Minutes 05-27-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I just want to conclude by saying thank you for the opportunity to address you on these issues. And I also would like to respectfully plead with you to deny this special use permit. This project does not belong in this neighborhood. David Rooks: Mr. Fox Michael Fox: I don't have any questions for this witness. David Rooks: Call Carol Boggs. Carol Boggs: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I am Carol Boggs, and I am speaking for myself and in the role of substitute for the president of the Falls of New Hope Association. I am the vice president. I have been duly sworn in, and I have been designated as the person to deliver the statement from the Falls of New Hope. The Falls of New Hope Association opposes the proposed solar energy project to be located on Cascade Drive. We do not believe this proposal meets the condition for approval of a Special Use Permit as delineated in Section 5.3.2 (A)(2). Residents of Falls of New Hope, whether located next to the proposed power plan or away from it, have numerous questions about the impact on our environment and safety, questions that are not answered by the applicant's proposal. For that reason, we do not believe the project will "maintain or promote the public health, safety and general welfare." You are being given the statement, and you will see attached to it, a map of the subdivision, and if you imagine that map, it is adjacent to what you see on the screen at the front of the room. Falls of New Hope resident also question whether, if it approved this application, the County Board would meet the condition that the use will "maintain or enhance the value of contiguous property." An appraisal being presented to you tonight indicates a negative impact on property values for one homeowner in our neighborhood. Additional appraisals have been arranged for by at least ten additional homeowners in the neighborhood, but were not able to be completed due to the short notice given for this meeting. We do note that, based on the tax assessments done by Orange County, land values for properties in our neighborhood are 10 to 140 percent higher than those in Hideaway Estates and Trinkus Manor, two similar neighborhoods less than one mile away. The fact that Orange County has recognized that people in our neighborhood have paid a premium for their property relative to that in very similar nearby neighborhoods demands a close consideration of impacts of an industrial project like this one. The location and character of this proposal are not in harmony with the area in which it is to be located. The location is not surrounded by open, agricultural or natural land, nor is it located in an industrial or commercial area. Instead, it is not just next to, but sited directly in one of the most scenic rural residential neighborhoods in Orange County. This project will be the closest structure to at least two of our neighbor's homes, closer than the houses are to one another. All access to the project occurs through our neighborhood. Construction traffic, consisting of the movement of heavy equipment for clearing land, and semi trailer trucks delivering thousands of solar panels will occur on the road that every person in our neighborhood must use to enter and leave the neighborhood. A road used not just for vehicular traffic, but by bike riders and pedestrians who have moved to our neighborhood to enjoy its surroundings and access to the Triangle Land Conservancy lands across the street. The quiet