081920 Spec Planning Board Minutes

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Approved 9/2/2020 889 the local area,with that said, I am seriously urging the Planning Commission to not support rezoning of this property. 890 1 am asking this for safety reasons, people on the Board of the Planning Commission and the applicant want us to 891 believe that the traffic is going to go left onto Davis Road and left onto Old 86 and not impact the area but truth is 892 traffic is also going to right down Old 86 and right down Davis Road. The roads we're talking about are part of the 893 largest recreational area in Orange County. If you don't believe me go to the Tarwheels website and try to find a 894 suggested bike ride that does not include at least two or three of these roads. The safety of all the residents and of 895 Orange County and all those who come from the Triad and the Triangle to ride these roads is going to be severely 896 impacted. If you're a doubter, drive by Mapleview Dairy any time any day and count the number of cars with bike 897 racks on it parked there. If that's not enough of a safety concern let's just consider Davis Road itself. We've heard a 898 lot about it tonight but for those of us who live off it,we know there are cyclists,walkers,joggers every day. You're 899 going to have vehicles turning out of this development in front of people trying to get in and out of the daycare center. 900 It's a recipe for disaster. What I'd like to urge each and every one of the Planning Board to do is to drive the 3 miles 901 of Davis Road, count the cyclists, count the joggers, and the walkers and then realize there's shoulder and there's no 902 sidewalk on Davis, Ode Turner, Old 86 none of them. When you get to the church, try to imagine a semi-truck in 903 front of it and when you (bad connection/lost audio)40,that's what rezoning is offering to do. Our safety in this 904 corner of Orange County.Thank you all for your considerations. 905 906 Janet Marks: I'm Janet Marks, I live in New Hope Springs right off Davis Road. Many of you that have traveled on 907 Old 86 off 1-40 know the beauty of the thick forest and the rolling hills along this road. You may have also notice the 908 scenic by-way sign as you left the freeway traffic behind. What you may not know, is that starting at the exit from 40 909 you are now on a historic road dating back at least to the 1700s. Prior to it being mentioned in historic records this 910 was a Native American trail and was also used by early settlers. You are on the beginning of 10-mile stretch called 911 the Scots/Welsh Heritage Byway. I'm going to take this from NCDOT description of this road, this byway travels 912 through Orange County along trade roads used by American Indians and early backcountry pioneers. The King of 913 England gave much of this land along this byway to the 18t"Century Scots/Welsh settlers. Generation after 914 Generation has lived and farmed this land, each leaving its own mark making this byway a unique journey through 915 American history. Old NC 86 appears on Colonial maps dating back to 1770. Per NCDOT description of scenic 916 byways, motorist will see little or no development along the routes enhancing the natural character and quality of the 917 byways. They will experience North Carolina history, geography and culture while also raising awareness for the 918 protection and preservation of these treasures. Limit the traffic using this historical route, reserve important 919 landmark. Any development near this area should mindful of that is harmonious with the surrounding land and the 920 rural neighborhoods and I want to make a note of an African American cemetery dating to at least 1900 at the corner 921 of Davis Road and Old 86. When people drive on 1-40 east from Alamance County,this exit is the first impression 922 they get of Hillsborough. Do we want the gateway to Orange County and Hillsborough to be represented by vast 923 warehouses, is this the Orange County that any of us know or can envision for the future. Thank you so much. 924 925 Christine Poole: I'd like to start by reminding you that I'm Christine Poole and I live off Davis Road. I want to thank 926 the Board of County Commissioners and the Planning Board for having developed many wonderful projects over the 927 past several decades. Let's start with the creation of an attractive retail and residential zone on the east edge of 928 Hillsborough, the Super Walmart and Home Depot along with all the other small business that surround this 929 economic zone have definitely benefitted our community as we no longer have to travel to Durham or Chapel Hill. 930 Then you added the Riverwalk and Weaver Street which merged the neighborhood goals of an open-air community- 931 gathering place with retail while also providing a space for government offices then you created Gold Park with 932 connects with the Riverwalk and then developed the historic industrial space in West Hillsborough on Nash Street 933 that was brilliant. You added Hillsborough Barbeque and these other non-franchised eateries along with a beautiful 934 events venue,the Cloth Mill at Eno River. Then north of Hillsborough on Hwy 70, you approved the Gatewood 935 project which created a beautiful restaurant and evidentially retail, brewing and distilling and another event center 936 that merges architecturally and culturally with historic Hillsborough. Even the Waterstone community and hospital 937 improve the ugly eatery franchise oasis around the 1-85 and Old NC 86 interchange. I understand the interest in 938 developing an economic zone off of 1-40 and 85 but Old NC 86 is the worst choice, as those of us who travel this 939 road every day know. It's called old for a reason. Where in the County have we competed a successful industrial 940 project? Let's consider Moninaga America. In 2013, the BOCC unanimously agreed to offer state and local 941 economic incentives to encourage this company to build a new candy factory off of 1-40 and 85 in Mebane. It was 942 built on a 400 acre Buckhorn Economic Development District which leaves me wondering, if there is an economic 943 zone where 2 interstates merge without significant residential development which is already invested in water and 944 sewer why are we even considering this project where there is significant residential development on land that would