INC NEWS - Request that INC address questionable City Council protocols for approving urbanization projects that affect our neighborhoods

[John Schelp]

I share many of the concerns of the Old Five Points
and Old North Durham neighborhood associations.

After spending millions in public subsidies to support
mostly corporate-centered projects south of downtown,
these grants (a small percentage of the money already
spent) were supposed to support neighborhoods near
downtown.

These new grants may, or may not, do that. 

But the lack of neighborhood notification and effort
to engage neighborhood support is troubling.

~John Schelp

**** 

> At last week's City Council meeting, the Old North
> Durham Neighborhood
> Association and Old Five points Neighborhood
> Association presented their
> concerns regarding UDI and United Baptist Church
> projects that the Council
> appears to be supporting without adequate regard to
> input from the Durham
> neighborhoods that are directly impacted by their
> (the Council's) decisions.
> A summary of the concerns is listed below, and the
> entire document that was
> presented to the Council is attached.  
> 
> The nature of the decisions that elicited the
> concern of these two
> neighborhoods should be of concern to ALL
> neighborhoods of Durham, as it
> relates to the transparency of governmental
> processes undertaken by elected
> officials who supposedly represent the taxpaying
> citizens of Durham. I would
> like to see the issues presented below to be
> addressed by the
> Interneighborhood Council of Durham.  Is it possible
> to have this issue
> included in the INC meeting tomorrow, Sept. 26,
> (even as new business), or
> at least placed on the earliest possible future
> agenda?
> 
> Respectfully, 
>
> Jim Ellenson
> 
> INC representative from the Old North Durham
> Neighborhood Association


> A summary of the issues presented to Council,
> Monday, Sept. 18: (a complete transcript is
attached)
> 
> The Old North Durham Neighborhood Association, in
> conjunction with Old Five
> Points Neighborhood Association, asked that the city
> defer voting on
> approving Neighborhood Revitalization Funds to
> projects for UDI and The
> United Baptist Church in the Old Five Points
> Neighborhood.  Our reasons were:
> 
> *      Lack of neighborhood notification and effort
> to engage neighborhood support.
> 
> *      The fact that the UDI proposal does not
> concern property it owns or is in contract to own.
> 
> *      The fact that the UDI proposal concerns
> demolition and rebuilding,
> rather than rehabbing properties that are listed on
> the North Durham Duke
> Park National Register.  Rehabbing is more
> economically viable.
> 
> *      The fact that the Union Baptist Church tore
> down a city block,
> including the site of the first North Carolina
> sit-in, without neighborhood
> consent and/or involvement.
> 
> *      There are no private partners.
> 
> *      There is no provision for job training and/or
> long-term employment for local workers.