5-a - Zoning Atlas Amendment - Conditional Zoning – Master Plan Development Conditional Zoning District (MPD-CZ) Settlers Point

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16 don’t. Unfortunate decisions were made in the past that resulted in one food swamp off of 85…. Let’s not allow that to happen again off of I-40. Thank you. Franklin Garland said he has the largest truffle orchard in the country, and his property is adjacent to District 1, which will directly impact his business. He said his business brings a great deal of agritourism to the County. He said he received two different conflicting notices from the planning department; one stating he is impacted by the development, and the other stating he is not. He said this is a poor location, and he is against this project. Sherry Appel said she formerly worked on planning issues in Maryland. She said if done right, this may work; but if not, it may be a potential development disaster. She said it would be a far better project if the tenants were known, and piecemeal development is not a good idea. Simona Dunn said she is not supportive of any development at this time with this project, and agreed with many of the other speakers. Kevin Nicholson said he is against this project because it is within a mile of his family farm, and he is concerned how it will affect his farm status and his neighborhood. Bud Shelton said he served in the Navy in the 1950s, and moved to North Carolina thereafter. He said it is important to consider the pristine area in which we live, but to also consider the employment needs of future generations. He said to carve out the good and eliminate the bad. Dave Skanga said he is a homeowner in the Cornwallis Hills neighborhood. He said it is understood that development of some sort is going to happen, but this proposed project is a raw deal. He said he is against the project, and asked the BOCC not to act hastily. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the digging of the water and sewer at end of Davis Road. Michael Harvey said that is an emergency water line, and is independent of this project. Jim Parker, Developer, said he is representing Old 86 Partners, and he has heard from residents tonight, and at other meetings, about their concerns. He said he has lived in this area for 35 years, and has supported the desires and direction of both the Town and the County. He said they are here because of I-40, and because the County adopted the three EDDs years ago when this road was created. He commended the Planning Department for its thorough, fair and neutral efforts. Jim Parker said they have responded to what the EDD asked for, which are the same uses that were in the land use plan to begin with, or were added by the elected bodies. He said this is not a rushed project. His company became aware of one parcel of land four years ago, and since that time they have been working with landowners to assemble the 274 acres. He said they have put together the third part of the puzzle, which is site ready development. He said site ready development requires good transportation; utilities; and a mass of property that will attract tenants. Jim Parker said, if approved, this opportunity could attract some large economic development users, with an optimistic $6 million tax benefit to the County. He said $3 million would not be bad either, and property taxes may not go down, but would likely level out. He said there is no desire to compete with Daniel Boone or downtown Hillsborough. He said this is an interstate development. Jim Parker referred to the concerns about the buffer, and offered to mitigate their request specifically for the District 2 area along I-40, from the termini of the ramp up until the mid way point, which is about 1200 feet. He said there is over 4000 feet of MTC buffer in the proposed development. He said they do not need to thin on light industrial property on the west side. He said they do not intend for thinning in the southern part of the buffer either. He referred to the bike lanes, and connectivity. He said there is very little room on 86, under the I-40 bridges. He said in the near future, 3-5 years, I-40 will be widened, which will provide opportunity to work with the Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide some additional clearance under the bridges, and they would work towards making this happen. He said there 47