Agenda - 06-03-2008-5b5e - Laserfiche WebLink

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First, the rosy conclusions of the report depend heavily on the assumption that Mebane will annex this area within a year after construction starts. But, if there is no contractual arrangement with Mebane to do so surely the only responsible assumption is that they will NOT annex. Otherwise Orange County could be left holding a huge and very expensive bag. Then, even if we accept the assumption of annexation there is the matter of public service responsibility until it occurs and the question of whether Mebane, after annexation, would be able to take responsibility quickly for such challenges as fighting fire in a six story building. Second, the effect of this development on other existing and potential retail in Orange County should be taken carefully into account. Waterstone stands ready with infrastructure in place only a few miles away. Would Buckhorn suck the life out of it? What would be the implications for the County and the Town of Hillsborough if this were to happen? Finally, and perhaps most important, this document brushes off the implications of the addition of a thousand or so low-wage workers at Buckhorn to the Orange County workforce by suggesting that they will come from other Orange County employment (which seems highly unlikely and would, in any case, be simply displacement) or that they would be commuters from other counties. The latter suggestion seems especially absurd. How many $8 per hour workers could afford to commute from Burlington or Greensboro with $4 per gallon gasoline? And remember we have practically no public transport in Orange County to such far flung places. Surely the most reasonable assumption is that like other low wage enterprises in North Carolina, from hog farms and slaughter houses in the east to textile mills in the west, low-income housing will sprout up nearby and the costs of education and public services for the inhabitants will have to be borne by county government. A careful estimate of these costs should be prepared. Bottom Line I do not have a clear picture at all of whether this project would,.on balance, b e good or bad for Orange County, and I cannot see how anyone else could reach a sound conclusion without serious fiscal and economic estimates that have yet to be prepared. I urge the Planning Staff to approach the Director of the Institute of Government to request advice on an appropriate independent consultant (perhaps a faculty member or recent graduate) who could perform this task from the perspective of all the citizens of Orange County and not just that of the developers, which is all we have seen to date. If we are told that there is no time for such an action I would reply that due diligence is far more important than haste. 3