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25 <br />DRAFT <br />The Grange County Board of Commissioners adopted the I -85 and <br />Buckhorn Road Economic Development District north of I -85 in March, <br />1994. In August, 1996, the Board approved the expansion of that district, <br />as strictly a Primary Development Area, to include a 586 -acre area bounded <br />by Buckhorn Road to the west, West Ten Road to the south, the boundary <br />of the Upper Eno Critical Area to the east, and I -85 to the north excluding <br />Clearview Subdivision and an adjacent mobile home park. Prior to August <br />1996, the subject property had been zoned R -1 Rural Residential, U -ENO- <br />PW Upper Eno Protected Watershed. <br />Prior to the expansion of the Buckhorn EDD, community meetings were <br />held to discuss the possible expansion of that district Some of the citizens <br />supported the expansion of the EDD and the rezoning of their properties. <br />Some of the citizens did not want to see any change to the residential <br />character of the area. Others were not opposed to non - residential <br />development, but wanted some assurance that they would not lose the <br />potential to develop their properties for residential purposes if it would be a <br />long time before non - residential development would happen. Many <br />citizens expressed the belief that the County should extend water and sewer <br />services to the area in order to attract business (if the area were rezoned for <br />that purpose). <br />Minutes of the May 28, 1996, public hearing regarding the expansion of the <br />Buckhorn Road Economic Development District include the following <br />observations. Mary Willis, Planner III, responded that allowing residential <br />development of any large tract would defeat the purpose of the district. Ted <br />Abernathy, Economic Development Director, stated that development will <br />probably not happen in this area for another ten years -or more but the <br />proposed rezoning would safeguard the proposed expansion of the <br />Economic Development District by restricting subdivisions. Mr. Abernathy <br />also stated that during the comprehensive planning process, "it was decided <br />that some land needed to be set aside for non - residential uses" and this area <br />was chosen because of its location near an interstate and in close proximity <br />to water and sewer facilities. <br />Planning Board member S.A.M. Brooks commented that she supported <br />comprehensive planning and that the only reason there is not industrial <br />growth in this area is because water and sewer are'not available and she <br />urged the County to pursue providing those services. <br />Commissioner Willhoit stated that the County has limited land designated <br />for commercial and industrial purposes and this is a strategic location along <br />an interstate; that residential development can preempt long -range planning <br />because residential development can go in without public water and sewer, <br />that he supported moving ahead with extending the Efland sewer line to this <br />area. It was also pointed out that extending the Efland sewer system would <br />not be economically feasible under the existing conditions because the fees <br />would not provide enough monies to expand the system. <br />Two citizens spoke at the public hearing. Owen Allison spoke in support of <br />the expansion of the Economic Development District. David Permar asked <br />that the area where his Amoco Station is located be excluded because of the <br />impact the EDD standards would have on any renovations or expansions to <br />