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10 <br />Stone Quarry Update <br />August 28, 199$ — <br />Page 3 <br />Agreement, thereby committing to a number of actions and conditions negotiated with the <br />citizens, regardless of whether or not the citizens signed the MOA. <br />On September 16, representatives of OWASA, American Stone, and Citizens Against <br />Quarry Expansion appeared before the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, who had originally <br />directed this matter to mediation three years earlier. OWASA and American Stone <br />presented the results of these good faith negotiations; their commitment to concessions <br />specified in the Memorandum of Agreement; and requested Carrboro to allow the local <br />review process to proceed without further delay. <br />The Carrboro Aldermen agreed that the formal approval process should proceed to public <br />hearing. <br />Current Status and Next Steps <br />Several procedural steps remain before the quarry expansion can receive formal approval <br />or disapproval. OWASA and American Stone have applied for an amendment to the <br />Joint Planning Area Land Use Plan and Map, which must be approved by the governing <br />bodies of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Orange County for the project to proceed. Once that <br />amendment is approved, the Orange County Commissioners must consider a rezoning <br />request and issue a new Special Use Permit for the quarry. It is likely that many of the <br />provisions of the Memorandum ofAgreement would be incorporated directly into the <br />Special Use Permit as conditions of approval. <br />Orange County has scheduled a Joint Planning Area Public Hearing on October 7, 1998 <br />at which elected officials from both Towns and the County will receive information and <br />comments about the quarry expansion. No action will be taken at this time, but the <br />matter will be referred to each individual entity for subsequent consideration. <br />Should the October 7. 1998 Joint Public Hearing Be Delayed? <br />Staff believes that the October 7 public hearing should be delayed until additional <br />information is developed through OWASA's Comprehensive Water and Sewer Master <br />Plan project, which is expected to begin within the next six weeks. As a comprehensive <br />review of OWASA's entire water and sewer infrastructure needs, the Master Plan will <br />provide more definitive answers to questions about future water demands, the yield of the <br />existing reservoir /quarry system, as well as the expected yield when supplemented by an <br />expanded Stone Quarry and/or Jordan Lake. <br />The American Stone Company is agreeable to a delay of up to six months. <br />OWASA Staff Recommendation <br />Staff recommends postponing the October 7, 1998 hearing until the next scheduled Joint <br />