Agenda - 02-22-1993 - C-2-a, 3-a, 4

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47 DISTRIBUTED /9,12.-.'Cd/ 10 February 1993 D • \\\ FEB 1 I EEG Board of Orange County Commissioners Chair , Moses Carey and Board Members P. O . Box 8181 Hillsborough NC 27278 Your Honorable Commissioners , I am writing about the proposed ordinance/plan amendment for the White Cross node on Highway 54 , to be discussed at your public hearing on February 22 , 1993 . I attended a meeting on the proposed changes last night , a meeting I had been informed of only by a concerned neighbor one hour beforehand . I live on one of the neighborhood streets that abuts on the proposed new economic development activity node . Not only was I not aware of the proposed changes , but the Bingham Township Advisory Council only saw the amendment package for the first time at this meeting . The problems I see with the proposed changes are as follows . The fact that three residential districts adjoin this node was not taken into consideration in locating a possible site . A shocking sign of this disregard was evident in the very pretty colored maps that the consultants displayed of the area which did not designate where these residential developments were located-- my street was not even drawn on the maps ! The changes to this area are drastic : the current 10 acres devoted to commercial development will expand to 200 acres . As a local resident , I am very concernced about the increased traffic , potential pollution and noise in this peaceful neighborhood . The planning committee failed to take into account the big difference between this proposed node and the ones along I-85, where there is already considerable commercial and industrial development , plus the roads to support them, and few residential homes . As the proposed zoning ordinance now stands , all manner of development may occur on these 200 acres--storage and distribution of petrolem products , water and sanitary sewer pumping stations , stockyards , hazardous and toxic waste management facilities , sawmills , etc . Although the ' likelihood of a toxic waste facility located on this site is minimal , the point is that once this ordinance goes through , there is very little the local residents can do to stop very damaging development . There will be insufficient oversight of what is constructed . I can understand that Orange County wants to diversify its taxbase, but this land would be best suited to a LC1 or NC2 zoning district designation rather than ED . In other words , distinctions need to be made between the I-85 sites and the Highway 54 ones . Another problem