Thank you for Matt Viser's fine reporting (Aug. 23) on the Chapel Hill Planning Board's discussion of UNC's Development Plan. I attended that meeting and sat dumfounded as University officials wasted over an hour of citizen and Planning Board time regurgitating old presentations rather than addressing the specific thorny questions that the board and town staff had raised.
Fortunately, the regulatory authority of the town of Chapel Hill, in this case, is quite real, and with enough citizen encouragement the Town Council can be expected to act to mitigate the environmental and social impacts of UNC's colossal expansion.
Most telling in Viser's article was his reporting of Mr. Dean Bresciani's comment that neighbors "will be surprised" when they see the results of the Development Plan. That is just the problem. South Campus is literally littered with surprises that degrade the surrounding neighborhoods.
Students are the ones who will live longest with the long-term consequences to air quality and quality of life that will result from that kind of thinking. Fortunately, some members of the Planning Board are already asking tough questions of UNC and the Town Council.
I urge readers to encourage the town of Chapel Hill not to shy away from exercising its authority to act to protect air and water quality, preserve neighborhood integrity, and maintain the quality of life for future generations.
Dan Coleman
Chapel Hill
