Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
abstract regarding drive - thrus. He said that the County should focus on the real problem, which is <br />fuel consumption. He said that he would support a ban on drive -thrus if there is a ban on <br />stoplights or UNC ballgames because of the idling pollution. He said that he supports option 3, <br />which is to do nothing. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that the Chair of the Economic Development Commission said <br />that the EDC was not consulted to participate in this process. He would like to incorporate the <br />EDC on economic development matters and Chair Foushee agreed. <br />Commissioner Pelissier said that she was disappointed that the minutes from the OUT <br />Board were insufficient. She said that Orange County now bans drive -thrus in the Hillsborough <br />EDD and the Efland- Cheeks Overlay District. She asked how this decision was made and the <br />rationale. <br />Michael Harvey said that in the Eno EDD overlay, one of the reasons they recommended <br />banning drive -thrus was because this was primarily for residential areas and they did not want <br />franchise businesses to be there. <br />Commissioner Hemminger said that she is excited about the education portion of the <br />program and the more education that can be done can affect the idling issue. She said that <br />families sit in carpool lines and more education would be helpful to these types of people. She is <br />concerned about the banning component in regards to older citizens and how this will affect them. <br />Commissioner Yuhasz agreed with Commissioner Hemminger about the education <br />component. He said that an outright ban of drive -thrus may affect commercialization and he does <br />not want to discourage the development of economic development. He said that there are a lot of <br />other sources of idling besides drive - thrus. He said that the County should promote the education <br />component of this and continue to monitor what will happen. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Yuhasz, seconded by Commissioner Hemminger to <br />approve Option 3 — Implement a County -wide educational program on the problems of vehicle <br />idling while not taking any action to amend existing development regulations. <br />Commissioner Jacobs asked if the County Commissioners could ask for more extensive <br />minutes from the OUT Board and all agreed. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that they are all in favor of education. He would like to see a <br />definite timeframe on the education process as well as a plan. He thinks that there should be <br />some performance measures in regard to education so that there is an end result. <br />Commissioner Nelson said that he will vote against the motion. He is not against <br />education, but he supports an outright ban. Commissioner Nelson said that he is frustrated <br />because this room was not designed for meetings and the acoustics are horrible. He said that the <br />symptoms are being treated, and he would like to solve the problem. He suggested meeting <br />somewhere else or fixing the acoustical problems. <br />Commissioner Nelson said that the economic development question needs to be dealt with <br />and Carrboro has had a ban on drive -thrus for 15 years and it has not hurt the economic <br />development there. He said that the underlying issue is greenhouse gas and global warming and <br />there is no silver bullet. He said that the community will survive without drive - thrus. <br />Commissioner Pelissier said that she agreed with Commissioner Nelson's comments, and <br />in rereading the minutes of the Planning Board and previous quarterly public hearings, she thinks <br />that everyone has forgotten some of the major goals. She said that there were plans to put drive - <br />thrus in the Buckhorn area when she was on the Planning Board, and now that is a moot issue. In <br />the Planning Board minutes, it all started with greenhouse gas emissions and educating parents <br />to not idle in the drop off lane at a school. She said that the real issue is that drive -thrus are a <br />symbol of the car - oriented culture. She thinks that if the County wants to move in the right <br />