ORD-2009-018-Zoning Ordinance Amendment Establishing Regulations for Drive Thru Facilities

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10 196 health issues that we think about the children and we should try some education first before we use 197 regulations. 198 199 Jeff Schmift: In all seriousness, I don't know a lot about pollution and how it travels, but I'd suggest with a 200 southwesterly breeze that comes across the County, we're more affected by what's happening in 201 Birmingham, Alabama with the TBA than what's happening in the McDonald's drive-thru line. There are 12 202 home basketball games there are 6 home football games, I'd suggest the pollution generated by cars 203 standing in line over in Chapel Hill is much more significant. If we want to do a policy, we need to do it in 204 an area that's big enough where it can affect what's going on. That's the State of North Carolina, not 205 Orange County, we're one of a hundred. The significance of what happens in Charlotte, Greensboro, 206 Forsyth County as the wind moves this way is much more affected on us than what's happening in one of 207 these lines. The education, and then if we really do believe in this, the Commissioner going to the State 208 legislature to have something done seems to me it might create a bigger impact than trying to micro 209 manage what's happening on a very small scale. 210 211 Eari McKee: After reading over the supporting data and the two options, basically, I decided to write off all 212 the supporting data as being slanted one way or the other. 1 was left with two basic ideas, one Jeff has 213 touched on of the factor people who are handicapped or have supporting reasons to use drive-thrus, the 214 other thought was the percentage of facilities this will involve. As I am hearing, it will not affect the existing 215 drive-thrus they will still continue to operate, so you are going to have a very small percentage that will be 216 affected by the guidelines. The other thing is the number of cars sitting in a drive-thru at any given time 217 versus the total number of cars, trucks providing these emissions is very small. I am inclined to support 218 Jeft's suggestion that we go with no action. With the situation the County is facing with tax situation and 219 revenue it may or may not have an effect on a business that is looking to locate in Orange County but I can 220 assure you from running a business that any time I think about doing something or opening a new section 22I of my business, the first thing I look at is what I will be up against as far as regulations. I would suggest we 222 take the option of doing nothing. 223 224 Pete Hallenbeck: A couple of comments, the first one is whenever I see a report and I have number but I 225 don't' have a percentage, 1 have a very hard time absorbing that report. It would be nice to see it as a 226 percentage of total use in the U.S. Really from that point of view someone is saying what's the level of fuel 227 efficiency you should have. Do you ban drive-ins unless you're in a hybrid or an all electric car, it wouldn't 228 have the emission problem, so how much of this is based on pollution and carbon output. How much is 229 based on other concerns, do you look at passenger miles per gallon. If you have four people in a vehicle is . 230 it ok to use adrive-in? All of this seems like very difficult stuff to deal with. We talked about convenience 231 and need. I think this would be very hard for any kind of government regulation that could define the need. 232 I think there are mechanisms for using zoning to say no drive-ins here similar to the Efland-Mebane'plan. I 233 think a lot of this comes down to regulating a symptom and not a cause. We're looking at pollutants, 234 energy use, and so forth just at a drive-in and as mentioned we have basketball games and other things. 235 would prefer to focus on the real problem which is fuel consumption of vehicles which helps everywhere 236 and everyone's driving and not just focus on the one'thing of the drive-thru. Finally, on the school design, 237 the key there is designing schools so there are places people can park and the flow of children doesn't 238 have them crossing where cars are driving and that problem should be dealt with by encouraging the 239 County to work with schools. It is a special case. There are businesses where their whole model is based 240 on drive-ins. I would tend to go with don't touch this one, use the zoning to protect areas where you're 241 dealing with esthetics, and I'd prefer to see the energy of the County and everyone else go to dealing with 242 the more overall problem of fuel consumption in the vehicles we're driving rather than focus on the impact 243 of all the emissions in one particular context. 244 5