Until, that is, this regulatory bible becomes the centerpiece of a development battle over how one may use a property, and where one may choose to set up shop.
The long-simmering issue of what to do about homeless shelters in Chapel Hill is the key that opened another chapter in the Land Use Management Ordinance. On Monday, Town Council voted to alter the ponderous document to lift a cap that prevented shelters and similar facilities from housing more than 25 people. That has been a goal for the Inter-Faith Council, which plans to put in a 52-bed shelter off of Homestead Road to expand its humanitarian mission for the downtrodden.
But the explosive issue has its detractors, the most vocal of whom say the shelter is a major contributor to crime in its present location and that placing it in a more residential setting may be uncomfortable, at a minimum, risky at worst, for families and children who use parks near the proposed site, where a women's shelter and drug rehab facility already exist.
In many ways, neighboring residents find themselves in much the same position as those living in and around the Rogers Road community -- town growth pushing less desirable, but vital, facilities into their neighborhoods. It will be interesting to compare how these issues ultimately are handled.
