Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
the community meetings taught them a lot about the needs of the rural <br />buffer community. They learned from the farming community about the <br />importance of land to their livelihood today and as a source of income <br />when they retire. They learned from the established family about the <br />importance of being able to give small portions of their land to their <br />children and grandchildren. They learned from the conservationists <br />and the custodians of Duke Forest about the importance of open space <br />and natural areas to the supply of clean air and clean water and they <br />learned from the Economic Development Commission about the importance <br />of growth to the economic health of this community. They learned <br />about the need for affordable housing. When they focused on <br />developing recommendations, they learned how hard it was to meet the <br />diverse needs of the many community groups in the Rural Buffer. They <br />studied numerous options going back to the community for help and <br />suggestions. Through the process they had to share in the give and <br />take of individual benefits for the sake of the greater benefits of <br />the community as a whole. Tonight, the Study Committee presents their <br />recommendations to the governing boards. They feel the <br />recommendations meet their two basic objections. First, the <br />recommendations provide the residents of the Rural Buffer with greater <br />flexibility to develop their land. There are five options in the <br />recommendations with each option being the choice of the landowner and <br />incentives for compensating the landowner for inconveniences of <br />preserving rural open space. Second, the recommendations provide- <br />greater protection for the beauty of the natural areas of the Rural <br />Buffer. Each option promotes less disturbance to the land than the <br />current development options. Burklin referred to a request that a <br />study group of the three governing boards be established to take over <br />the Rural Character Study after this public hearing. The Committee is <br />concerned that this approach may overlook the vast amount of knowledge <br />that has been developed by the Study Committee and runs the risk of <br />reinventing the wheel and the time delays associated with that which <br />may not involve the public in the process. He invited everyone <br />present to take this opportunity to make this a learning process and <br />to share and exchange ideas. <br />LIVY LUDINGTON, member of the Rural Character Study <br />Committee, talked about the committee itself. It allowed those with <br />different backgrounds, interests and issues to work together and air <br />their differences and come up with an agreement. The common bond of <br />all these different groups is that they all care about this community. <br />She feels they have a respect for each.other and an understanding <br />about the priorities of each group which led to a plan which is a <br />beginning. There has been a lot of giving and taking and a lot of <br />listening to other people in the community. The Committee feels this <br />has been a cooperative effort with a real balance in the plan. She <br />hopes that those who work on the plan after tonight understand that <br />there is a very continuous balance and that it is built on the trust <br />that they feel they have established with each other and with other <br />citizens in the community by listening to them. She hopes that those <br />that make suggestions think about how they can all be working together <br />and to be listening to each other. <br />BOB STP.AYHORN, member of the Rural Character Study <br />Committee, stated that he recommends the changes being presented <br />tonight to his friends who own property in the Rural Buffer. The <br />