The Pittsboro, N.C., Board of Commissioners approved the master plan for Chatham Park, a massive residential and commercial project that could bring 60,000 people to Pittsboro over several decades.
The proposal for the small town near Research Triangle is believed to be the largest single development plan in North Carolina’s history.
The developer bought roughly 7,500 acres over nearly a decade in preparation for the project. The proposal drew passionate opposition from some residents who are concerned about how the project would drastically change the character of the town that is home to 4,000 residents.
Construction on Chatham Park may begin immediately for up to 5% of the project’s residential areas and 15% of its commercial space. With the plan’s final approval, Pittsboro could follow a growth pattern similar to those of cities like Reston, Va., Columbia, Md., and Irvine, Calif. Those cities were seeded by single companies in the 1960s and 1970s, and their populations today have reached as much as 230,000.
(http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/06/09/3923957/pittsboro-vote-to-approve-chatham.html)
Related Stories
| Nov 29, 2012
Government policies help accelerate adoption of green building
Green procurement policies or green building mandates can help accelerate the adoption of green building practices, according to research by Timothy Simcoe and Michael Toffel.
| Nov 26, 2012
Minnesota law to spur development, job creation produced few jobs
Legislation that allowed local governments to direct excess property tax dollars from tax-increment financing districts into other private developments was supposed to kick-start construction hiring in Minnesota.
| Nov 26, 2012
How to boost resilient systems that are sustainable
Cities of the future can be both more resilient and more sustainable by promoting strategies that include solar power and green roofs, programs that minimize demand for energy, rain gardens, and permeable pavement.
| Nov 26, 2012
Developer of nation’s first LEED platinum skyscraper focuses on carbon reduction
The Durst Organization, the developer of the first LEED platinum certified skyscraper in the country, says it will not seek LEED certification for its residential pyramid planned for New York’s West 57th Street.
| Nov 26, 2012
Questions linger over ability of Miami's newer high-rises to withstand hurricanes
Some towers in Miami, rebuilt after a hurricane in 2005, were allowed to be constructed under older building codes instead of newer ones created after Hurricane Wilma.
| Nov 26, 2012
Changes in development and building standards needed for health of Potomac River
The Potomac River’s health stands to suffer if the region does not change its development and building standards, according to the Potomac Conservancy.
| Nov 16, 2012
South Dakota prefers LEED over building code on state projects
“(LEED is) much better than a mandatory building code because you get a little wiggle room in these projects,” said Mike Mueller, a spokesman for the South Dakota Bureau of Administration.
