Orange County NC Website
Commissioner Jacobs asked if there was a suggestion far the timing. <br />Jacquelyn Gist said that her pet peeve is that there are meetings that are scheduled far <br />the elite because they are during the day and they exclude the public. She said that there are <br />fewer and fewer elected officials who have 8-5 jobs, and one of the reasons for this is significant <br />meetings during working hours. <br />Dan Coleman suggested looking at the meeting schedules of all jurisdictions. <br />Jaal Hall Broun said that she is glad that this is on the agenda because they need to talk <br />about the economic goals and if they are in line with the desired outcome. She said that <br />Orange County does a good job of producing housing. The schools are the attraction, but the <br />housing does not pay for the schools or for enough recreation. She said that none of the <br />jurisdictions are rich, but the people that live in them are, and money is tight for the jurisdictions. <br />She thinks that they should all start planning on how to fund future schools. She thinks that <br />there needs to be another revenue tax source because the citizens are going to say that they <br />have had enough and that the burden is too high. Her suggestion is that if they are going to <br />discuss increasing the number of jobs and the assessed value of non-residential property, then <br />there needs to be specificity about haw this is going to be done. She said that Carolina North is <br />untaxed property and there is only a certain amount of revenue that is going to come out of that. <br />Randee-Haven O'Donnell said that the map is ensuring that the economic development <br />districts are on the major corridor between RTP and Greensboro. She said that this is an the <br />exit highway and this concerns her because it creates a strip mall mentality, which does not go <br />with the environmental principles of Orange County. <br />Eric Hallman encouraged the municipalities to participate in the Economic Development <br />Commission because they need the input. <br />Mayor Stevens said that it is good to see the job trend changing. He asked Dianne Reid <br />to speak to the Durham Tech satellite campus in Orange County. Dianne Reid said that the <br />hope is to use the campus as a way for people to have careers in Orange County and to see <br />that there are meaningful blue-collar jobs here also. <br />Mayor Stevens said that his Board approved increasing commercial space at the <br />Waterstone Development, and there will be some constraints. He said that there would not be <br />all box stores at Waterstone. He encouraged the County to use the incubator space to build <br />local businesses. He said that there is a module of flex space and distribution. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that the County is trying to have an incubator area around <br />Cornelius RoadIUS 70. This is the area around Fairview. He said that this could also be a <br />relocation area for those moving out of the Daniel Boone complex. <br />Mark Chilton asked Dianne Reid to speak to the issue about whether this is an <br />automobile oriented plan. Dianne Reid said that the EDD's were created in the 1990's and they <br />may have been auto-driven then, but the regulations have been changed in the Hillsborough <br />EDD. The EDDs are becoming more mixed use (housing nearby, etc.) so that there would not <br />be an RTP type of model. <br />Brian Lowen said that he thought that the EDD areas were targeted because they were <br />not in the central part of the County and were economically depressed areas. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that at the Durham Technical Community College campus in <br />Orange County, the County is building a park and ride lot, and there is a direct connection <br />between Hillsborough and Chapel Hill that will run right past the campus. The County has also <br />talked with Alamance and Mebane officials about an east-west route. <br />Brian Lowen said that officials need to be straightfonrvard with the developers and people <br />interested in Orange County. He said that there has been talk of a Cabela's possibly targeting <br />the Buckhorn EDD. He said that if there is no interest in something like this coming to the <br />County, then it should be made clear. <br />Dianne Reid said that part of the plan is to bring back ideas to the municipalities about <br />what could be in the EDDs and get feedback. <br />