Proceed with caution: Chapel Hill should be slow to change

Chapel Hill is a dream location.

It is a place with a friendly" small-town feel that offers the cultural opportunities of a big city.

We need to do all that we can to keep it that way.

But it doesn't seem like we can hold on to this quaint picture of perfection much longer.

The imminent construction of Carolina North and the steady increase in population growth are both shaping a very different version of Chapel Hill for the coming years.

""Chapel Hill 2020"" was the name of a recent forum series where local residents were invited to voice concerns for the future of the town.

People are worried about the increase in traffic and the need for more public transit options. Other worries have been voiced about making the community more inclusive with affordable public housing.

Keeping these concerns in mind" we need to think about all the things we love about Chapel Hill and how to preserve them.

Right now residents can walk to several locally owned restaurants on Franklin Street.

Students can walk to class through a beautifully landscaped campus.

And we can even walk to the Bolshoi Ballet whose performance at Memorial Hall marks their first appearance in the southeastern United States.

But in light of all this if we don't want Franklin Street to turn into a generic strip mall we should continue to support our locally owned businesses and creative arts events.

We can still be a town with  its own unique character maybe even more of it.

Progress is inevitable and should often be embraced. But we should proceed with caution.

It is important to address the growth and changes in Chapel Hill so that it doesn't turn into a place that we no longer recognize.