A little over a week ago, we heard from our president about the State of the Union. On Monday, Feb. 6, you won't have to listen to endless applause or political posturing, but you will have an opportunity to hear about the State of the Community.

You say, "I already know the state of our community." I live here. I work here. I even find some time to play here. But as our town continues to move forward with this once-in-a-generation review of our comprehensive plan (you are most certainly hearing about it - it's called Chapel Hill 2020), I've heard a lot of questions from residents and workers, alike.

"Does anyone know how our property taxes compare to other North Carolina towns?"

"Is our crime rate lower in Chapel Hill than in surrounding communities?"

"How many of the people who live in Chapel Hill actually work in Chapel Hill?"

"How are our schools performing compared to surrounding communities?"

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber has done the research and has compiled a great deal of data about our community's social, environmental and economic health. On Monday, at noon, I will be sharing that data with the participants of Chapel Hill 2020 - and I hope with you - to make sure we're all on the same page and have access to the same information.

Chapel Hill 2020 is about figuring out Chapel Hill's community priorities, how we will grow, how we prioritize local services, what locations are appropriate for additional community and economic development and how we are going to continue to make this one of the best places in the world to live, work, shop, play, learn and raise a family.

Can we make those decisions without knowing how many people will move to the Triangle? Or without understanding how many in our community are on food stamps?

The chamber has made it a priority to invite its 1100 business and non-profit members to the 2020 table and to ensure that those voices are heard. Chapel Hill faces some important choices, some specific "forks in the road" to our future. Will we grow and by how much? How tall should our buildings be? Do we want more retail or do we have enough? Do we want improved transit and transportation infrastructure or does our transit system work well as it is? Do we want to improve our process for approving or denying development projects or should the current process stand?

If we are clearer as a community on how and where we want to grow and what that growth should look like, we can avoid situations like the one I witnessed this past Monday at Town Hall. I am confident that we can craft and commit to a better way to manage our growth and our future and make sure Chapel Hill gets the kind of development projects that its citizens want, ones that enhance our community.

Our future depends on you. Active participation by our community's thoughtful, reasonable residents will ensure a strong comprehensive plan that will lead us into the future. Come join me on Monday and let's talk about the State of the Community. And let's continue a conversation about where we want to see the State of the Community in year 2020.