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he heard that it was for 240 homes he was very disturbed. We are here to discuss not a builder building homes but a builder with a plan run amok with greed and an unacceptable attitude of callousness toward our neighborhood. That the property at this location will have something built on it is obvious. It is important that it be done in the context of peaceful and sane growth. The extreme density of this project is an outrage and would be tantamount to a cancer in our midst. The project would probably necessitate a new school and an increase in traffic in an already busy area. The builder has provided a statement from a Chapel Hill Realtor saying that the property would increase our property values. He felt that he was in error. They would suffer diminished values to their real estate which for many of them is the backbone of their savings. The builder also provided a traffic report at prior meetings showing minimal traffic at Lawrence Road and Highway 70. When he came home today at 2:50 p.m. he stopped and in 5 minutes counted 31 cars going through the intersection and that is not a particularly busy time of day. The builder is not here for the good of the community; he is here to make money. The members of this community have clearly let their objections to this project be known. He presented a petition with 129 signatures which he and a few others had taken to some of the nearby neighbors. Not one person who was asked to sign failed to do so. Each of those people who was asked to sign expressed their objections. Every signer of the Petition asked that you, the County Commissioners we elected to represent us, do so by denying the request for approval. He read the petition, as follows: "We the undersigned are aware of the proposed housing development that is Lawrence Park Subdivision. With our signatures, we are voicing our opposition to it being given approval to proceed. While we understand the need for sustained growth we strongly feel that the high density of this development would radically change the character of our community for the worse." He presented the petitions to the Deputy Clerk to the Board. The original of this petition is in the permanent agenda file in the Clerk's office. Mr. Bill Hendrickson stated that his wife wrote a letter to one of the principals in this group who happens to live on Lawrence Road, expressing her concern. He wrote a nice letter back and one thing he said was that Scott Murray would be in touch with us directly to speak with us. This did not happen. He also said that this would increase the value of our land. This has been indicated by the appraiser from Chapel Hill, as well. He asked the Board of Commissioners if it would be appropriate for them to seek a study of land values of a similar project in a similar surrounding area before you vote on this development. He recommended that they seek some written documentation to this effect before they accept the word of someone who is involved with the organization. He does not doubt the person, but he thinks that it would be appropriate that the Commissioners would have written documentation in the record that a similar development in a similar surrounding area in North Carolina did allow for either increased or decreased value of the land. His second suggestion was that some documentation be solicited from the School Board as to the impact of these potential numbers of children being added to the school roles and what the cost would be in include them on the rosters. The Commissioners and the citizens should know what the financial impact would be to our school system by the addition of these children. It is important that the Planning Board and Commissioners have this information and make it public before this project is finally voted on. Q:\19981123.doc®