Orange County NC Website
land use patterns if you're going to address global warming. So, my question, and I guess this <br /> is to our Economic Development staff, is that we have three EDDs, and this is the one that's <br /> furthest away from population centers. So, why put a shopping center in a place that's the <br /> furthest away from the population center where people are going to have to drive? Why not use <br /> one of the EDDs that are closer to the population center? I don't disagree that we need more <br /> retail. Liberals agree with that, conservatives agree with that, republicans agree with that, <br /> democrats agree with that; Orange County needs more retail. But if you're serious, as we say <br /> we are, about global warming, why put this shopping center, which is going to have thousands, <br /> and thousands, and thousands of vehicle miles traveled furthest away from the population <br /> center where you have other alternatives? <br /> The final thing, I'm a little troubled that we have so little vision for our economic development <br /> districts and how we're going to develop them. When this first came up, I started asking <br /> questions, "What is our plan for these EDDs?" What I remember from reading the paper, <br /> because I wasn't on the Commission then, was that the plan for these EDDs was for research, <br /> and development, that kind of thing. I don't remember ever reading major shopping center. So <br /> I asked staff what is our plan for these EDDs? What I got was this stack of paper, and I had to <br /> go through and read minutes from about 10-15 years of meetings, and sure enough, my <br /> memory is correct, as far as I can tell, there really wasn't a vision articulated for the EDDs that <br /> they would be shopping centers. The vision that was articulated was more substantive <br /> economic development with a retail component in certain circumstances. The step that never <br /> happened was coming back and making a plan for each one of these EDDs. I have some real <br /> concerns about this shopping center in this particular place. Without any plan for what we want <br /> to have done in those EDDs, a real plan, it makes it hard to argue that this is right and it makes <br /> it hard to argue that it's wrong. <br /> In our economic development plan, we have stated that we are searching for 5,000 new jobs in <br /> Orange County. Has there been any articulation of what kind of jobs? Not all jobs are equal. <br /> When I talk to people, they're not wanting new jobs for their kids at $8 an hour. My question for <br /> staff is have we articulated what kind of jobs we're seeking when we do economic development <br /> recruitment? What kind of businesses are we going to bring into Orange County that would <br /> raise the quality of life and that give people opportunities to grow and give families opportunities <br /> to expand? Not all jobs are equal and it's really hard to argue that $8 an hour retail jobs are <br /> what we want for this County. <br /> Chair Jacobs: I have a whole list of questions. I'm going to start with the small and move to <br /> the large. On page 14, it talks about independent retail and service establishments and <br /> discussed a ban on drive-throughs. We do in fact have a very detailed plan for the Hillsborough <br /> EDD, despite what Commissioner Nelson may think, and in that we ban any drive-through <br /> windows. I would suggest that I would oppose any drive-through windows in any development <br /> in any economic development district in Orange County. If you want to talk about pollution, <br /> that's a great way to needlessly pollute with one's vehicle. <br /> On page 15, and then the charts on 16 about condominiums, there's no mention in here about <br /> having affordable units, and I know if we were in Chapel Hill, they require a certain percentage. <br /> I would hope that the developers would dedicate a percentage of each of these clusters or units <br /> to be affordable units as defined within Orange County. <br /> I had a question about District II versus District III in this comprehensive use plan map between <br /> 16 and 17. I just wondered how much you took into account the impact of having District III <br /> closer to more of the lower density residential units and whether you thought that there was <br />