Dear Chamber Members and Friends, 

Your Government Affairs Committee kicked-off 2021 with their first monthly meeting of the year last week. 

The Committee is made up of 26 members who volunteer their time to help shape our collective policy positions and advocate for the business interests of Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro. 

*New Initiatives for 2021

During the first meeting of the year, the Committee approved two exciting new initiatives that will help all our members stay connected with the important and ever-evolving advocacy work underway. 

• New Critical Issues Series: The Committee will build on the success of the 2020 Policy Series by doubling the depth and breath of the forums in 2021 and reshaping them into the "Critical Issues Series," which will launch in February.
  
  
• New Monthly Newsletter: The Committee will release a monthly e-update that reports on the latest economic and labor market indicators and development projects, flags hot topics on-deck with our local, county, and/or state elected officials, and provides insights on matters that matter to your business. The updates will be posted on the "Our Voice" blog platform.
  
  

This Week

• Tuesday evening (1/12/21) The Orange County Board of Commissioners will continue with their third of three public hearings on Efland Station (Buc-ee’s) (agenda and watch here starting at 7pm). Also, the Carrboro Town Council will hold their first meeting of the year and they have a full agenda including voting on the principle building design features of the 203 Project and the priorities for the 2021 State Legislative Session (agenda and watch here starting at 7pm).
  
  
• Wednesday morning (1/13/21): The Durham/Chapel Hill/Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) will continue discussion of the 15-501 corridor study (agenda; starts at 9am).
  
  
• Wednesday evening (1/13/21): The Chapel Hill Town Council will review the 150 E Rosemary redevelopment concept plan and get an update on the OWASA long-range water supply (spoiler alert – there is an insufficient supply of drinking water in drought conditions to meet our community's projected demand and a need to likely tap Jordan Lake (agenda and watch here starting at 7pm). 

Last Week:   

• The Chapel Hill Economic Sustainability Committee convened last Friday (01/08/21) for their monthly meeting and received timely updates on Chapel Hill North, Downtown Chapel Hill, and the ReVive (Covid recovery plan).  

Going Forward:  

• New Faces: We have some relatively new faces in our local community, including a new Chapel Hill Planning Director Colleen R. Willger, AICP, new Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Superintendent Nyah Hamlett, Ed.D., and new Clerk to the Board of the Orange County Commissioners Laura Jensen.  
• Invitation to Serve: All Chamber members and friends are encouraged to nominate themselves to serve on a town or county advisory board (more information on how to volunteer here).

As always, we encourage you to read more about our Government Affairs Committee and the Chamber's policy platform, and follow this blog in the coming weeks and months to stay informed and connected. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns, or if I missed anything!

Katie Loovis
Vice President for External Affairs
The Chamber For a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro
(919) 696-0781 (cell) | KLoovis@carolinachamber.org