Chapel Hill’s economic development officer, Dwight Bassett, is sounding the alarm over the town’s inability to attract commercial business. In this story, he lays out problems with lack of office space, the high cost of what’s available, and the high housing costs that prevent many from living in the town.

“Probably the biggest barrier to our office market is the reputation that we’ve built over the last 30 years,” Bassett said. “We don’t compete regionally; we don’t compete in the Triangle.”

The town doesn’t have enough vacant space or large spaces in walkable areas. If a company finds space, the cost – sometimes $35 per square foot – is a problem, especially for start-ups, he said.

When government imposes ultra-strict regulations, and then couples those with sky-high tax rates, it should be no surprise that businesses go elsewhere.