Matt Viser

News

A Roof Over Chapel Hill's Poverty

By Matt Viser | February 27

It's 6:15 p.m., and people are getting hungry. It's been a long day of work for some. Others have spent the day hanging out on Franklin Street. A few have been asking for spare change. People are congregating outside, talking and smoking. A small crowd sits in the lounge, watching the evening news and waiting for a receptionist to allow more people to file into the small dining room. The Inter-Faith Council Community House serves three hot meals a day, 365 days a year, and offers temporary lodging for at least 56 people nightly.

News

Plan Mandates Housing for More Students

By Matt Viser | October 24

The University plans to add 3,300 more students to UNC's campus during the next eight to 10 years. Some have disputed whether the University needs to grow at such a rate. But University officials say they have a plan to accommodate all additional students. The lingering discussion has been made somewhat moot by the town's passing of UNC's Development Plan on Oct. 3. Plans to accommodate new students now have been given the green light. A Bed for Every Head

News

Development Plan Evolves

By Matt Viser | October 10

A year ago, University officials had a rough idea of what they wanted the UNC campus to look like 10 years from now. But after negotiations, debate and several heated public hearings, their plans have been modified and spelled out in much greater detail. Town officials' considerations were incorporated into the plan. Residents added input. And now construction tools aren't far out of the University's grasp.

News

Development Plan Passes 8-1

By Matt Viser | October 4

University officials breathed a sigh of relief Wednesday night after UNC's Development Plan was approved by the Chapel Hill Town Council in an 8-1 vote. Less than 30 minutes after the approval, another burden was lifted from UNC's shoulders.

News

Moeser's Approach Frustrates Some Residents

By Matt Viser | October 4

When he was chosen to serve as UNC's ninth chancellor, James Moeser's reputation for being a tenacious leader had already earned him both praise and criticism as chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. During his first year at UNC, Moeser's tenacity again has drawn mixed reviews. And like at UN-L, his tenacity has played an integral role in shaping town-gown relations during his time at UNC, particularly in regards to UNC's Development Plan. The Development Plan, an eight-year strategy for managing campus growth, has been the source of considerable tension between residen

News

Campus Forum to Center on Growth Plan

By Matt Viser | September 10

The Faculty Council, Employee Forum and student government are sponsoring a forum today to present the University's proposed Development Plan to the campus community. The Development Plan, which includes portions of UNC's Master Plan, details campus growth for the next eight years. The forum will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Carroll Hall auditorium. It will allow students, faculty and community members to be aware of the University's plans for campus growth.

News

UNC Responds to Town's Growth Stipulations

By Matt Viser | September 6

University officials said Wednesday that they will submit an addendum to UNC's Development Plan to the town in hopes of clearing up a discrepancy between the University's Development and Master plans. In the Master Plan, a 50-year blueprint for internal campus growth, the University indicates that a four-lane road and a 60-foot transit corridor eventually will be built on the southern perimeter of campus. But in the Development Plan, an eight-year summary of how campus growth will affect the town, there is no mention of an access road or a transit corridor.

News

Board Conditionally Supports Growth Plan

By Matt Viser | September 5

The Chapel Hill Planning Board issued a final recommendation on UNC's Development Plan on Tuesday night, stating that the town should only support the plan if 33 changes are made to it. The board also recommended that the Chapel Hill Town Council further discuss whether the town should push for three additional changes to the Development Plan. The board's recommendation will go before the council for in early October. A public hearing is set for Sept.

News

Family Adds Spice to Franklin

By Matt Viser | August 29

There were the Danzigers in the 1950s and the Julians in the 1970s. And now, there are the DiBartolos. Chapel Hill has a long history of family-run businesses, and the DiBartolo family is keeping this tradition alive on Franklin Street. The family, which employs at least 50 people, owns and operates four restaurants in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, three of which are located in prime spots along Franklin Street. The DiBartolo family moved to Chapel Hill seven years ago and brought with them a history of family-run businesses.

News

Plan May Put Neighborhood Buffer at Stake

By Matt Viser | August 23

Residents are anxious about the implications UNC's Development Plan could have on a buffer that shields their neighborhood from University construction and traffic. The Development Plan, which includes portions of the University's Master Plan, details campus growth for the next eight years. UNC officials hope the Chapel Hill Town Council will approve the plan by early October. One immediate worry residents have is the University's desire to drop its special-use permit for the Smith Center.