Agenda - 10-06-20; 6-c - Zoning Atlas Amendment – Master Plan Development Conditional Zoning District (MPD-CZ) for the Research Triangle Logistics Park (RTLP)

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Approved 9/2/2020 close to the interstates in areas that at the time they were established didn’t have many residents. We understand 1286 that many of the people who have spoken, 2 weeks ago and tonight, have been recent residents moving into those 1287 areas and so we understand their concerns. On the other hand, there’s been very little interest in developing these 1288 Economic Development Districts in the last 30 or 40 years and now we have a proposal which offers the opportunity 1289 to increase our tax base, take some other pressure off property taxes, increase the possibility of additional sales 1290 taxes even if it doesn’t create 4500 jobs, the jobs that is does create will be beneficial. So, I would like to cast my 1291 views on what’s going on and those terms that we serve all of the residents of the County and we’d like to be able to 1292 just serve a couple of neighborhoods at a time but the residents of all of Orange County those concerns of more 1293 money for the schools, more taxes and more job opportunities hopefully will serve the entire community. At some 1294 point I’m willing to introduce a proposal for us to vote upon when other people have spoken. 1295 1296 Kim Piracci: Nobody’s going to be surprised when I disagree a little bit with Randy. Unlike Randy, I’ve only lived in 1297 Orange County 24 years and my husband moved us around a lot of places in the Country before we settled here. I 1298 never heard of a place that had enough tax base or small enough taxes. People’s taxes can never be small enough, 1299 trust me it’s a financial truth. So, although I know that is a persuasive argument, for many if not most people. For me 1300 it falls on deaf ears, what concerns me, actually a little more is there’s a lot of things about this development that 1301 concerns me but I think the biggest one came very early in the comments when one of the residents said that they 1302 assured us that he lived on a property that the developer thought there was no house on. In fact, it seems that a lot 1303 of people live on properties that the developer thought there were no home on and so what it says to me is that either 1304 the developer is misinformed or disingenuous. In either case, I feel like we need to give them an opportunity to go 1305 back and maybe come to us with more correct facts. Also, the transportation continues to disturb me. I apologize to 1306 you all, I did not get the updated information, I don’t know if it’s the post office but I feel like I need to examine that 1307 better than on an inch of screen and like one of the homeowners said, that was very extremely cherry picked 1308 information that was provided. So, again, I just feel that to make a good decision, we all want what’s best for Orange 1309 County, I feel like to make the best decision I can make, I need a little bit more time and I need them to provide a little 1310 bit more accurate information before I can comfortably vote to promote the project. 1311 1312 Adam Beeman: I want to state that for 13 years of my life, I lived less than 200 ft. from an industrial park. It wasn’t 1313 the end of the world, the traffic wasn’t the end of the world, the noise wasn’t the end of the world and as a matter of 1314 fact, that was where I go my first job in high school. I would leave high school on work study and I would go work in 1315 one of those businesses in that industrial park that was right behind my house so for me I’ve lived there, I’ve dealt 1316 with it and dealt with the traffic, we dealt with diesel exhaust before they even came up with the DEF for the trucks. 1317 It’s not as bad as people are making it out to believe. I believe we need the tax revenue in this county and I am for it 1318 all the way. That’s the end of my pitch. Thank you. 1319 1320 Carrie Fletcher: My 2 cents is very simply that I have a hard time buying into it when I don’t know what they’re doing. 1321 I know Orange County needs the revenue, I know all counties in North Carolina, I know all counties everywhere 1322 needs the revenue but to say, here you go and we’re going to offer this package to them and say go for it. I don’t 1323 know what you’re doing there and here’s carte blanc to go for it. I don’t know what they’re going to manufacture 1324 there. I don’t know what they’re going to put in those trucks. I don’t know what they’re going to do a year from now 1325 once they open their doors. I don’t know, I mean other that what the County say they can and can’t do in that 1326 building, whether they tan hides or they… I think they know what tenants they have coming in there and I think they 1327 have a good idea. But, I just don’t feel comfortable saying go for it guys and make it work. So be it, it’s a huge 1328 project to put out there and I’ve seen, where I came from, in South Florida what happens when projects don’t work 1329 and you end up with a very big, ugly, empty building that is good for nothing and nobody. I would hate to see that 1330 happen out there, five years from now and so I really need more information to really help to make me be persuaded 1331 to just say thumbs up and tally ho but I want to support it, I want to make sure that it’s a good thing for Orange 1332 County. It’s a hard thing environmentally for me to say that I’m behind it because it’s a big decision to say that I’m 1333 going to tear down 50 acres of beautiful land out in Hillsborough to build a giant warehouse. It’s a big decision. I 1334 want to make sure that it’s right. 1335 1336 MOTION by Randy Marshall to recommend approval of the Statement of Consistency indicating the Zoning Atlas 1337 Amendments are reasonable and in the public interest as contained in Attachment 5. Seconded by Adam Beeman. 1338 1339 ROLLCALL VOTE: 1340 Randy Marshall: Yes 1341 42