Minutes 01-23-2018 - Laserfiche WebLink

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26 been present for many decades. She said the Applicant brought what the Board of County Commissioners wanted in this area, and she will support this project. Commissioner Marcoplos said he has heard many in support of using the EDD for its intended purpose. He said Orange County has a 20% poverty rate, and the County does a lot to help people in need, but nothing helps them better than having a job. He said the County must create employment for residents, and this project does that, as well as offer tax benefits. He said the County is burdened with unfunded mandates from the state, so they need to look at the big picture. He said the County has tried to do its best to protect the residents with this project, and it is a plus to have a local developer as the Applicant. Commissioner Price said she wants to see economic development, but the type of jobs that this project will create have not been clearly discussed. She said her concern is that the BOCC at least try and make an environment that is satisfactory for the residents in the area, and she wants more information as to what businesses are going to go in this development. Commissioner Rich said she does not ignore people. She said the concerns that she had were discussed at the Planning Board meeting. She said the public meetings are open to the public, and the Board is available by email. She said the County has a UDO that serves as a guide. She said the developer was very responsive to the Planning Board and to the Board of County Commissioners’ questions and concerns. She said the process may need to change, and that would happen at the very beginning at the Planning Board. She said she will be voting for this project with the buffer amendment. Commissioner Jacobs said the power lies in the ordinances, and the person who writes these shapes future decisions. He said the Applicant has been responsive to the Board and the Planning Board, but the lack of specificity on the retail side is disquieting. He said Orange County was trying to reach a higher quality on the retail side. He said he lives close enough to the I-40/I-85 merge that the level of noise raised astronomically when it was widened. He said I-40 will be widened soon, and the buffer will have the single most benefit of anything the BOCC can do. He asked the Board to not allow the buffer to be limited on the I-40 side, and asked the Applicant if he could identify what he envisions on the east side, as far as retail. Jim Parker said the process is difficult and frustrating. He said all of the parcels are by right to be developed with most of the land uses that he has requested, as well as some of the land uses that the County intended to add. He said, by right, all of these properties could be developed without the public hearing process, but it would be a mismatch of connectivity and services. He said they have assembled these properties, and collectively come to the BOCC with the desire to develop them over a short period of time, and the BOCC has asked for the impact on traffic, utilities overall, and how they will be addressed. He said this is what he has done, and what will end up on the land is that which he has requested. He said if this process is approved, then they will get interest from potential businesses, and there will be a give and take going forward. He said at this point, the process is so far above specificity, but the UDO dictates how buildings will sit, landscaping, parking allowances, etc. He said the plan will not rape and denude the land, and buildings will be spaced very well. Jim Parker said the 100-foot buffer on district one will not be touched. He referred to the 100-foot buffer on district 2, on the southern portion, and said it will not be touched. He said a 100-foot buffer has been added along the southern boundary of district 1, but for about 1000 feet of the buffer in district 2, next to the ramp, it is imperative for them to be able to thin it for 50 feet, and revegetate it. Commissioner McKee said EDDs have been here for a long time, and Morinaga came into the Buckhorn EDD a few years back, and it was a benefit to the County and created employment opportunities. He said this development will provide jobs, and the businesses that the County is trying to attract need a place to go into. He said there may be a mixture of restaurants, and hopefully a higher end hotel to accommodate tourists/visitors in this area. He