Minutes 02-16-2021 Virtual Business Meeting

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36 for its land use development. It has been 14 years since the Efland/Mebane Small Area Plan was written, and there has been no appreciable public input to an updated plan since then. The fact that there was so much public interest expressed in the recent proposal to rezone the 104 acres at the intersection of Mt. Willing Road and 1-40/1-85 in Efland should indicate just how strongly the citizens of northwestern Orange County, and indeed all of Orange County, feel about the kind of development they want to see going forward. There is an opportunity at this point in time, following the heightened interest that the Efland Station proposal has aroused in this community, to take advantage of this energy and focus, by inviting as many groups as possible to participate in making the land development decisions for all of the communities of the Efland/Mebane area. The Mt. Willing Road/1-40/1-85 site is still a prime area for development under the O/RM zoning ordinance. The Buckhorn Area Plan involves land in both the Efland and Mebane communities and should respect the Economic Development Districts already identified. Now is the perfect opportunity for a joint citizens' task force to be implemented which could look at the Efland Station site and the Buckhorn Area Plan to determine what kinds of development would meet the needs and wants of both communities. There seems to be a fixed determination on the part of the Orange County Planning Department and Economic Development to look for only the large industrial developments that will take advantage of the interstate highway. Why is industrial development the only type of development being considered? These developments will disrupt the existing neighborhoods and ecosystems already in place and will need to be factored into the planning by the people in Efland and Mebane who understand their value and want to see them preserved. There are many citizens of northwestern Orange County who want to contribute to the process of identifying and recruiting businesses and services, which truly meet the needs of all of the citizens of this area of the county. We would like to see the county take a more proactive approach to land use in this area, using its resources to identify and incentivize development that serves the local citizens who have been long overlooked. Protection of the environment is an essential concern for the citizens of Efland and Mebane and we wonder why, in the Buckhorn Area Plan that you see tonight, under"Environmental Impact", it states, "There are no Orange County Environmental Responsibility Goal impacts associated with this item"? The residents of Efland and Mebane want their concerns for Seven Mile Creek and its tributary streams addressed in any land use plan affecting this fragile area. We hope you will see that there is a need for cooperative planning involving the citizens of the Efland/Mebane Small Area and Buckhorn Area in concert with the Orange County Planning Department, and that you will provide us with that opportunity. Thank you. Commissioner Greene said she has visited the area, and the traffic will be terrible, even with just the addition of Medline. She said the BOCC will need to adopt a traffic plan. She said there is digital development going on, and residents are getting letters regularly from developers to sell, so there is pressure out there. She said drawing a line will increase this pressure. Craig Benedict said if the BOCC wants any additional information prior to the March 9`h meeting with Mebane, it can forward those request to him. He said this area plan was developed in concert with the County's Economic Development Department, and it goes far beyond just land use. He said some of this evening's questions will be answered by Economic Development Department, and others, he will answer.