ORD-2008-012 - Orange Co Zoning Ordinance -Buckhorn Rd Associates LLC Rezoning

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Bryant Colson: I have been duly sworn in. I'd like to thank you for the opportunity to talk to you tonight. I'd also like to applaud the residents that are here at this hour and who were here earlier for exercising an important and cherished civic responsibility of being here. I am currently the Economic Development Commission Chair. The EDC is not at this time taking a position on the issues tonight, we have a meeting on Thursday at which time we will review and advise. At that meeting, I plan to let our commissioners know or remind them of our purpose, that is to make Orange County a smart, innovative place, a great place in which to live. We encourage private and public investments to provide jobs for the County residents and to increase the non-residential tax base. Through these investments, we enhance the financial well-being and quality of life of County residents, and the ability of the local government to provide high-quality services. I know you guys know that that's the EDC mission on the Orange County, North Carolina website. I also plan to advise them of all the calls and meetings that I've had with individuals in Orange County where the common concern with these individuals was the residential tax burden that Orange County residents are feeling, and the need for commercial development to offset the tax base. I personally am in support of this controlled, sustainable economic development at Buckhorn Village. It is my hope that, with developments like this, it would draw us one step closer to the County's Five-Year Strategic Development Plan, and that is 5,000 new private sector jobs and adding about $125 million in new commercial property by June 2010. I'm advising them of all of this information in hopes that we do not let opportunities like this slide by and continue to have our hands tied, and once again let economic development pass us by. Karen Bley: I have been sworn in. There are a few things that I'm really confused .about. I've been a resident in Orange County for almost 40 years. I've lived on Buckhorn Road, and now I live on Bradshaw Quarry Road, which is right down the road from Buckhorn. I'm really confused, I live in Mebane, but I think there's a drought going on in Mebane right now. I keep hearing about all this wet water that's going to be coming from Mebane, and I don't understand that, how does that work, where is this water. Why isn't Raleigh, why isn't Durham, why aren't all of these other communities that are starving for water saying, "Ok, Mebane, send us the water." It just doesn't make any sense to me. The other thing that really doesn't make any sense to me at all is the transportation plan that was presented tonight talked about expanding the bridge on I-85 and I-40 and the left turn into the BP station and all of that, there was no talk at all about all the roads that leave from Carrboro, Saxapahaw, Chapel Hill up to this development. If I live in Carrboro, I'm going to be going down through Calvander, Dairyland Road, up Orange Grove Road. All of those roads are so overburdened right now. What's the plan for all of the roads that are leading into the Buckhorn Village? What really scares me is that anytime there's a development that's called "village", it really makes me scared because it's not a village. I think there needs to be a lot of answers and a lot more discussion along these lines. Heather Main: I have been sworn. I live on Buckhorn Road, on that part that Karen's talking about. I'm also concerned about the transportation issues. She asked Tyson Graves about the southern end of Buckhom Road. Tyson Graves: I have been sworn in. Basically, the southern end doesn't generate as much traffic as the northern because of the highway. That's where most of the development traffic would be coming from. Therefore, there are some improvements for West Ten and Buckhorn, but otherwise, it doesn't need any other improvements. Heather Main: I've put together a petition, which people have signed. She read this petition, as follows: