Orange County NC Website
3 <br />and special use provisions and a planned development which could include a <br />list of conditions. It cannot expand beyond what is currently approved <br />without this amendment. <br />Jacqueline Gist asked about the relocation of Bethel-Hickory Grove <br />Church Road east of its current alignment. Gene Bell said there are no <br />existing houses or churches to be relocated. The applicants would relocate <br />the road further east to allow mining where the road currently cuts through. <br />This was shown on a map by the developer. <br />Joyce Brown asked what would happen to the present quarry if these <br />amendments are not approved. Gene Bell stated that the present quarry could <br />continue to mine for approximately fifteen years. Ed Holland with OWASA <br />stated that presently OWASA has no rights to the quarry after fifteen years. <br />Currently, the existing quarry reservoir that OWASA owns holds about 200 <br />million gallons of water. In comparison, University Lake holds 570 million <br />and Cane Creek holds three billion. The existing hole in the ground that they <br />are still taking rock from would hold between 600 - 800 million gallons. If <br />the entire area is quarried out per the application, the estimated capacity <br />would be three billion gallons. <br />COMMENTS FROM AMERICAN STONE <br />David Rooks, attorney representing American Stone, used maps to show the <br />location of the current quarry, the existing OWASA reservoir, existing asphalt <br />plant, and expansion of the area if the application is approved. There will <br />not be an asphalt plant on this site after the year 2000. American Stone <br />cannot quarry the existing reservoir which is owned by OWASA. It has been <br />quarried out since the late 1960~s. This application will let American Stone <br />quarry on land leased from OWASA. There is a four-party agreement which <br />includes a stipulation that if American Stone is allowed to proceed, OWASA <br />would allow them to quarry on the OWASA property in exchange for the pit and <br />other buffer acreage. Jacquelyn Gist asked a question on how much money <br />American Stone will make. Mr. Rooks indicated that he will provide this <br />information . <br />Rosemary Waldorf asked how much OWASA would pay for the land from <br />American Stone. The land is given to OWASA in exchange for American Stone <br />using the property. <br />In answer to a question from Commissioner Insko, there are two <br />tracts of land that OWASA will purchase. The first is the Carlisle tract <br />which is 17.977 acres at $6,750 an acre and the second tract is known as the <br />Wheeless property comprising 42.67 acres at $9,783 per acre. There is also <br />a lot where the asphalt plant was intended to be moved which can be purchased <br />at $13,000 an acre. <br />Gene Bell reiterated the three conditions under which a Land Use <br />Plan amendment can take place. The applicants have cited changed or changing <br />conditions in the southern part of the County as their reason for this <br />amendment. When this request was received, the staff rated the application <br />against the locational criteria and determined that the changes in terms of <br />the expanding population in the southern part of the County and the eventual <br />need for additional water storage justified this request. <br />Commissioner Insko asked if there was any evidence that this storage <br />area will be storage area that will provide high quality drinking water. Ed <br />Holland said that it will take a number of years for the empty hole in the <br />ground to fill up naturally. The water from the existing quarry reservoir is <br />