Recent developments on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard may come into question in coming months, with two new members of the town council and Mayor-Elect Pam Hemminger both having ties with the Chapel Hill Alliance for a Livable Town, a political organization that raised concerns about development in town leading up to the elections.
“No, we were not in favor of Charterwood and have serious questions about Weaver Dairy Road,” said Tom Henkel, official spokesperson of CHALT and CEO of Henkel Solar, Inc. “I think the folks that voted for Pam Hemminger, Nancy Oates and Jessica Anderson don’t approve either.”
Some of the projects on MLK include: LUX at Central Park, Weaver Street Crossing, the Charterwood development and the recently opened Goddard School.
“It was called Hillsborough Road before being renamed in 2005,” said Susan Newrock, representative of the Chapel Hill Historical Society. “Within the last 30 years or so it was mainly undeveloped land.”
Newrock described the street as one with sparse buildings since its beginning in 1916, when it only had seven lots for sale. Most of the street’s buildings, until recently, were mills, farms or factories. But she said she knew of an old steak place where customers could watch the kitchen.
“This was all back in the 60s and 70s when it was just a two-way road,” Newrock said.
Now, several projects are coming to occupy the previously unused land on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and many of them seem to have a goal of making the area livable for students and families alike.
