Bull City Rising

Chickens, bees move one step closer to Bull City backyards

This year's discussion over ordinance changes to allow Durhamites to keep chickens in their back yard moves one step closer to fruition with the release of a draft text amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance permitting chickens under limited circumstances in residential areas.

The Durham Planning Commission will cluck over the proposal at their November 11 meeting. And don't have a hen if you want to attend but have a job that gets you up with the roosters: the meeting starts at 5:30.

Among the key items in the draft text amendment:

• Residents would need to submit an application for a Limited Agricultural Permit in order to lawfully keep chickens.
• Only female chickens (of any breed) would be permitted, though more than ten per lot.
• The product of the chickens -- be it eggs, chicks, slaughtered chickens, or manure, or any produce for which chicken manure was used as fertilizer -- can't be sold or given away.
• Chickens would need to remain within a chicken coop and chicken pen; they'd have to be secured in the coop throughout each evening. Coops would need to be 15 feet away from your property line; pens, 5 feet away. Existing garages/sheds can be used as coops if they meet the conditions of the ordinance; otherwise, it's off to get a building permit for you.
• Odors can't be discernible at your property boundary, nor should noise that would "disturb people of reasonable sensitivity."

Also up on the 11th: a proposal to allow beekeeping within residential areas, with a text amendment proposed to add apiculture to the permitted accessory uses for residential household areas, exclude beekeeping from a definition of "agricultural uses" of property, and which would repeal City Code Section 6-6, which contains restrictions on keeping bees within the city limits.

LocoPops and Duke: Don't worry, you can always venture off-campus

The Duke Chronicle has a story in Tuesday's issue about the closing of a LocoPops cart on West Campus for the winter months, given the cold weather and seasonality of the Duke location, which -- like the downtown branch -- tends to quiesce for a few months each year.

But if you read the Chronicle article, you might walk away with the impression that this is a battle over whether students have any access to the popular frozen treat at all:

Geoff Silver, a sophomore who enjoys a LocoPop once or twice a week, said he will miss the stand. Senior Jane Zhao said that although she does not buy LocoPops often, she has many friends who will likely feel the loss during the winter.

[Co-founder Summer] Bicknell confirmed that LocoPops will continue to be available in the Refectory Cafe throughout the winter. [Duke dining director Jim] Wulforst also said the freezer from the stand may be moved to Joe van Gogh if the coffee shop complies.

"We're not going to let students be without LocoPops," he said.

Oddly missing from this account: a recognition that LocoPops is still happily open for business on Hillsborough, right near the intersection of Fifteenth St./Anderson St. that leads right to Duke's Central and West Campuses. That's a distance of about three-fifths of a mile, we'd guess.

BCR's Daily Fishwrap Report for October 28, 2008

Both the Herald-Sun and the N&O have now covered the question of sources of financial funding for the food tax debate, a subject we covered here Monday morning. The N&O provided a mid-day Monday news update based on the 48 hour reports and a conversation with levy opponents; the H-S, a story in today's issue that looks at Monday's filings. BCR's question: how long had the 48 hour reports been posted before either paper decided to look at them? (N&O, H-S)

In other news:

• In a move that comes as no surprise, the state committee looking at N.C.'s transportation needs advocates moving responsibility for paving 5,000 miles worth of local roads back to cities -- though city leaders are skeptical that any meaningful money would follow. As Ray Gronberg points out in the H-S, property taxes in N.C. are "significantly lower than the U.S. average," with lower-gas-tax states like Fla., S.C., and Ga. all paying more -- thanks, to at least some extent, to the fact that those states have more local responsibility over local roads. (H-S)
• University GM on 15-501 near the old South Square is on the verge of closing, according to a report from H-S business reporter Monica Chen. Two unnamed employees of the dealership -- the sister dealership of University Ford downtown -- state they learned the news on Friday. Tightening credit, which both hurts the dealership's ability to float their inventory and squeezes buyers' purchasing power, is reportedly to blame. (H-S)
• All new County government facilities will need to be built to LEED gold certification in a further step forward for the already-green building practices of Durham government. Renovations touching more than 25% of a building or impacting a number of major systems will need to meet at least a base LEED standing. (H-S)
• City manager Tom Bonfield is taking a fresh look at a City commuting policy that allows workers to ride DATA for free as a way of cutting peak-hour commuting and car trips, over categorical concerns by the manager about special offerings for city employees that aren't available to the general public. (H-S)
• The CSC@MLS Immersion Lab has opened at the Museum of Life and Science, simulating an RTP-style lab at the museum and broadening its offerings to include high-school age student groups through appealing hands-on learning. (H-S)
  

Durham's Char-Grill reported to open today

Burger fans who aren't content with cyber-stalking OnlyBurger to find out where it's going to be on a given day and then goading their S.O.'s into making a run to the truck -- I'm looking at you, Mrs. BCR -- will have been pleased by a report by the team at Carpe Durham that today is the grand opening date for Durham's Char-Grill.

The Raleigh institution ventures westward in the Triangle for the first time with their South Durham outlet, opening in one of the outparcels of the Harris Teeter-helmed center at the confluence of NC 54 and NC 751 near Garrett Road.

See our July story for more comments than you might ever want to read on the Char-Grill expansion to the Bull City.

Update: Char-Grill did in fact open at 10am on Monday, with smoke rising up from the location fronting NC 54. Good luck to you if you tried to even get inside, though. We're not quite sure how so many people learned about the place so fast, but apparently word of mouth travels fast for a shop that's an eastern Triangle legend.

This was the view at 7pm last night. We didn't stick around given time pressures last night:

Durham early voting well on way to setting records

Speaking of elections here in the Bull City, there's no question about one thing: early voting numbers are easily on path to break 2004's record turnout.

Durham elections director Mike Ashe predicted last month that 140,000 voters could turn out for this fall's general election, versus the 111,000 back in '04, with early voters representing perhaps half of that turnout.

With the close of the polls today, we're two-thirds the way through the early voting period; through Sunday, 53,247 Durhamites have cast their votes early.

Prepared foods tax: Who's backing the backers?

We've all talked extensively about the Raleigh-based opposition to the prepared foods tax on this fall's ballot, with Dallas Woodhouse of the conservative-backed "Americans for Prosperity" providing financial backing and leadership for the effort, in conjunction with Lavonia Allison's political machine.

A less-discussed item: just where is the financial support for the pro-food tax effort coming from?

The short answer is, an amalgamation of Durham's business, design, corporate and downtown elite, bringing resources together in an interesting cross-section of City Hall influencers.

Media reports have pegged the financial resources of the "A Taste for Durham's Future" committee at nearly $45,000. We'll learn more about just where those funds are coming from this week, when third-quarter reports are due (the filing deadline is the 27th.)

Still, some details are already available, thanks to the $19,150 in filings already disclosed through the organization's 48-hour reports, required to capture contributions of $1,000 or more within 48 hours of the contribution.

BCR's Daily Fishwrap Report for October 27, 2008

Quite a bit to catch up on between this weekend's papers and this mornings, in case you missed 'em:

• The H-S' front page on Sunday featured an intriguing difference of opinion between the usually pro-development mayor and the more cautious Council progressives, with Bell calling for at least preliminary discussions with Raleigh on reopening a decade-old agreement on the utility services boundaries within the two cities' growth areas. Councilfolk Woodard and Catotti warned that such a move could open up the ecologically-sensitive area for more intensive development. This one's an important read. (H-S)
• The new Terminal 2 at RDU opened up Saturday night to its first arriving flight, with a formal ribbon-cutting on Sunday to mark the opening of the first phase of the replacement for the ill-planned American Airlines hublet we once called "Terminal C." (We could tell you where Terminal B was, but then we'd have to kill you.) The new terminal is a $570 million facility that features 19 gates, 26 shops and restaurants, and five times the number of security checkpoint lanes as its unloved predecessor, which was never designed to handle much except through traffic. (N&O #1, #2; H-S #1, #2, #3)
• Merck hints that its vaccine plant in Treyburn's business park might not be tapped out at $750 million and 400 jobs, but would be competing with the firm's other two American vaccine plants for two forthcoming vaccine products. (N&O TDN)
• The City's crime rate continues to be 2% below last year's tally even as violent crime levels are up 8% over the 2007 total. (H-S)
• Durham Central Market, the new food co-op hoping to bring a Weaver Street Market experience to downtown, has sold 275 of its targeted 300 founding shares, the group announced at a community potluck yesterday. (H-S)
• Legendary civil rights-era photographer and former NCCU public relations director Alex Rivera died at 95; an NCCU alum, Rivera's photographs of subjects ranging from twentieth-century African-American pioneers to President Nixon drew him acclaim within and outside the state. (H-S)
• As expected, the City Council moved ahead with the upset bid process for the sale of 727 N. Mangum, which Bill Bell-linked nonprofit UDI wants to buy and combine with adjacent parcels to build a multi-story mixed-use building, according to the firm's CEO. Some neighborhood groups and local business interests have expressed concerns about the likely demolition of historic structures, with Old North Durham's spokesperson telling Council last week that other non-profits asking about buying the property were told it wasn't for sale. Other parties now have the chance to bid on and try to displace UDI's purchase of the structure. (H-S)
• The Durham News has an interesting feature on the City's "Second Chance Program," modeled on an effort in High Point that tries an intervention with repeat but non-violent offenders -- this time in the Operation Bulls Eye district of East Durham -- trying to connect these individuals with everything from social services organizations to community groups to attempt to offer these individuals a chance to go straight. (N&O TDN)

Shooting the Bull: Podcast for October 23, 2008

In this week's edition of "Shooting the Bull," community activist John Schelp joins Barry and Kevin for the first of a two-part series looking at transit and transportation in the Bull City, with a look back on how Durham developed and how trolley and bus lines grew to support the young city's neighborhoods. Plus: Plenty on Plensa, the new bus designs, the Joy Johnson/Joseph Craig case -- and how about those "Tampa Bay/Durham Rays," anyhow?

Thanks as always to the folks at WXDU for the opportunity to host this weekly show.

If you missed the Thursday night broadcast, you can download or listen to the show from the Internet Archive, or listen to it via this embedded player. You can also subscribe to the show in iTunes, via WXDU's hosted podcast.

BCR's Daily Fishwrap Report for October 24, 2008

• The ping-pong game on the ATT I-40 bridge continues; it's back to the arch design after City Council progressives pushed for the attractive-but-more-economical design, saving $200k in the process. (H-S)
• As expected, the Plensa art installation for the Durham Performing Arts Center plaza made it through Thursday's City Council work session without a hitch, though not before questions over impact on migratory birds got settled. (H-S, N&O)
• City manager Tom Bonfield continues to press for matters to be handled through proper chains of command, discouraging a City Council task force on public safety employee pay compression recommended by employee advocacy groups, and noting instead that Chief Lopez has "all the authority he needs" to involve employees. (H-S)
• The national turmoil in bond markets won't impact the nearly $200 million in bond-funded construction approved by voters in 2007 for Durham Public Schools, as county officials lined up funding shortly before the market tanked. A new high school (relieving pressure at Riverside and Jordan, and therefore likely located between the two) will cost $47 million, with a new elementary and new middle school totaling the same amount. The Durham School of the Arts, Y.E. Smith, Parkwood, Merrick-Moore, R.N. Harris and Club Blvd. are also in for major investments, with many other facilities getting more minor investments. (H-S #1, #2)
• Duke lacrosse case accuser Crystal Mangum spoke publicly for the first time about the case and reiterated her assertion that she had been assaulted; representatives for one of the players intimated that they are "presently evaluating all legal options" against what they describe as "slander." (H-S #1, #2, N&O)

Triangle Transit RTP transfer station moves to Imperial Center in December

The N&O's erstwhile transportation reporter Bruce Siceloff reports on the N&O's blog that the move of Triangle Transit's RTP-area transfer station from Davis Dr./NC 54 to Imperial Center, home to Quintiles' new HQ, lots of retail and office space, and -- as longtime BCR readers know -- the annual Taste of Durham festival.

As the Old Reliable notes, the new easterly location should cut transit time for commuters coming in from Wake County by an average of eight minutes, while Durhamites should see no change in their ride times. One-fifth of Triange Transit's 4,600 daily riders have to make a transfer.

Look for the changes to start December 1, and expect this to remain Triangle Transit's transfer home -- except in the event that governmental leaders can find a way to agree on a rail/bus system expansion, in which case a rail station co-location is the likely eventual outcome.