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33 <br />Page 2 of 2 Matt Hughes <br />Orange County Planning Board (REQUIRES DISCLOSURE STATEMENT) <br />Please list the work /volunteer experience /qualifications that would add to your expertise <br />for this board. <br />In the roles I ve served in in the community, I ve had to interact with a great deal of people from <br />a variety of paths in life. That gave me a sense of what the people of Orange County want and <br />what they need. What they need is development that is thoughtful, that will bring in tax revenue, <br />and increases our quality of life. <br />What unique perspective can you bring to the Orange County Planning Board? <br />As a young person living in the county, who is also a lifelong resident, I think I bring in a unique <br />view to the Board. I m someone that knows what Orange County was like not that long ago and <br />what development should look like as a young person who wants to stay local. <br />What do you see as the responsibilities of this board, and what do you hope to <br />accomplish if appointed? <br />I believe this Board should represent the needs and interests of both Orange County <br />government and the citizens of our community. Their mission should be to seek middle ground <br />between these two groups and work with developers to implement commonsense regulations on <br />development, especially if there could be a negative environmental or economic impact. <br />What do you consider to be be the most important issues facing Orange County related <br />to growth? <br />Smart planning and planning for the future. Many communities that surround Orange County are <br />not planned smartly and tend to divide those within their communities. I think that smart planning <br />that seeks to create a sense of community, while also making sure that we are economically <br />sound and welcoming to new residents and businesses is paramount to ensuring that we have <br />smart growth that we can be proud of. <br />What role should the Planning Board take in guiding and regulating growth? <br />The Planning Board should certainly take a guiding role in the growth of our community. Smart <br />growth is one that is planned deliberately and carefully, but that doesn t gum up the works of <br />bringing needed economic activity to Orange County. It is the Planning Board s responsibility to <br />balance the needs of the residents of Orange County, Orange County government, and <br />developers in order to reach a comprehensive understanding on development. The role is not to <br />block growth, but it facilitate growth. <br />How would you, as a member of the Planning Board, contribute to the implementation of <br />the Board of Commissioners' adopted Goals and Priorities? <br />First and foremost, the Planning Board should implement greater collaboration with area governments so that planning <br />can be more unified in nature. The Triangle is a great place to live, work, and play with a great deal of economic <br />activity taking place across county lines. <br />Secondly, the Planning Board should be working to ensure that the growth of Orange County is sustainable in water <br />usage, energy usage, and smartly protecting and using our natural resources. This is all achieved by finding balance <br />and being innovative. <br />Most importantly, I would advocate for a high quality of life for Orange County residents by working hard on the <br />sustainability and collaborative goals as I believe those are two of the most important goals the Planning Board could <br />or should have. Looking towards the future is often hard, but we cannot soothe current needs without thinking about <br />future actions and we cannot work to soothe those needs without working as part of the whole. <br />Other Comments: <br />This application was current on: 2/27/2014 8:39:51 AM Date Printed: 3/11/2014 <br />