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

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16 community, but it has faded over the years. She said she supports the Buc-ee's travel station because of their outlook for the community, fire station, and will bring money for schools, which is a blessing. She said money is not flowing in and out of Orange County, and there has been a lot of misinformation. She said many who have spoken do not live in Efland, and do not know the realities of the need. She said she served on the Efland small area committee, and every time a builder would come in with a plan, it was rejected. She said there must be young people living in Orange County for it to grow. She urged the BOCC to please vote yes to the rezoning request. Avra Janz said she wants to express concerns for how this gas station will contribute to climate crisis. She said Buc-ee's will lock the County into a dangerous status quo. She highlighted several examples of the impacts of climate change such as Hurricane Florence and hotter summers, which will harm farmers and reduce produce. She said Orange County residents deserve better, and Buc-ee's represents the precise opposite of what Orange County needs. She said to build the largest gas station in the world in the midst of a climate crisis will have grave consequences, and would make Orange County complicit in harmful climate change. She urged the BOCC to vote no. Amelia Brady said she is a resident of Hillsborough. She said she is a young person facing a future of decimated natural resources, water resources, and the sixth mass extinction. She urged the BOCC to set the County on the side of the environment, by denying the zoning request. She said a behemoth gas station is not a valid choice for the County, whose future will be snuffed out if this gas station is allowed to poison it. She echoed previous comments about Buc-ee's as pertains to poor employment, traffic issues, and vulgar billboards. She asked the BOCC to strive for better than meager crumbs and to prevent this terrible stain by voting no. She said Orange County is better than this and deserves so much more than this. Amy Halberstadt thanked the BOCC for listening so well, and reiterated the concerns raised by previous speakers. She said when the use of gas goes down, Buc-ee's will go down with it, despite claims of having 10 electric opportunities for cars. She said Orange County will end up with the blighted land, damaged water, no jobs and no money. She said she knows, and agrees, that the County needs revenue, and are jobs for her neighbors. She said there is an argument that other development may be even worse than Buc-ee's, and another company could come in with more impervious services and more light pollution. She sees this as the wrong way to look at this, and would rather focus on what this land could be from a positive lens. She urged the Board to vote no on Buc-ee's and rather rezone the land MPD-CZ. Terra Proctor said she has lived in Efland her whole life, and sees Buc-ee's as a place that will destroy the environment. She said her family lives on well water, which could be polluted by Buc-ee's. She said the traffic will get worse, and she does not want the place she live in to be known for a gas station that sells plastic trash. She said Buc-ee's will not help the people or the environment, and will just be a pit stop, for filling cars and going to the bathroom. She said she does not want Efland to be known for this. Holly Reid said she lives in Hillsborough, serves on the board of the Eno River Association, and previously worked for the EPA. She said she submitted a letter to the BOCC on December 15, and highlighted key points. She said Buc-ee's will be no ordinary development, and is a massive gas stop, with thousands of hourly stops. She said such a project invites air quality degradation, noise and traffic issues, and sewage disposal. She referred to the 2030 comprehensive plan, chapter 2 principles, which represent the Board's values. She said Buc-ee's violates at least 3 of the 8 principles: #3 encourage energy efficiency and lower energy consumption, and renewable energy; #6 protection of water resources; and #8 preservation of community character. She said Buc-ee's does not Orange County's principles, and would have the biggest carbon footprint in the County. She said Orange is a forward thinking place, and Efland Station does not fit.