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23 <br /> Page 3 of 3 Matt Hughes <br /> As a young person living in the county, who is also a lifelong resident, I think I bring in a unique <br /> view to the Board. I m someone that knows what Orange County was like not that long ago and <br /> what development should look like as a young person who wants to stay local. <br /> What do you see as the responsibilities of this board, and what do you hope to <br /> accomplish if appointed? <br /> I believe this Board should represent the needs and interests of both Orange County <br /> government and the citizens of our community. Their mission should be to seek middle ground <br /> between these two groups and work with developers to implement commonsense regulations on <br /> development, especially if there could be a negative environmental or economic impact. <br /> What do you consider to be be the most important issues facing Orange County related <br /> to growth? <br /> Smart planning and planning for the future. Many communities that surround Orange County are <br /> not planned smartly and tend to divide those within their communities. I think that smart planning <br /> that seeks to create a sense of community, while also making sure that we are economically <br /> sound and welcoming to new residents and businesses is paramount to ensuring that we have <br /> smart growth that we can be proud of. <br /> What role should the Planning Board take in guiding and regulating growth? <br /> The Planning Board should certainly take a guiding role in the growth of our community. Smart <br /> growth is one that is planned deliberately and carefully, but that doesn t gum up the works of <br /> bringing needed economic activity to Orange County. It is the Planning Board s responsibility to <br /> balance the needs of the residents of Orange County, Orange County government, and <br /> developers in order to reach a comprehensive understanding on development. The role is not to <br /> block growth, but it facilitate growth. <br /> How would you, as a member of the Planning Board, contribute to the implementation of <br /> the Board of Commissioners' adopted Goals and Priorities? <br /> First and foremost,the Planning Board should implement greater collaboration with area governments so that planning <br /> can be more unified in nature.The Triangle is a great place to live,work,and play with a great deal of economic <br /> activity taking place across county lines. <br /> Secondly,the Planning Board should be working to ensure that the growth of Orange County is sustainable in water <br /> usage,energy usage,and smartly protecting and using our natural resources.This is all achieved by finding balance <br /> and being innovative. <br /> Most importantly, I would advocate for a high quality of life for Orange County residents by working hard on the <br /> sustainability and collaborative goals as I believe those are two of the most important goals the Planning Board could <br /> or should have. Looking towards the future is often hard,but we cannot soothe current needs without thinking about <br /> future actions and we cannot work to soothe those needs without working as part of the whole. <br /> Other Comments: <br /> This application was current on: 7/20/2015 Date Printed: 7/21/2015 <br />