Wednesday, March 10, 2010
"Goodwill drops Governors Village site" - Chapel Hill News
I'd like to know more about this, but what I read here worries me about a "not in my backyard" approach that is wholly inconsistent with how would look at this if the proposal were to come to Southern Village.
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Hi Terry,
ReplyDeleteMaybe if you were to visit the site where Goodwill would like to build, you might understand this approach. The proposed 11,000 sq. ft. center would be right in the center of our community and within 100 feet of my townhome, so the "in my backyard" approach is appropriate for our situation in Governor's Village. It would be comparable to Goodwill building a center of the same size in the middle of the Market St. in Southern Village. What approach do you think the residents of Southern Village would use if in our position? A Goodwill center located out on 15-501, a major road (unlike the roads by Governor's Village), may be more appropriate, but I'd seriously doubt the residents of Southern Village would welcome an 11,000 sq. ft. within 100 ft. of their residences.
Governor's Village is not a neighborhood that residents of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Durham pass by regularly on their way somewhere else in town, so it seems like an unusual location for Goodwill to build anyway.
The following are points we've made in our mission to stop this proposed development:
* Adverse impact on adjoining neighbors. Facility will be about 100 feet from personal residences.
* No public transportation to this remote, rural location
* Increase in traffic, including 18-wheelers on small two-lane, winding county roads and through narrow residential neighborhood roads. Many bicyclers use these roads currently.
* The facility will not serve the immediate needs of our neighborhoods
* A donation center and thrift store do not belong nestled in the center of a small residential community. An examination of recent new stores opened by Goodwill did not uncover any built in such a residential rural location
* Donation centers receive traffic day and night, and night-time drop-offs and could contribute to blight in the area.
On a personal note, as a resident/owner of a townhouse so close to the proposed building site, I not only worry about loss of property value but also personal safety.
I hope this clarifies some of your questions about our approach.
Thank you!