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Raleigh and Piedmont NCDA farmers' markets are currently at capacity, both for growers and <br />for buyers. Buckhorn is sited between these two giant markets, drawing people from <br />Greensboro to Durham, actually decreasing the amount of driving necessary for residents of <br />Orange, Alamance, Caswell, and Person Counties, which would shop or sell there. While the <br />individual farmers' markets in Carrboro, Hillsborough, and Durham are quite successful on the <br />weekends and selective evenings in season, there is no local daily market or private outlet such <br />as Weaver Street or Whole Foods for growers to sell wholesale. These individual farmers' <br />markets cannot keep up with current demand, either from consumers or from growers that <br />would like to sell there. A regional farmers' market/restaurant/artistgatlery complex at Buckhorn <br />would not only draw more people to Buckhorn Village, but would encourage Buckhorn Village <br />patrons to spend some money at the vendors that would be more likely to keep that money <br />local. A farmers' market retail space for locally-produced items would make this project a whole <br />lot more palatable to many of us that live in the area. <br />Robin Taylor-Hall: I have been sworn in. My family has actually lived in this County at least <br />five generations. I'm a taxpayer, and I represent the Efland heirs, which Efland was named <br />after. They are very excited that this project has been proposed. They have 180 acres in the <br />EDD, and they also have another 80 acres that is a proposed commercial development. This <br />was from the water and sewer that is moving in the area and just growth and money that would <br />be coming to the County. So they wanted me to speak and say that they are very much in favor <br />of this project. Martha Brown, I represent her too, she also is in favor of the project. <br />Tom O'Dwyer: I have been sworn in. I serve on the Orange County Commission for the <br />Environment, I'm a member of the U. S. Green Building Council, and I am an avid believer in <br />principles of sustainability, where the economic, environmental, and social impacts of our <br />actions are measured for our future. As a design builder and small developer, I am a committed <br />participant in an architecture program called the 2030 initiative, where everything I build is 50% <br />energy efficient. I'm finding we can do it. This is why I personally believe, this is an aside, I <br />personally believe that sustainability should not only be a policy, but it should be institutionalized <br />for the purpose of coordinating and implementing adopted goals with developments such as <br />these. More on this subject hopefully in the future. Regarding the Commission for the <br />Environment's letter that you all have a copy of, I'll give some highlights about it. The proposed <br />Buckhorn development would be located in the Seven-Mile Creek area of the Upper Eno <br />Protected Watershed. Now, we can reduce the environmental impact of a large complex such <br />as this by streamlining traffic flow, reducing vehicle miles traveled, reducing wastes through less <br />generation and recycling, and encourage water and energy efficiencies and low-impact design <br />principles. In our advisory role to the Board of Commissioners on environmental matters, the <br />Commission recommends the following: <br />Plan and build according to the LEED Neighborhood Development Standard, at a minimum <br />using the current LEED ND pilot standards. Right now, they're not accepting anymore <br />programs, but one of the developers here is participating in East 54, and they're using LEED ND <br />guidelines for that development. I feel it's important that there should be a set of standards that <br />you ask them to follow. There is a historical tract of developers and builders at UNC and other <br />places, I'm not accusing these people of anything, they are doing good things, but sometimes <br />what people say they're going to do, does not verify. So commissioning verification of the things <br />that are standards can be asked of you to these developers. So, what we're recommending is <br />the LEED ND pilot standards for the revised adopted standard plan for release in 2009. You <br />have an attachment of the guidelines and frequently asked questions about what that is about. <br />These standards address things in transportation, bicycle use, bicycle storage for commercial <br />and residential, reduction of water. Commission for the Environment is recommending a 30% <br />less use of water than the water use baseline calculated for the building after meeting the <br />