Orange County NC Website
145 <br />preserved as open space, the developer should also consider eliminating the <br />golf course or at least scaling it back to nine holes. He noted that th -= <br />Rural Character Study listed three goals which he feels are not included i. <br />the University Station plan. The first goal is to preserve and protect <br />agricultural lands and managed forestry. This goal would permit farming and <br />forestry operations to coexist. The second goal is to preserve and protect <br />natural resources. He'feels that in the University Station plan any land that <br />is buildable is designated for house lots, streets and a golf course except <br />for the 25 acre park on the north side of NC 10.' A third goal of the Rural <br />Character Study is to preserve and protect visual resources. He feels the <br />plan doesn't do a terrible job of that but could do better. Mr. Arendt feels <br />that in return for a 67% density bonus, the plan should satisfy these three <br />stated goals in order to get this density bonus.' Extending the sewer line is <br />going to open up the area and cause growth. He continued his presentation <br />by showing a group of slides which demonstrate a density neutral development. <br />Mr. Arendt indicated that he works for a land trust near Philadelphia which <br />owns 54 nature preserves and has an active planning group which advises <br />developers and municipalities on conservation and development strategies. <br />In answer to a question from Commissioner Halkiotis, Mr. Arendt <br />stated he is serving as a consultant and the group is making a contribution <br />to the Land Trust to cover his time and expenses. <br />ARTHUR COGSWELL, one of the planners for University Station, stated <br />that the issue with University Station is jobs and economic growth versus the <br />elitist interest of a small group. They had considered doing a very high <br />priced subdivision using a self contained sewage system as Mr. Arendt,.. <br />mentioned which would have cost the same as the sewer and water system. H <br />understands that the Town of Hillsborough needs the water customers. HL <br />emphasized that this is a middle market project. The struggle is to keep the <br />unit prices down so that middle management and.supervisors -- moderate income <br />people can buy the houses and thus companies can be induced to move to Orange <br />County to provide jobs and increase the tax base. They are designing this <br />project within the existing regulations. It is not their role to propose <br />radical changes from the existing ordinances. This project meets all the <br />existing and the proposed regulations. They have reduced the density from <br />132.6. to 1094. which is what they were told they could do..- He explained that <br />he and all the planners for this development are from Orange County and------- <br />Raleigh. The outcome is very important to them and it is important that what <br />they do is good for Orange County and its people on all levels. They want to <br />be proud of this development. They are not the kind of people that would <br />knowingly do anyt#ing to harm the environment or create other serious problems <br />for the county. They are concerned about the misinformation and distortion <br />of facts that characterize the comments from those who oppose this project. <br />The environmental impact to the golf course will be minimal. Michael Ortosky <br />will discuss this issue later in this presentation. The traffic issue will <br />k discussed by Mr. Robert Grill. This development will not raise taxes as <br />has been claimed by the opponents. Also, the open space areas will not be <br />built on in the future. The open space will be deeded to the Triangle Land <br />Conservancy. The planning principles used in this project have been used <br />everywhere in the 19th and 20th centuries. The citizens who oppose this plan <br />say that the plan is rural. Mr. Cogswell stated that that is not true. ThiF <br />is a deteriorating and disused farm located between two interstates next t <br />a trailer park and contiguous to a Transition area in a section of the County <br />that will clearly be developed in the near future. It has been said that