ATTACHMENT 9

November 4, 2008

To: Chapel Hill Planning Board and Town Council

We are writing (we are unable to come due to election night responsibilities) to express our concerns about possible rezoning of 1609 E. Franklin St. from Residential-S + Residential-1 to Neighborhood Commercial-conditional.

Our main concern is that this is a piecemeal request with no sense of how this request fits in with a vision for this part of town. We have owned and operated Psychology Associates at 1611 E. Franklin Street for over two decades. During this time there has been many re-zoning requests with no regard to a master plan. For example, there is a bus stop right in front of our property. The town is appropriately wanting to support public transit, lessening carbon footprints, curb excess traffic and congestion, pollution and accidents. The request for 61 additional parking spaces is counter to reducing traffic accidents, etc. and does not support public transit. Currently out clients find it difficult to enter and exit our building—we often hear traffic accidents during the day.

We therefore urge you to take a different approach to the present one of reacting piecemeal to individual rezoning requests and to consider instead, collaborating with the people like us & our clients, who will be affected by these decisions daily and who have a stake in growing the town responsibly, thoughtfully and in accordance with our mutual values.

Sincerely,

Terry Vance, Ph.D.

Robert Vaillancourt, LCSW

Vivian Foushee, LCSW