Orange County NC Website
225 <br />all day. Directly across the street is the Go -Kart track and all the noise it makes. Just to the <br />south of the property is Orange County Speedway. These 4 acres are not suitable for any type <br />of residential use. I built a 4,000 square foot home on the site across the road from the <br />concrete plant and I live there full -time, so I'm not going to do anything that's going to hurt the <br />value. i want to put some mini - storage units on the 4 acre site beside the concrete company. <br />I'm asking that the elected officials (Commissioners) sign into law the conditional use and the <br />ordinance so residents like myself and others with property in the middle of the commercial area <br />are allowed to do some type of commercial use. I remind the Commissioners that this is <br />conditional use, not an outright commercial zone. So we will have to get permission before we <br />do anything. As it stands now, we can't do anything, so please make this issue a priority, it's <br />been long enough. <br />Sincerely, Darrell W. Chandler" <br />Allan Rosen said that he has been a County resident for 18 years and he has served on <br />the Economic Development Commission. He said that there is no doubt that existing <br />regulations have impeded commercial development, but they have also increased the cost of <br />land, which has had an adverse affect on the cost of housing. He said that if the UDO is done <br />well, it can improve both commercial development outcomes and hopefully residential <br />development outcomes. He said that the Comprehensive Plan has never truly been <br />implemented. He thinks that the County will be served well when it is implemented fully. He <br />said that it is also critical that it be done as thoroughly as possible. He considers Phase II as <br />more important. He said that the UDO is the one policy instrument that is substantially or wholly <br />in control of the Board of County Commissioners. The County Commissioners can make its <br />mark here and send a signal to the business community that Orange County is serious about <br />welcoming business. <br />Ben Haven from the Village Project read a prepared statement. <br />"Since 2005, the Village Project has actively participated in Orange County's efforts to <br />create the 2030 Comprehensive Plan, and we've continued to pay attention to related issues on <br />the Commissioners' agenda. One of our foremost desires is that the Plan will clearly delineate <br />where growth, redevelopment, and reinvestment can occur, especially those projects necessary <br />to build and maintain a resilient, high - functioning business sector. The rules and regulations <br />governing the development process in Orange County have as much influence on our built <br />environment as any other factor controlled by County government. Hence, it is essential that <br />the County's development regulations promote the development outcomes that are in the <br />County's best interest, including economic development. <br />The Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) currently under consideration presents the <br />County Commissioners with an opportunity to create a tool which can foster the economic <br />development activity desired by the Commissioners and County citizens alike. Additionally, the <br />UDO will be the central instrument for shaping the direction of all development for many years to <br />come. As such, the Commissioners can use the UDO to not only achieve these outcomes, but <br />also to affirm the County's desire for more vibrant economic activity. Perhaps most importantly, <br />the UDO is one of the few policy tools regarding land use planning — and therefore economic <br />development —that is nearly 100% at the discretion of the Commissioners. <br />The Village Project agrees with the County Economic Development Commission which <br />advised the Commissioners to "complete all phases of the Unified Development Ordinance <br />effort within a timeframe that establishes confidence with developers, investors, and business <br />owners and also results in a reduction in the time needed for a project to go from application to <br />permit issuance and into construction." <br />The Village Project especially recommends that the Commissioners task the planning <br />department, in Phase Il, to modify the existing rules and regulations such that the regulatory <br />environment — at a minimum — compares favorably to neighboring jurisdictions. In other words, <br />