Fear of being Nickled and Dimed

Looks like the long-rumored Walmart at Starpoint is one step closer to becoming a reality. The Chapel Hill Herald reported on Sunday that the property owner, Lee-Moore Oil Co., has contacted Chatham and DOT officials about building a retail center on their 62.9-acre tract. "DOT and Chatham County officials familiar with Lee-Moore's planning say that while the company hasn't identified its main tenant, there's a lot of talk that the center will house a Super Wal-Mart."

One of the neighbors here in Heritage Hills put out a "tell me it's not so" message on Sunday afternoon and the discussion has been raging since. For some of my neighbors, finding cheap places to shop is a financial necessity even though they have all expressed dismay at having to shop at Walmart. For others the social justice issues take precedence. A few have raised questions about the impact on local property values. I appear to be the only one concerned about impact on the watershed. Taken as a whole, there are more reasons to oppose this development than to embrace it. But the issue of access to affordable shopping is important and I'm glad it has been raised.

Both Chapel Hill and Carrboro have taken extraordinary measures to improve the availability of affordable housing. But, even though the majority of a families income is spent on housing, there are other local factors (like shopping spaces for basic services, taxes, etc.) that make this community more and more insecure for those of us who are middle class.

The area median income (HUD) for Orange and Chatham counties is $56,500. A household making $35,000-$56,000 is considered to be low income. $21,000-$35,000 is very low income, and less than $21,000 is extremely low income. Given the number of retired folks and single parents living here in Heritage Hills, I bet a lot of my neighbors would be classified as low or very low income. The fact that the county and the school system are raising taxes doesn't help. And then there are rising fuel costs and grocery prices. Even if our housing is affordable, the rest of what we are obliged to pay out each month is taking a larger bite out of anything that's left after the mortgage is paid.

Someone needs to write up a case study on middle class life in Orange County--my neighborhood would be a good place to start.