The town of Chapel Hill should continue to push the owners of Camelot Village Condominiums to sell the property to the town.
Keeping these condos would not only be unsafe, but it would also cost money.
The buildings are a safety hazard, and recovering them from floods is a waste of government money because the location of the condos makes it likely for the buildings to be damaged by floods again.
Even if the current owners were to rebuild these condos, people in this area may not want to purchase the beach-style condos that would replace the current buildings, making them safe living spaces according to updated flood plans.
If the city buys these properties, much could be done to benefit the entire town.
Turning this area into a park or other type of public recreation site would transform this dangerous, virtually unusable space into something beneficial for people all over Chapel Hill.
Using the state grant money to buy these condos would also be a smart investment for the town.
Buying these buildings and turning the site into something else would save money in the future, as another serious flood could be expected because the condos are built on a flood plain, and federal money would not have to be spent as it was in June when the properties were repaired.
The reality is that a flood plain is not a safe or cheap place to build condos, and if the owners would sell the buildings to the town, something useful could be done with an otherwise problematic lot of land.
Turning these properties into a place the whole town could enjoy would save money and would be a safer alternative.
