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

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~,~ ~ C~~~~~ C~~.,~~`t5 February 25, 2008 Intercity Visit Sustainability Workgroup Orange County Public Hearing Good evening Commissioners: I'm Mike Collins, and tonight I'm speaking on behalf of the Intercity Visit Sustainability Workgroup. We are a group of concerned citizens that grew out of meetings with progressive community groups and leaders during the Chamber of Commerce's trip to Madison WI in the fiall of 2006. We have remained active since then in an effort to find better ways to implement the concept of economic sustainability at the local level. Our research and activities have convinced us that the key to a thriving and sustainable local economy is to focus economic development efforts on supporting local business, entrepreneurship, and a culture of "think local first." This idea was recently captured by Senate candidate Jim Neal. Neal. wrote about the importance "...of creating not just jobs, but careers. Not just jobs, but jobs that pay good wages. Not just jobs, but jobs that add value. In short, quality, sustainable jobs that are grounded in entrepreneurship. North Carolina's future depends on building and enabling `homegrown wealth': businesses formed by entrepreneurs in the State which create both lasting economic wealth and employment opportunities." What's true for the state is just as true for Orange County. In last week's issue of Newsweek, Daniel Gross reported on the extreme glut in retail space across the country. Numerous chains and big-box retailers are closing hundreds of storefronts - with all the associated effects on local employment. Even. if this development is able to bring in large retailers from autside, the jobs created are likely to be low- wage and ephemeral. Hardly a recipe for sustainability. If that is the case; then the proposed development for the Buckhorn Road site is 180 degrees in the wrong direction. Here in Orange County, we are used to seeing our local governments lead, not follow. We .urge the County to insist on a project that is worthy of the future, not a blast from the past. Amixed-use, transit-friendly development instead of just another strip mall. A home to locally-based entrepreneurs and forward-thinking residents and business owners, not to exploitative outside retailers. A project that makes a statement about where Orange County's priorities lie, and resists the temptation to follow the retail gold which is, as James Carnahan recently pointed out in the Chapel Hill News, more often than not, Fool's Gold. Last time I looked, the unemployment rate for Orange County was well below the state and national average. This would seem to indicate that the issue to address regarding jobs in Orange County is quality, not quantity. So, if this development does proceed, we propose the following stipulations be attached to it: 1. That the county require a commitment to bring in tenants who pay living wages and whose employees will not create a burden for county services because of inadequate employee pay and/or benefits. 2. That the county include a 'local first' mandate stipulating a specific and aggressive level of local tenancy and ownership. ~~7Q.