimi-I
nating nonessential spending.” |
He added he could not forecast next
year’s budget situation, but said that in
the meantime Appalachian State will,
continue its restructuring process. ;
Shaffer said he does not believe-
Appalachian State will combine classes!
ease the budget crunch. “Small classes!
are a hallmark of our university,” he said.!
But James Smith, UNC-system assis-!
tant vice president of finance, said the!
term “freeze" might be used prema-;
turely right now. ;
“There’s not a need for a total freeze;
right now, just to control the rate of*
expenditures,” he said.
See APPALACHIAN STATE, Page 4!
second phase of the study, which exam
ines transit improvements between
Durham and Chapel Hill, started in’
1999.
The regional transportation plan
details most area transportation plans
but does not focus on specifics with the
Horace Williams tract.
“The plan was too far along to add
Horace Williams,” said council member
Bill Strom.
The Horace Williams tract is a 979-
acre parcel of land north of main cam
pus that is slated for development under
the University’s Master Plan, a 50-year
guide for development and growth.
UNC wants to house research and
residential facilities as well as commer
cial development on the tract.
Plans include proposals for 1,900 res
idential units. The plan also predicts
45,000 daily auto trips around the devel
opment.
Mayor Rosemary Waldorf also
urged consideration of the tract’s
impact on regional transit planning
See TOWN COUNCIL) Page 4
3