Orange County NC Website
7 <br /> 1 prevent and respond to failures. She urged the Board to demand better, sustainable, and <br /> 2 intelligent development for the constituents. She said this is wonderful land, and not worthless. <br /> 3 Paul Pepin said he lives in rural Orange County near the Cane Creek Reservoir. He <br /> 4 said he has witnessed progressive actions to protect this area, and discussed previous efforts to <br /> 5 protect watersheds in Orange County. He said well owners depend on Orange County to <br /> 6 protect the water. He said the rezoning proposal is the equivalent of 10-15 gas stations in one <br /> 7 area, and even small spills by consumers add up every day. He said clean water is priceless, <br /> 8 and contamination takes years to remediate. He said the contrasts between Orange County's <br /> 9 efforts to protect water in Chapel Hill and Carrboro versus Efland is noticeable, and wondered <br /> 10 why there is such a disparity. <br /> 11 Chris Smith said his home is 350 feet away from landscaped border of the proposed <br /> 12 property for development. He said Buc-ee's is a mirage, and does not make sense <br /> 13 economically, environmentally, or aesthetically for Efland. He said he fails to see how the <br /> 14 proposal meets the desire to lessen the impact of climate change on the community. He said <br /> 15 noise, light, and visual pollution are inevitable. He showed climate change maps to the <br /> 16 Commissioners, and cited studies of how gasoline runoff affects water supply. He urged the <br /> 17 BOCC to deny the rezoning, and said costs to mitigate climate change will be on residents, not <br /> 18 Buc-ee's. He said Orange County can do better than a Buc-ee's. <br /> 19 Diana Montgomery said she has been an Efland resident since 1997, and is a science <br /> 20 educator. She said current zoning was thoughtful, and well informed by the public. She said <br /> 21 this proposal does not provide needed services, does not adhere to ideals, and does not lift <br /> 22 people up, but rather brings them down. She asked if the BOCC will provide information to the <br /> 23 Commission for the Environment, and who will investigate Buc-ee's employment practices. She <br /> 24 said Buc-ee's own application cannot be the only assessment tool. She said this gateway to <br /> 25 Orange County could be a model for sustainable development, and become an important <br /> 26 regional transit hub for the area. <br /> 27 John Preyer said he lives on Orange Grove Rd. He said he chooses to live in Orange <br /> 28 County because he loves it, as it a uniquely diverse place where all share a love for the area. <br /> 29 He said the worries about the proposal are misplaced, and would hope residents can have an <br /> 30 open mind. He said he works in environmental and permitting compliance, and learned of Buc- <br /> 31 ee's 12 years ago when working in Texas. He said he has never seen an environmentally <br /> 32 sensitive watershed located between a highway and a railroad bed. He said he visited a Buc- <br /> 33 ee's in Texas, and described the quality of Buc-ee's stores. He said he visited several locations <br /> 34 around Texas, and the reason he kept going was how consistently clean the stores were and <br /> 35 how fun it was to walk around inside of them. He said it is hard for people who have not been in <br /> 36 the store to appreciate this. (At this point the commenter's video feed stopped, and he restarted <br /> 37 his comments later in the meeting). <br /> 38 Dr. Bob Lee said he has been a Cedar Grove resident for 25 years, and asked the <br /> 39 BOCC to deny the rezoning request, due to health and safety concerns. He said water supplies <br /> 40 for Hillsborough and Raleigh could be affected. He said the elimination of the highway exit <br /> 41 could be detrimental to the community. He said improvements to the highway exit would be <br /> 42 helpful, with a true braiding design of the ramps. He said the proposed stoplights will back up <br /> 43 traffic, and make it more difficult for public safety vehicles to travel. He said the current zoning <br /> 44 allows for all that is needed, without changing it. He urged the BOCC to vote no to Buc-ee's. <br /> 45 Janine Zanin said she has lived 1.7 miles from the proposed Buc-ee's site for 15 years. <br /> 46 She said the benefits of the recent Medline project outweighed the costs, but this proposal does <br /> 47 not. She said the two sources of potential revenue are property tax and sales tax, but she <br /> 48 questions if Buc-ee's numbers are accurate. She referred to Denton, Texas, where Buc-ee's <br /> 49 did not meet its expected tax valuation. She said she does not believe this development will <br /> 50 meet property tax projections, and questions if sales tax projections are accurate. She asked <br /> 51 the BOCC to read a letter submitted by her husband. <br />