Agenda - 02-16-1993 - III-F - Laserfiche WebLink

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12 of facts that characterize the comments from those who oppose this project. The environmental impact to the golf course will be minimal . Michael Ortosky will discuss this issue later in this presentation. The traffic issue will be discussed by Mr. Robert Grill. This development will not raise taxes as has been claimed by the opponents. Also, the open space areas will not be built on in the future. The open space will be deeded to the Triangle Land Conservancy. The planning principles used in this project have been used everywhere in the 19th and 20th centuries. The citizens who oppose this plan say that the plan is rural. Mr. Cogswell stated that that is not true. This is a deteriorating and disused farm located between two interstates next to a trailer park and contiguous to a Transition area in a section of the County that will clearly be developed in the near future. It has been said that University Station will flood the school system which is not true as shown in the presentation by Mr. Collins. Owen Keenan-, one of the University Station planners, emphasized that this land is priced at $6, 000 to $10, 000 an acre. This project is very risky. The property will provide affordable housing which is needed in this community. The average cost of these homes will be $140, 000 with a range from $80 , 000 to $220, 000. This is the only scenario that will work that will provide enough margin of profit that anyone would be willing to risk. He feels that golf courses do not pollute. A typical 200 homes in a neighborhood will produce at least double to three times the pollution that a golf course wiurse and a dairy farm will pollute probably four times more than a golf Mr. Cogswell stated that they have incorporated into the plan a 600 foot wide wildlife corridor along the bed of Stoney Creek and pulled all golf holes out of that area. They have agreed to the improvements to the roads and bridges that were recommended by the Planning Staff. They have pulled back from all of the Beech Bluffs that were mentioned and will preserve the old houses both north and south of NC 10 and if they can find the old slave cemetery, they will preserve that. They have eliminated the exit onto University Station Road and incorporated the realignment of NC 10 and New Hope Church Road. They have done everything that the Planning Staff has recommended. Mr. Michael Ortosky made comments on the environmental assessment. He is with a company called "Soil and Environmental Consultants" located in Raleigh. His company prepared a preliminary ecological and archeological assessment of the site. He used slides to review this assessment. He showed the different soil types in the area. They reviewed the site from the standpoint of general plant communities and habitat and from the standpoint of jurisdictional wetlands on the site as well as the wildlife that occurs within each of those habitats and a review of the archeological significance of other areas on the site. He showed the nine different types of habitat and plant communities as indicated in their preliminary report. He showed the wetlands and the farm ponds . He pointed out that some of the bottomland hardwood habitat is in danger from the beaver activity. He showed some of the houses that are located on this property. The present plan does accommodate all of the wetlands which is 50 to 60 acres. He showed a golf course in Raleigh that maintained the vast majority of their wetlands and redesigned the golf course to do so. He showed development that had taken place around the wetlands which have taken a newer status in development because of environmental regulations and because of a new ethic in developing around