Orange County NC Website
Andy Petesch said he would disagree with that characterization of it. There was never an error made. It was indicated 1 <br />to Kara Brewer that she could have pursued either option but one was a faster option. It did not work out but that did not 2 <br />mean that she is precluded from pursuing the other. 3 <br /> 4 <br />Barry Katz said that the board has heard that it may be, depending on what case law you’re looking at, that she is 5 <br />precluded. And then there is this issue that the board has heard that there is an ownership discontinuity. Would Andy 6 <br />Petesch get to that as well? 7 <br /> 8 <br />Andy Petesch said he would. He said LeAnn Brown did not present any case that is squared on the facts of this case 9 <br />and he has shown the board several reasons why this case is distinguished from other cases. 10 <br /> 11 <br />Barry Katz said the board has not had time to look at the cases that either Andy Petesch or LeAnn Brown has 12 <br />presented and has not made any determination at all. 13 <br /> 14 <br />Andy Petesch said the Board of Adjustment does not have the equitable powers to make such a determination. He 15 <br />believes the power is too broad for this board and the board’s powers are more narrowly prescribed. 16 <br /> 17 <br />Barry Katz asked if Andy Petesch believes that this would be better decided by Superior Court. 18 <br /> 19 <br />Andy Petesch answered that he believes LeAnn Brown needs to raise the issue now for it to be considered in Superior 20 <br />Court and he does not believe this board has the authority granted by the state to adjudicate res judicata and collateral 21 <br />estoppel issues. He said he thinks it would be potentially different in a case where you have a very clear Special Use 22 <br />Permit being submitted because that usually is included in the language of the UDO with regards to submitting a 23 <br />substantially similar application but in this case, we’re talking about something very different from that. 24 <br /> 25 <br />Karen Barrows asked Barry Katz to hold his questions. 26 <br /> 27 <br />Andy Petesch said to address the merits of the materials that have been submitted with respect to Michael Harvey’s 28 <br />decision, referring to the agenda packet, the application for a qualifying farmer exemption certificate on Page 70, LeAnn 29 <br />Brown tried to indicate that it would be unreasonable for the staff to go behind the Department of Revenue but he would 30 <br />submit that the application clearly references that if the owner is an entity, partnership or LLC, enter the tax ID number 31 <br />on Line 1. Kara Brewer gave the identification number of the LLC and it has been partially redacted but its last three 32 <br />numbers clearly match that of Kara Brewer and Wild Flora Farm. It is the LLC that has made the application and that is 33 <br />further underscored on the profit-and-loss Schedule F, the 1040 form, that again the Wild Flora Farm is the proprietor 34 <br />and the ID number. It also includes a social security number that has been redacted. A single-member LLC Wild Flora 35 <br />Farm, LLC, sole member, also part of plan of merger on Page 74 indicated under paragraph 4 that Kara Brewer was 36 <br />the sole member of Southeast Property Group and Wild Flora Farm. When you have a single member LLC, it is not 37 <br />regarded differently from Kara Brewer herself for tax purposes. From a Department of Revenue standpoint, there is 38 <br />zero difference between Kara Brewer and Wild Flora Farm, LLC, but it is clear that the certificate is issued to Wild Flora 39 <br />Farm, LLC, and not a DBA because the federal tax ID number is listed specifically there connecting it. Whether there 40 <br />was a typo in terms of the pen not listing LLC or whether she put her name on the wrong line, those things are 41 <br />irrelevant or at least it is within Michael Harvey’s power and this board’s power to look at this and make a finding of fact 42 <br />that it was indeed Wild Flora Farm, LLC, that was issued the certificate. While Southeast Property Group, LLC, was the 43 <br />property owner of the time, in October 2017, the merger process had been started and it became effective in February 44 <br />of 2018. The certification of merger was recorded with the Orange County Register of Deeds February 14, 2018. This is 45 <br />a de novo review by this board that Wild Flora Farm is the owner of this property and is also the holder of the qualifying 46 <br />farmer exemption and therefore it meets the statutory standard. As far as it being used for agritourism, Paragraph 2 (a) 47 <br />clearly addresses wedding, meals as being agritourism activities. He requested that this board affirm Michael Harvey’s 48 <br />determination that Wild Flora Farm, LLC, Kara Brewer, The Barn of Chapel Hill, however you want to frame it, meets 49 <br />the statutory requirements and is therefore exempt from the UDO and other zoning regulations of Orange County. 50 <br />13