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considerably. He feels that the people have the right to get the highest and best use out <br />of their property. With that in mind he requested that a change in the land use be <br />approved allowing for a different use of this property. <br />DICK HELWIG, chairman of the Orange County Democratic Party, made reference .to the <br />platform of the Orange County Democratic Party which has been in existence for a number of <br />years, and has been amended many times and most recently adopted at the County Convention <br />on April 9, 19$$. Last year this platform was revised over a period of years with a lot <br />of people throughout the County .participating in that revision. The platform was divided <br />into eight major areas. The preamble starts out with a sentence that says "The Orange <br />County Democratic Party believes the purpose of government is to guarantee the greatest <br />possible freedom for all people." There is a section on human rights. Section IZ under <br />Planning, Development, and Growth, speaks quite often of County and municipal cooperation. <br />He read a few selected pieces from there, that he felt relevant. "The Orange County <br />Democratic Party supports Municipal, County, Regional and State planning to meet the <br />challenge of population growth and. economic development in the coming years,.while <br />maintaining the unique quality of life in Orange Gounty. We support balance and <br />appropriate economic growth to provide jobs and increase tax base." Under the section <br />Local, item A, it reads "County and municipal governments should adhere strictly to Land <br />Use Plans in improving development projects to insure minimum disruption to existing <br />neighborhoods." Item F under local--County officials continue to support the Orange <br />County Planning Staff's proposals to control development along the I-40 route. Section <br />III under environment reads "The Orange County Democratic Party supports policies which <br />guarantee clean water, clean air, and other elements of this safe and attractive <br />environment. We expect our elected officials to insure that industrial, commercial, <br />agricultural, and residential development do not lower the quality of the environment. We <br />support research for public and private institutions into the causes and cures of <br />j pollution." Under local there are two sections. (a) the County municipal government <br />should identify and preserve natural open spaces for scenic, educational and recreational <br />pleasure, and (b) the County municipal governments should set aside natural habitants fox <br />the protection of wildlife and plant Iife. The most relevant of these is Item (a) under <br />Local, under Planning, and under Development Growth, which urges county municipals <br />governments to adhere strictly to Land Use Plans in approving development projects. It is <br />understood that those Land Use Plans are developed with broad public input aver a broad <br />period of time and should stand for quite some time. <br />MR. TRAWICK lives along the Gulfcreek a short distance upstream from the proposed <br />development. He indicated he was speaking on behalf of the neighbors that live along his <br />street. He expressed objection to the proposal because the area along New Hope Church <br />Road is currently, rapidly developing in the direction of low density residential use. He <br />understands that this was the original intent of the establishment of the Rural Suffer. <br />Today from Arthur~Minnis Road to the west all the way over to Old NC 10 is a mix of houses <br />that blend into the surrounding countryside. In ,the nine years he hats lived out there the <br />population has probably inereas.ed by 10 to 20 fold. Sut the only evidence today of that <br />population increase are mailboxes and small gravel driveways that connect the houses. to <br />the main road. In fact, this new growth is going to be serviced, or is planned to be <br />serviced, by what will be a model elementary school located less than a mile from the <br />intersection of I-40 and New Hope Church Road. He pointed out that things are going fine <br />out there now. There is development, but it has been managed development and the growth <br />is managed. He stated that to say that low density residential development is <br />inconsistent with I-40 is to ignore some of the recent house construction along the <br />interstate between New 86 and 15-501 exit. In fact, one of the biggest houses he has ever <br />seen abuts the I-40 corridor just a few hundred feet from New 86 so this is an <br />inconsistent form of logic. He stated that there xs an exit two miles to the south and <br />