Minutes 05-07-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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neighborhood with very small streets and no curbs. He said he works in research and data counts and he referenced a traffic count study he submitted in a letter to the clerk and the Board. He said that in a 20 hour study done on several days from 6pm to 10pm the average traffic was one car every 2 minutes and 35 seconds. He said there were several nights were there was little to no traffic for several hours. His full counts are included in his letter for item 7a in the abstract. He said he has no objection to the government use of the building but he does object to intense booking of the facility for events that will bring in 100 or more cars. This traffic and noise will fundamentally change the nature of the peaceful neighborhood. He pointed out that the facilities in Durham are built in the core of downtown, served by big roads and big parking areas. He said he would hope that another solution can be found for an intense program facility. Elizabeth Waugh Duford, Executive Director of Orange County Cultural Center (OCCC), thanked the Commissioners for the opportunity to speak about her strong belief in the vision of shared space and option A of the Whitted Building. She said she has been working with volunteers since February 2012 to move the shared space vision forward. She said that without the agreement for shared space, the future of the Cultural Center is unclear. She said this would be huge loss of opportunity to bring people of all ages and cultures together in Orange County. She said that, as a lifelong resident and a mother of four, she cannot stress what a benefit this center would be for young families in the County. She said children's art and music classes, teen film series, painting workshops for seniors, and many other workshops and exhibits, as well as gallery space for young artist would be wonderful. She said that the community has expressed a desire for this center. She expressed hope that this will draw additional visitors to downtown Hillsborough to support local business. She expressed hope that the Board will vote in favor of shared space at the Whitted Building. Steve Gardner lives on Tryon Street said he has spoken in the past about his opposition of a cultural center at Whitted. He said he read the OCCC Business Plan, and his concerns have escalated. He referred to proposals for street parking; closing Tryon Street during events; installation of speed platforms; use of shuttle buses; and the use of local police to enforce parking laws. He said that the proposals all address the needs of the cultural center to ferry large numbers of people to their destination in the historic district, but these proposals fail miserably in acknowledging the negative impact on the neighborhood. He said the residents chose to live in the neighborhood because of the small town charm, quiet streets and close proximity to the downtown commercial district. He said this is an old established historic area and despite the current zoning of the building, which is based on its past use, the residents never envisioned living next door to an event house. He respectfully asks the Commissioners to consider if this would be welcome in their neighborhood. He strongly believes this is not an acceptable venue for a cultural center and it would be highly detrimental to the quality of life of the residents and the downtown district as a whole. He urged the Board to reject the proposal. Paul Mitchell referred to a letter from his wife and he shared his concerns about the OCCC and the impact on parking, street access and noise levels in the community. He said he feels that the neighborhood is collateral damage for the Cultural Center's plan. Pat Revels, Vice Chair of the OCCC, expressed her desire that the Board will decide to partner with the OCCC in the use of the second floor of the Whitted Building. She said the OCCC has done its homework and is prepared and ready to take on the role of managing the non-governmental use of space in the multi-use facility. She referred to the timeline and financial plan. She stressed the benefits to the residents of Orange County through programs in visual arts, music and movement. She said the three year budget projection shows the plan to start slowly and find what works best in the community. She said the plan is viable and feasible but requires an