Orange County NC Website
services to the area. We are and we have been making an investment in the Southeast Pump <br /> Station just off Mebane-Oaks Road. I just spoke to our City Manager, and he tells me that it's <br /> going to have a capacity of a million gallons, far larger than anything needed here. We <br /> anticipate that this is going to be large enough to handle all future development between <br /> Mebane-Oaks and Buckhorn Road, as it might development over the next 20 years or so. We <br /> are in a position to do that, and we do have adequate facilities and adequate capacity to take <br /> care of both of those needs. I think that this presentation is one of the most comprehensive that <br /> I've ever heard in the time that I have served as Mayor. I would urge the committee, and I know <br /> this is a volatile situation that you're into, and it's not going to be decided tonight; but I would <br /> urge both of the committees to approve the request and that you do all you can to assist in the <br /> implementation of the project. We feel in our direction that it's a good thing. I think it's going to <br /> be good for the neighborhood, I think it's going to be good for both communities and both <br /> counties. I look forward to being one of the customers in that part of the County. I offer my <br /> support for the applicant tonight. <br /> Allan Rosen: I affirm that I have been sworn in. I want to start off by saying, generally <br /> speaking, that I am definitely in favor of economic development. As a taxpayer in Orange <br /> County since 1994, I think it's fair to say that the timeline that Craig Benedict presented with this <br /> being an economic development district in 1994, a water and sewer agreement in 2001, I think <br /> it's fair to say that this project is at least seven years too late, perhaps more than that. If it does <br /> happen to go forward, I hope the County officials will be modest in their taking credit for it, <br /> because it's really been a long time coming. I also think the elected officials need to show some <br /> leadership to build some bridges with the adjacent community members. I think it's good that <br /> the applicant definitely has the roots, I think that's to their credit; I think the work that they have <br /> done definitely speaks well of their efforts, probably better than the industry standard, although it <br /> will be a challenge. I would like to mention tonight, that if it does go forward, I have particular <br /> concerns with the application. One, with respect to the social equity dimension of sustainability. <br /> You know, 1.14 million square feet of non-residential space and 200 residential units that seem <br /> to me to be a pretty unsustainable ratio. I don't know if it is on this 140-acre parcel or adjacent <br /> parcels, but speaking as a former member of the General Housing Advisory Board, I think <br /> additional housing would be good and would certainly make a more sustainable project. Also, <br /> to the extent that before the property ages out, commercially speaking, which a lot of <br /> developments eventually do, if climate change issues really impact our land use patterns, if the <br /> cost of fuel really impacts our land use patterns, I think it should be incumbent upon the <br /> applicant during this approval stage to submit sort of a plan B site plan, so that if the property <br /> needs to be re-zoned, due to sort of these outside factors, which really call for concentrated <br /> development, there should be an alternative site plan that emphasizes a definite pedestrian- <br /> friendly street grid; vertically mixed use buildings, including residential; the ability to infill the <br /> currently planned parking lots with buildings in a way that integrate with a pedestrian-friendly <br /> street grid; the minimization of wide roads. Those are my concerns and I certainly think that as <br /> the County moves forward with the comprehensive plan update that there will be a synergistic <br /> impact between this project and the comprehensive plan update, particularly with respect to <br /> bringing the aspect of housing into the sustainability equation. Thank you. <br /> Sally Goerner: I have been sworn in. I'm an engineer and a systems theorist and a 25-year <br /> resident of Orange County. I'm also the Director of the Integral Science Institute, an <br /> international scientific consulting firm. I just spent six years researching and writing a book on <br /> the causes of long-term economic vitality and its implications for current economic development <br /> theory and what the alternatives are. I can shorten my speech to say that I agree <br /> wholeheartedly with what Mike Collins said earlier. So a lot of what I will say is in support of <br /> many of the kinds of things that he was talking about in terms of the benefits of developing local <br />