Orange County NC Website
Craufurd Goodwin said that some of the goals should be reworded because there are a lot <br />of incomplete sentences. <br />Tom Altieri said that these goals have been taken to public hearings as they were <br />submitted by each of the respective advisory boards. The advisory boards felt like it was <br />important to hear public comment on the goals as the individual advisory boards prepared them. <br />The Dispute Settlement Center and Clarion are recommending that action verbs not be included <br />in the goals, and that the goals should be expressed as a desired end. <br />Commissioner Gordon asked that the public signed up to speak tell where they live. <br />Marty Mandell said that it is her opinion that sustainability should be the big, main goal. <br />She said that this word is confusing because it means different things to different people. She <br />said that sustainability is at the heart of survival and reflects how humans treat the earth and the <br />values they place on preserving the earth's natural resources. She said that several years ago, <br />Orange County made a sustainability commitment by creating a "green" infrastructure through the <br />Lands Legacy Program. This was the first major step towards sustainability by a county in North <br />Carolina, and it has received national recognition. She said that the next step should be to <br />continue funding the Lands Legacy, but also to define just what sustainability means. She said <br />that the Comprehensive Plan should describe the processes by which the basic needs of the <br />citizens are provided and protected without depleting the quality of life. Some important issues <br />are water supply, air quality, and supply of locally grown agricultural products. She said that this <br />might be the last really goad chance to join the international concept of working together far a <br />sustainable world. <br />Robin Taylor-Hall is a citizen of Hillsborough. She represents the Simpson Efland heirs. <br />She said that the heirs want to make sure that an issue is addressed on one of the properties <br />(79.23 acres), north of I-85 and I-40. There is a huge watershed area at the bottom of this tract of <br />land, and this was put there when the Seven Mile Creek Reservoir was planned. Since this is not <br />being planned anymore, the request is that this be removed ar addressed in the comprehensive <br />plan. She made reference to the letter written to her by the heirs and submitted to the County <br />Commissioners and the Planning Board. <br />Renee Price is from Hillsborough and is on the Historic Preservation Commission. She <br />said that the Commission had two goals, and one got into an over-arching goal, and she is <br />concerned about this. She proposes going back to two goals. She said that there is majority <br />support of this from the HPC, although there was no vote on it. The goals are: preservation of the <br />architectural and archaeological resources of Orange County and their associated landscapes; <br />and awareness and appreciation of a diverse historical and cultural heritage of Orange County. <br />Allen Rosen lives in Chapel Hill Township. He is a member of The Village Project as well <br />as a member of the recently formed coalition that is paying a lot of attention to the Comprehensive <br />Planning process. He thanked the County Commissioners for the forethought in moving towards <br />the comprehensive process and planning far all eight elements simultaneously. He thanked the <br />Planning Board and advisory boards for this substantial undertaking. He said that the website has <br />been an invaluable aid. He thinks that the recommendation, to not adapt the draft goals at this <br />stage, is very admirable. He thinks that there is a lot of room for improvement, refinement, and <br />possibly some addition to the draft goals. He said that the Coalition includes members from the <br />Inter-Faith Council and EmPOWERment, Inc. Tonight, there are also people from Community <br />Action Network, Chapel Hill/Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, The Village Project, Homebuilders <br />Association of Durham/OrangelChatham Counties, and Walkable Hillsborough. He thinks that <br />value can been added to the process by encouraging individuals and groups to be involved. He <br />distributed a copy of the Coalition statement. He said that the Coalition believes that the <br />Comprehensive Plan Update should determine where new compact, walkable, mixed use, transit <br />supported growth and development should occur within the planning jurisdiction. <br />Ben Lloyd lives in Efland. He spoke about the issues of economic development in the <br />Comprehensive Plan. He said that in December of 1982 he served on the Board of County <br />