Agenda 02-17-22; 8-a - Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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26 1 Council Member Searing said he was wondering if those connections exist between the 2 communities in Orange County. 3 David Stancil said there are connections that exist in some places but others that do not. 4 He said the Hillsborough to Carrboro and Chapel Hill connection does not yet exist via trail and 5 they will likely focus on those connections in the future. 6 Council Member searing said he will send staff some examples of the connections and 7 partnerships that he has observed across the state. 8 Commissioner English thanked the staff for working together during the pandemic and 9 communicating the same message to the public. 10 David Stancil said that the message of being consistent came from the managers and 11 elected officials. 12 Commissioner Richards asked about how best to let people know about all the 13 resources available to the public. 14 David Stancil said that it is so important to make those resources available. He said that 15 social media has helped, they are doing information videos, as well but they are trying to use all 16 the things they have available to share the information. 17 Phil Fleischman said they were always open to suggestions for new methods of 18 outreach. He said that the park locater can be a great resource, but that staff are always open 19 to suggestions on how to reach more people. 20 Anita Jones McNair from the Town of Carrboro said there was an opportunity to engage 21 the community more through the One Orange Racial Equity framework and see how we can 22 best reach them in terms of messaging. She said they can see what they are currently doing 23 and how to do it better. 24 Mayor Weaver said it is important to let people know what the amenities are and how 25 they can get to them. 26 Commissioner Greene thanked Commissioner Richards for her comments. She said 27 that Orange County has had a local land use plan since the 1980s that includes the urban 28 services boundary and other commitments not to sprawl. She said the message needs to be 29 clear that development is appropriate inside of the municipalities because it is either no growth 30 at all or sprawl into the county. She said that all these things should work together, and we need 31 to get the message out. 32 Commissioner Hamilton said some of the parks north of Hillsborough require cars to 33 access them. She said it was important to think about community members that do not have 34 access to cars and the barrier that presents to park access. She also encouraged the thinking 35 about how recreational facilities and open space can be balanced in a more urbanized city. She 36 said she wants those spaces to feel like being out in nature, while still being in the city. She said 37 she did not know if there are guidelines associated with how much land per person is needed 38 and can be afforded. 39 David Stancil said there are guidelines that stipulate how many acres a park should have 40 per population, but that they have moved away from that to be more responsive to community 41 interest. 42 Council Member Miller-Foushee thanked Commissioner Greene for her comments and 43 for the need for balance between development and preserving open space in the rural buffer. 44 She said that she agrees that the municipalities are where the growth should be concentrated. 45 She connected that to Commissioner Hamilton's comments about being thoughtful about 46 developing with balance. She said that she has seen how development and greenspace can be 47 achieved with that balance and that it is not an "either or" but a "both and" situation. She said it 48 required planning and that there must be continued planning so that they do not fail. 49 Mayor Weaver thanked David Stancil for the presentation and the work that is ongoing 50 throughout the jurisdictions.