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Jim Parker indicated that he did not know who owned the property. He believed that it was located just off of the property involved in this proposed amendment. If it turns out to be located on this property it would be preserved. QUESTIONS AND/OR COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS: Ted Laws, a local resident, spoke in opposition to this request. He mentioned that as a business person he had mixed feelings about development and growth. He was concerned about the concept of putting more people on less land. He is the Chairman of the Grounds Committee at Mars Hill Baptist Church. They have discussed this and are concerned about increasing the density of this area. He mentioned that the Quaker cemetery is on Betty Harris' property. Dr. Weng, an adjoining property owner, spoke in support of this proposal. He owns property that was zoned 10-year transitional many years ago. He does not have the money to pay for the water and sewer. He felt that this would be a good time for the County Commissioners to think about creating a planned development. He commented that growth is inevitable and he hopes that well planned growth can be encouraged. He asked the County Commissioners to approve this request. Susan Dovenbarger, Orange County School Board member, indicated that this site was selected by the Orange County School Board as the location for the new elementary school. Approximately one and 1/2 years ago the School Board appointed a committee to identify sites for a new elementary school. This group met and identified possible sites. They identified the number of students living in the northern and western portions of the County and determined that there are significant numbers of students coming from north of Highway 70. She mentioned that there are currently students who have two hour bus rides from the farthest reaches of the northern and western quadrants. The committee looked at GIS maps to look at the size of available parcels outside of watersheds and other restricted areas. They used Planning Department information to identify where building permits had been issued. They found that a significant number of the building permits were being issued in the western and northern portion of the County. They looked at sites that would afford optimal opportunity to collocate school and recreational facilities. The property in question is in pristine condition with many hardwoods and even a small creek. These would provide recreational opportunities as well as educational benefits. The biggest limiting factor that the Orange County School Board faces in siting any school is its proximity to water and sewer lines. This site does have a six inch water line adjacent to the property which would need to be upgraded. The owner of the property has been most cooperative. She mentioned that those working on this project agree that there would be severe consequences if this project was thrown off course. She mentioned that one concern in this process was that they were unaware until Friday that the staff recommendation for this request for the land use change would be to deny the request.. She stated that they had been led to believe that the planning staff would recommend approval. She asked that the Board of Commissioners approve this request. Ray DeBruhl, the facilities consultant to the Board of Education, stated that he was responsible for assisting the School Board in managing the delivery of an elementary school by August, 2000. He mentioned that the owner of the property, Michael Edwards, owns a jewelry store in Cary. Prior to developing a school site Mr. DeBruhl looks 25 to 40 years into the future to try to visualize where schools need to be located. One issue they consider is transportation. He mentioned that Hillsborough's water and sewer plans were also considered. He surmised that the residential growth that is going to occur would be east of Highway 86. This site would greatly reduce the cost of transportation for those students in the northern and western areas of the County. He mentioned that this site is located within the network of roads in such a way as to facilitate the transportation of Q:119990221d.c