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PUBLIC COMMENT: Steve Herman said that he has lived in the Sunrise Raad neighborhood for 25 years. He said that about four years ago he and his neighbors came before the Board to blow the whistle on another project at Sunrise Road and I-40. That time it was an upscale subdivision, whose preliminary application did not disclose the trees that had already been clear-cut without authorization. He said that this was another snow job because it shows the same attempt to secure Board approval by withholding certain information. He made reference to the requirement of Habitat for Humanity to involve the surrounding community in the planning. The summary report indicates that Habitat has included the neighbors and there is no opposition. He said that the report fails to indicate that the neighborhood opposition runs stronger than ever, as evidenced by a petition signed by 197 community residents. Following the series of meetings, Habitat cut off all communication with the residents and has refused repeated requests for direct dialogue. He said that at the meetings Habitat was not very forthcoming and it seemed that they had already written off the residents as an obstacle to overcome. He made reference to the I-40 noise pollution issue, which was central to the protest four years ago. The topography of the Habitat project will make the highway noise worse. He said that during rush hour the sound is deafening. He said that Habitat seems to be in no particular rush to produce the sound studies. He said that all of the neighbors admire and support the goad work that Habitat has done for Orange County. He said that this does not justify ignoring the problems of the past two years. Richard Surwit has lived in Chapel Hill for 27 years. He is speaking as a member of the Sunrise Coalition regarding Habitat for Humanity's request for $70,000 for the Sunrise Ridge project. He said that Habitat continually refuses to provide information regarding its project to the neighbors that will be impacted by it, and now Habitat is coming back to the County Commissioners to request an additional $70,000 to cover non-specified pre-development costs for a project that has no neighborhood support. He does not think that the $70,000 will result in a successful development. It is the position of the Sunrise Coalition that when a group's activities are funded by tax dollars, they are mandated to operate in the open even if the law does not specifically require it. It is also the Sunrise Coalition's position that the County Commissioners need to say to any non-profit requesting public funding that once public funding has been provided, the non-profit's activities must be entirely open to public scrutiny or the non- profit will lose public funding. He said that given Habitat's refusal to keep the public informed in a timely fashion regarding the use of public money, Sunrise Coalition believes that the County Commissioners should deny this request far funding until Habitat agrees to proper public accountability. Dour Schworer is also a member of the Sunrise Coalition. He said that he attended all of the neighborhood meetings, and he agrees with Steve Herman's assessment that the meetings failed to generate any meaningful dialogue and the process excluded the neighbors, while giving the impression that the neighbors were involved. They feel that Habitat must be accountable to the surrounding community in order to be compliant with paragraph 3 of the development agreement. Habitat must provide evidence that the surrounding community has been involved in the development process. He said that tonight Habitat wants to change the dates in the development plan and it was not discussed with anyone except Orange County. He said that in letters dated as far back as December 2003, their attorney, Michael Brough, provided a letter to John Tyrrell, who was then President of Habitat for Humanity, and the letter stated, "If the preordained result of the charrette process is a proposal that is inconsistent with the principles expressed above, they (Sunrise Coalition} do not wish to run the risk of having it said down the road that they have in any meaningful sense been involved in the development of the proposals that emerged." He said that this is what has occurred. A second letter was followed up on January 16, 2004, and he read, "A charrette involving those who have an interest in affordable housing in Chapel Hill is a fine idea, and many fine people live in Chapel Hill and