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Orange County: Buckhorn Village <br />The Buckhorn Village project is unlike industrial development projects that fuel <br />residential growth. The wages offered in retail and accommodation and food service businesses <br />are not "relocation" wages. It is unlikely that people will move to Orange County for jobs other <br />than key management positions. However, people that live in Orange County and drive to work <br />in other counties for retail jobs will fmd this as an opportunity to live and work in the same area, <br />reducing miles traveled. If any relocation is driven by this project, Alamance County is a more <br />cost effective choice given that the median home value is $116,907 in Alamance County and <br />$216,958 in Orange County based on Census data and projections. Orange County staff has <br />information from Market Opportunity Research Enterprises, a market research and analysis firm, <br />which show new and resale averages to be $329,006. <br />Benefits of Opening New Economic Development Zoned Land <br />One key long-term economic development advantage to Buckhorn Village is that it will <br />bring infrastructure close to a 600-acre economic development zoned area and the 200-acre area <br />with industrial land use. Orange County's land use plan, which dates to 1981, has designated this <br />area for economic, commercial, and industrial development. An indirect benefit of the Buckhorn <br />Village is that it will allow further implementation of the County's land use plan. Given the <br />information above on the cross-subsidization of public services, Orange County should look for <br />areas of implementation in the land use plan to provide employments centers for a variety of <br />economic sectors; office, retail, services, light industrial. Creating employment centers in the <br />County will reduce commuting, transportation strains, environmental impact, and create a <br />sustainable development. <br />Sanford Holshouser 20 <br />