Preserving Chapel Hill

This from the N&O blogs, June 12, 2007:

Preservation Society chief: Don't let Chapel Hill become Cary
Ernest Dollar, the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill director, asked the Town Council Monday to consider requiring property owners to wait two years before building anything more than a single-family home after demolishing a historic structure. Dollar said a similar rule in Apex has helped to preserve antique architecture because it makes tear-downs less lucrative.

"We really need this ordinance to make sure we don't become like Cary," he said. "It will save the very things that give Chapel Hill its very unique, distinct culture. The next time you find yourself in Cary, ask yourself if you want Chapel Hill to end up like Cary."

. . .

Around here a single family home is a pretty big deal.