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Craig Benedict said that in talking with the Carrboro staff about the UNC-Chapel Hill <br /> property that is located north of this area, research is that UNC-Chapel Hill has been going through <br /> various committees to discuss this site, which is part of the Horace Williams tract. He has talked with <br /> officials at UNC and asked that Orange County government be part of the process when talking about <br /> this tract of land to ensure that we are involved in case the eventual use of this property is residential in <br /> nature. <br /> Geoffrey Gledhill made reference to the copy of the minutes of the Board of Trustees of the <br /> University, which gave a favorable recommendation about the sale of 62 acres of the Henry Horace <br /> Williams property to Winmore Land Management, LLC. In order for the University to sell land, it must <br /> have a vote of the Council of State which includes the Commissioner of Agriculture, the Commissioner of <br /> Insurance, the Auditor, and the Governor. This group must also consult with the Joint Legislative <br /> Commission on governmental operations before making the final decision on the disposition of the <br /> property. <br /> Commissioner Halkiotis made reference to a meeting he attended with Duke University <br /> officials where Duke was interested in selling parcels of land. At that meeting, Orange County asked <br /> Duke to give the County the first option to purchase any land that may be for sale in Orange County. He <br /> finds it extraordinary that the average citizen can walk into a University administrative office at UNC- <br /> Chapel Hill and start a process. He doubts that he could go to UNC-Chapel Hill and be approved by the <br /> Council of State to buy property. He is concerned about the process. This is a pubic university. For a <br /> public university not to follow an open process, he finds this odorous. <br /> Commissioner Brown asked about the connection between the Winmore development and <br /> this piece of property that was sold by UNC-Chapel Hill. Geoffrey Gledhill said that on page 13 of the <br /> letter, it is clear that if the University sells the property to the Winmore Development Company, Winmore <br /> will expand the development and merge the two tracts. If the Winmore developers acquire additional <br /> property, they will amend their development application or somehow incorporate the property into the <br /> project. <br /> Craig Benedict said that the application submitted to Carrboro is for rezoning of the 62 acres. <br /> The plan does not include the land purchased from UNC-Chapel Hill. The developers can get 213 units <br /> on the 62 acres without this additional acreage. <br /> Chair Jacobs made reference to the property purchased from Duke University and said that <br /> we were able to use Clean Water bonds to purchase this property because of the protection of this <br /> natural area and the watershed. He said that it is unfortunate that the Governor and the State of North <br /> Carolina would not take a position on protection of property and being sure that environmental impacts <br /> are minimal when selling property. <br /> Commissioner Carey said that Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill, and OWASA own much of <br /> the land here in Orange County. All of this land is tax exempt, which means that the citizens of this <br /> County have been paying for the difference. He suggested that the Chair and Vice-Chair approach the <br /> Chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill to make the same request made to Duke University for the right of first <br /> refusal. <br /> Commissioner Gordon asked what position the County is in at this time. Geoffrey Gledhill <br /> said that a letter from Chair Jacobs to Mayor Michael Nelson speaks to this position. There is time for <br /> both governmental entities to review the application from Winmore and make comments. Craig Benedict <br /> said that if the application is found sufficient by Carrboro staff, it will be forwarded to the County. If the <br /> application is found to be sufficient by mid July, it could go to joint public hearing on October 9, 2002. <br /> Prior to that, the Northern Transition Area committee would have time to review the proposal as well as <br /> the Orange County Planning Board. <br /> Commissioner Gordon asked if Carrboro was amenable to this schedule. Craig Benedict said <br /> that Carrboro has indicated that the application is complex so it may not be far enough along in the <br /> process for an October Joint public hearing. It would then go forward to April 2003 for a joint public <br /> hearing. The letter that was written by the Chair will prompt discussion about the possible annexation. <br /> Chair Jacobs said that the letter indicates our commitment to the joint planning process and <br /> that we know that Carrboro is also committed, and that we appreciate their collaborative spirit. He read <br /> two sentences from the letter as follows: "We trust that a thorough evaluation, open to community input <br /> and subject to a joint public hearing, will be carried out on the rezoning proposal prior to any annexation <br /> decision the Town may make. We consider our participation in such a process our responsibility and <br />