Minutes 01-05-2021 Virtual Public Hearing (continued to 01-12-2021)

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14 residents under the bus. She said revenue can be generated by other businesses, and she argued that this project would never be contemplated if it were being proposed at a Chapel Hill or Hillsborough exit. She said the residents would not stand for it. She said there are many commercial opportunities to benefit Efland, but this is not one of them. Hope Thompson said she is a resident of Chapel Hill, studying Environmental Health at graduate school at UNC. She said she has lived in Durham and Orange counties her entire life. She said she is opposed to this rezoning request, and urged the BOCC to deny it. She said the health and environmental implications have been understated, and will prove harmful to the surrounding residents of Efland. Bonnie Hauser read the following comments: Good evening commissioners. Thank you for hearing the voices who know and care about Efland. I'm Bonnie Hauser. I sit on the boards of Orange County Schools and United Voice of Efland. Tonight, I am speaking for myself. I have been involved with the Efland community for a long time and join the community in its support for the rezoning proposal for Efland Station. Efland Station advances plans that community leaders and county planners have been working on for a long time. Those plans established this site as industrial because it sits between a busy interstate and an active rail line. Your board invested $4 million to bring sewer service to the site in order to attract businesses just like this. According to your planners, the project complies with county's strict lighting and noise ordinances, and exceeds your requirements for impervious surface and stormwater management. I'm not a hydrologist, but it appears that the project adds controls that will be better for the watersheds than doing nothing at all. Planners never imagined a large travel center on this site. That's why you are being asked to consider this new use and whether it works with the intent of the planners and your investments. I believe it does. But there are questions. You will need to resolve conflicting information that you are getting about hydrology and risk. There's also the strategic question. How does Buc-ee's plan to transition as cars eventually move away from fossil fuels? They are already planning 10 EV charging stations. Certainly they can't sell gas if no one is buying it. How many people in our County are already working as cashiers or custodians but not being paid a living wage? Please appreciate that opportunities like this don't come to Efland. Buc-ee's wants to invest $50 million in this small community. The project is estimated to generate over$1 million a year in local taxes, of which $350,000 will flow directly to our schools. That's in addition to nearly 200 living wage jobs in a small community that hosts two Title 1 schools. Buc-ee's has done everything you've asked and is not asking for any incentives. This is a big deal and the Efland community deserves their shot. Please approve this rezoning. Thank you. Jessica Sheffield said she is the Executive Director of the Eno River Association (ERA), which is opposed to the proposal in front of the BOCC that would allow for damaging impacts to Seven Mile Creek. She said the development would threaten what the State has already found to be a sensitive water way. She said Orange County must be careful what it allows to be built on this land. She said ERA is not anti-development, and seeks good development that preserves the environment. She said she has spoken to the developer and engineers involved with the project, who hoped she would support the project, but she cannot do so in good conscience. She said she must speak up for the neighbors, and to maintain the wild and open spaces to be resilient to climate change. She said ERA is concerned about sediment and heavy metals, which will be deposited. She said this project will not improve the community, and should not be permitted. She urged the BOCC to vote no.