Agenda - 09-04-2014 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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54 1 There are two solar utilities in Orange, two in Durham, one in Wake and two in Chatham. And I 2 have material that displays this. 3 4 All seven of these commercial solar utilities are located in rural areas. None of them are 5 adjoining a subdivision, pre-existing or newly constructed, and in fact none of them are even 6 adjoining individual houses. I am submitting aerial photographs of these seven solar utilities for 7 your review. 8 9 The only other solar utility that Sunlight Partners, who is requesting this special use 10 permit today, is proposing in the Triangle is in a rural area off Red Mill Road in Northern Durham 11 County near Falls Lake. There are no houses nearby. 12 13 The second point I would like to address is 5.3.2 (A) (2) (c) the section of the Orange 14 County unified development ordinance that relates to the granting of special use permits: "The 15 location and character of the use, if developed according to the plan submitted, will be in 16 harmony with the area in which it is to be located." 17 18 I would like to examine that standard. From the evidence I presented a few moments 19 ago, it is clear that siting a commercial solar utility directly adjoining a 50 year old subdivision 20 will be a first for Triangle jurisdictions. Given that fact, I would hope that the Orange County 21 Commissioners and the Orange County Planning Board will proceed slowly and cautiously in 22 this matter with due reflection. 23 24 Common wisdom holds that a picture is worth a thousand words. I believe that no 25 number of photographs could adequately convey the character of Falls of New Hope, a fifty year 26 old subdivision that backs up to New Hope Creek and is located across the street from the 27 Triangle land Conservancy's Johnston Mill Preserve. I would suggest that the County 28 Commissioners and the Planning Board cannot make a fully informed decision in this matter 29 without first visiting Cascade Drive in Falls of New Hope. I would posit that "the character of the 30 area in question" cannot be correctly ascertained without first visiting Cascade Drive in Falls of 31 New Hope and that therefore the Board and the Commissioners cannot intelligently determine 32 whether or not the proposed solar utility will be in harmony with the surrounding area without 33 first visiting the area. 34 35 I would further suggest that the Board and the County Commissioners should also visit the 36 existing solar utility at White Cross off of Highway 54 in Chapel Hill to see what a commercial 37 solar utility looks like up close and that perhaps they should visit that solar utility before they visit 38 Falls of New Hope. 39 40 Finally, given the fact that this solar utility, if approved, will be the first commercial solar 41 utility located adjacent to any existing subdivision in the Triangle, I would suggest that the 42 Orange County Commissioners and the Orange Planning Board must, in order to do due 43 diligence and carry out the obligation and trust of their positions, visit the solar farm at White 44 Cross and Cascade Drive in Falls of New Hope. 45 46 This will be a first. None of us, I am certain, including Sunlight Partners, want it to be the 47 last. As to the specifics of the site visits, whether the Commissioners and the planning board 48 visit singly in small groups or a quorum with or without a stenographer present and with or 49 without communication with residents of Cascade Drive while they are there, I leave that 50 decision to the Commissioners, the Chair of the commission, the planning board, the Chair of 51 the Board and the County attorney. During the past week I have heard from certain County