Agenda - 09-02-2021; 8-a - Minutes

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18 1 found that all of those areas by the interstate are not ready for development. He said some of 2 those areas were encumbered by stream buffers. He said the study looked into which 3 properties were prime areas, and if there were prime areas adjacent. He said the study looked 4 at the good EDD areas and any viable areas in addition to that area. 5 Craig Benedict said that in the 1994 economic development design manual, West Ten 6 Road was identified as a minor arterial road, knowing there was going to be a lot of traffic, due 7 to the land use designation. He said staff worked with the Department of Transportation DOT to 8 insure the traffic capacity of west ten would be developed to manage the growth around it. 9 Craig Benedict said the Board could direct staff to take another look at a comprehensive 10 traffic impact analysis. 11 Tom Altieri said County staff completed an access management plan, which was 12 adopted by the BOCC in April 2019. He said staff worked with a consultant on a land use 13 analysis, build out projections, and recommendations for roadway improvements. He said this 14 included modernization, wider lanes, sidewalks, etc. He said a meeting was held at Gravelly Hill 15 Middle School at that time. 16 Chair Price asked about the area on the map that is lavender colored, north of West Ten 17 Road. She asked if this area is built out. 18 Craig Benedict said the large Medline project took 176 acres west of Gravelly Hill Middle 19 School, and to the east is the soccer park and a future expansion. He said to the west of 20 Medline is the Buckhorn flea market, which is undeveloped (138 acres), but there is strong 21 interest. He said there is an additional 40-50 acres west of Petro. 22 Chair Price said she is still looking for justification for area B. 23 Commissioner Fowler noted a letter from resident John Dempsey, and the potential 24 impact on Sevenmile Creek if area B is developed. She asked if farming or tilling in the area 25 would have a different impact, to which staff gave a basic and vague answer. She asked if staff 26 knows if Medline has impacted Sevenmile Creek. 27 Craig Benedict said once a development is proposed it must meet State guidelines and 28 Orange County guidelines. He said staff ensures that the water run off is the same pre and post 29 development. He said any nutrients that leave the site are within the limits allowed by the State. 30 He said the County has little control over what occurs agriculturally, as it is exempt from many 31 standards. He said he spoke with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural 32 Resource (NCDENR) who were encouraged that the higher intensity development was located 33 as far away as possible from Sevenmile Creek. He said the County's watershed protection 34 program is one of the best, and increasing the size of the critical area protects the creek. 35 Commissioner McKee responded to Commissioner Fowler's questions about the impact 36 of farming. He said, as a farmer, he can till as close to a stream as he wants. He said he built 37 ponds for that reason on his property. He said in his experience working on the 540 project, the 38 oversight from NCDENR, and from local counties, run off from a construction site could not 39 possibly be equal to full-tilling farms. 40 Chair Price said it was time to move on to the public comments. She reminded the public 41 commenters to refrain from ad hominem attacks against anyone, to stick to the issues, and to 42 respect staff members. 43 44 PUBLIC COMMENTS: 45 Patty O'Connor said a plan is a detailed proposal to do something, and a study is a 46 detailed investigation. She said she does not see any details. She said traffic on West Ten is 47 already significantly impacted by the presence of Medline and population growth. She said she 48 would like to see a real estate study to know what her home will be worth surrounded by 49 industry. She said she would also like to see an environmental study, and the impact of 50 impervious surfaces. She said she is concerned about the environmental welfare of the area. 51 She said it is the job of the Planning Department to investigate these details, and the BOCC