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County stands pat on date of Briar Chapel hearing
[Sep. 20, 2004] Despite pleas from a watchdog citizen's group, the Board of Commissioners decided Monday to keep an Oct. 7 public hearing date for the proposed Briar Chapel development. During a commissioners' work session meeting Monday, the lawyer for Chatham Citizens for Effective Communities said the Oct. 7 public hearing date on the massive development five miles south of Chapel Hill is premature. The date conflicts with a statute that says commissioners can receive public comments at a hearing at the last regular meetings in September and November, among other months, asserted Jeff Starkweather, CCEC's attorney. October is not one of those months, he said. By Herald Sun - WEB RUN

Chatham postpones hearing on project
[Sep. 20, 2004] More than 100 people attended the Chatham County Commissioners meeting Monday night, and at least half of them anxiously awaited their chance to object to the latest of a long list of development proposals in the growing county, this one at Booth Mountain. But they never got the chance. Facing a list of 50 speakers from the community, the board decided at 8:30 p.m. to postpone that part of the public hearing until Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. By Herald Sun - WEB RUN

Critics hope to slow project
[Sep. 19, 2004] A group of Briar Chapel critics plans to ask Chatham County commissioners Monday night to slow down the review process for the giant mixed-use development that would be the largest in county history. Chatham Citizens for Effective Communities members said they think the county's zoning ordinance rules out an Oct. 7 public hearing. They say November should be the earliest date for the quasi-judicial session to consider the proposal. By N&O - WEB RUN

Briar Chapel impact debated
[Sep. 17, 2004] Siler City - A citizens group raised doubts Thursday about whether Briar Chapel, the biggest development ever proposed in Chatham County, would indeed pay for itself as developers promise. At buildout, its approximately 6,000 residents would add an additional 31,000 car trips a day and at least $900,000 to the county's coffers, developers' consultants said. Representatives of Chatham Citizens also questioned Newland's assumptions that the housing market would support average home prices of $317,000 in the development. If valuations decrease, that means property taxes collected by the county would decrease, said retired engineer David Stallard. By N&O - WEB RUN

Briar Chapel gets cool response at forum
[Sep. 17, 2004] Walton Haywood lives near Bennett Mountain, on the outskirts of what soon may be the Briar Chapel compact community. For years, he's trekked the natural area, which the plan shows as the future site of 16 housing lots. "There's a lot of wildlife back there," he told Briar Chapel developers at a public meeting Thursday. "My concern is it's a corrider, it's a wildlife corridor. These critters can't pack a suitcase and move out of town." At the second public meeting on the 1,589-acre compact community -- this one in Siler City -- the issue of Bennett Mountain arose once again. By Herald Sun - WEB RUN

Briar Chapel impact debated
[Sep. 17, 2004] A citizens group raised doubts Thursday about whether Briar Chapel, the biggest development ever proposed in Chatham County, would indeed pay for itself as developers promise. Representatives of Chatham Citizens also questioned Newland's assumptions that the housing market would support average home prices of $317,000 in the development. By N&O - WEB RUN

Briar Chapel triggers queries
[Sep. 16, 2004] Briar Chapel's consultants left a public question-and-answer session Wednesday night with a little homework. Experts and lay people alike asked a battery of questions about how developers of the 1,589-acre, 2,389-home mixed proposal would help reduce the development's effects on traffic, the environment and the economy. "Nobody said there won't be any impacts," said Robert Goldstein, an environmental consultant hired by the county to review the proposal. About 160 people attended the forum at the Superior Court room in the county courthouse Wednesday, including about 30 paid consultants on hand to answer citizen questions, and a dozen advisers of the community group Chatham Citizens for Effective Communities. By N&O - WEB RUN

Briar Chapel leaders get loads of questions
[Sep. 16, 2004] Chatham County residents hammered questions at leaders of the proposed Briar Chapel development Wednesday night, pointing out what they said were mistakes in studies looking at the effects of the massive mixed-use community. For more than three hours, those involved with the development defended their plans as area residents voiced their concerns, which spanned from economic impact numbers to library space. By Herald Sun - WEB RUN

Briar Chapel leaders get loads of questions
[Sep. 16, 2004] Chatham County residents hammered questions at leaders of the proposed Briar Chapel development Wednesday night, pointing out what they said were mistakes in studies looking at the effects of the massive mixed-use community. For more than three hours, those involved with the development defended their plans as area residents voiced their concerns, which spanned from economic impact numbers to library space. By Herald Sun - WEB RUN

Powell Place to crank up in fall
[Sep. 16, 2004] After two years of planning, construction on the first batch of homes in the Powell Place mixed-use development will start this fall, although one town officials says Pittsboro is not ready for it. The town Board of Commissioners earlier this week approved the first phase of construction on the 148-acre property situated near the U.S. 64 Bypass-U.S. 15-501 interchange, but Commissioner Max Cotten said he was uneasy with the plans and opposed the construction. By Herald Sun - WEB RUN

Misfortunes sink plot to swipe ATM
[Sep. 15, 2004] The heist began with a hitch. Thieves started in Wake County and helped themselves to a pickup with a 16-foot trailer attached and a Bobcat loader on top of that. They hauled their load to Chatham County to pick up some real loot at the State Employees' Credit Union five miles east of Pittsboro. With what seemed like a master plan, the thieves unloaded the Bobcat and knocked through a free-standing kiosk to get to the ATM inside. They then wrapped a chain around the cash machine and started to yank it off its foundation. By N&O - WEB RUN

Forum tonight on Briar Chapel
[Sep. 15, 2004] A full house is expected at tonight's question-and-answer forum on the mixed-use Briar Chapel project, which, if approved, would be the largest development in Chatham County history. The meeting will run from 6 to 9 p.m. in the county courthouse's Superior Court room, which holds almost 300 people. A similar forum will be held at the same time Thursday at Jordan-Matthews High School in Siler City. By N&O - WEB RUN

Powell Place to crank up in fall
[Sep. 15, 2004] After two years of planning, construction on the first batch of homes in the Powell Place mixed-use development will start this fall, although one town officials says Pittsboro is not ready for it. The town Board of Commissioners earlier this week approved the first phase of construction on the 148-acre property situated near the U.S. 64 Bypass-U.S. 15-501 interchange, but Commissioner Max Cotten said he was uneasy with the plans and opposed the construction. By Herald Sun - WEB RUN

Chatham County Weighs Pros, Cons Of New Development
[Sep. 15, 2004] Chatham County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. Encouraging development while maintaining the county's rural character can be a real balancing act. That concern is coming into play with the proposed Briar Chapel development. The proposed development, with 2,300 homes and 1,500 acres, is expected to increase Chatham County's population by nearly 10 percent. Members of Chatham Citizens for Effective Communities say it is just not a good fit. By WRAL-TV - WEB RUN