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three different distinct areas is just trying to provide that internal circulation that Commissioner <br /> Gordon has asked about and to try to allow for a car to get in, park, and not be a tight, <br /> congested development. <br /> Sam Lasris: If you were to make it more compact, you'd have more land available for this <br /> recreation and you'd have less of a footprint. I'm sure you've seen hotels attached to shopping <br /> centers. I'm just wondering why that concept was rejected. Is it that the land is so affordable? <br /> Jim Parker: We will try to expand on that answer as well for you. <br /> Sam Lasris: I'm also wondering if we actually will be physically blocking the residents who <br /> currently live around this property. Will they consistently be blocked off from walking into or <br /> cycling into this development? <br /> Jim Parker: We've had a couple of meetings with the neighborhoods around the site. We've <br /> had two meetings — one with Crestview subdivision to the southeast of the project and then the <br /> community to the north across 85. Crestview indicated to us at that meeting, there were some <br /> concerns about not making that connection between the two, and we certainly encouraged them <br /> to speak to that at the public hearing and we would try to support whatever we heard at that <br /> point. There is currently not an intended connection point to that subdivision. It's not saying <br /> that it's something we would not do, it's just we have not included that. <br /> Sam Lasris: I know you're not the traffic engineer, but I was looking at the dates that the traffic <br /> counts were made, and they were only made on weekdays. I'm wondering why no traffic counts <br /> were made on weekends, and that's really where the traffic is coming heavily. <br /> Jim Parker: Lynn Hill is our traffic consultant, but I will say that the major traffic concern now is <br /> on the weekend because the road capacity is not designed for what's happening. In fact, there <br /> are no improvements to the road system out there now to handle what is happening. Once the <br /> improvements are made based on the traffic for the development, you're going to see quite an <br /> improvement on the weekend. <br /> The Clerk swore in Lynn Hill. <br /> Lynn Hill: I think that what's happening out there now on the weekend would give it a distorted <br /> view of existing traffic. That's why the decision was made to state the traffic counts on <br /> weekdays because of the flea market in that area. It would distort the existing traffic. <br /> Craufurd Goodwin: I have a question and then a comment. I understand that the <br /> circumstance that the County is out of compliance with the ozone quite substantially. If that's <br /> the case, does it make sense to support a project that will bring thousands of cars and will <br /> increase the problem of ozone? I wonder if anybody has explored that, and if so, how will we <br /> deal with the issue? <br /> My observation is that the document we received, which is called an Economic Impact <br /> Statement, is certainly not that. It's sort of a partial fiscal impact statement. I think that what we <br /> really need, to do due diligence for this project, is a serious fiscal impact statement. For <br /> example, taking not just sales tax, but also real estate tax, and all of the costs, all of the <br /> expenses for police, and schools, and fire, and all of the other things. An economic impact <br /> statement, a genuine one, would also be very interesting, but it is much harder to construct. I <br /> think until you have that, it's very hard to reach any kind of conclusion. <br />