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<br /> 602 small businesses that we have there.We have Mom and Pop businesses which will be impacted, I believe, very
<br /> 603 negatively by a national chain coming in and setting up shop on that corner.We have a local market that uses local
<br /> 604 meats and local dairy products. We have a restaurant; the Fiesta Grill and we have artisans and woodworkers in the
<br /> 605 community. We also have our gas stations which are also convenience marts.A Dollar General store would be an affront
<br /> 606 to the character of our community I believe. I strongly encourage your denial of this applicant in terms of
<br /> 607 recommendations.
<br /> 608
<br /> 609 Charity Kirk-Can I touch on something? It's become clear to me that we are not supposed to be disallowing a Dollar
<br /> 610 General,we are supposed to be disallowing a retail establishment here. So, the community, I'm very clear that you don't
<br /> 611 want a Dollar General but to help me, I would be very interested why you don't want a retail establishment of this size on
<br /> 612 that corner. We've been told that we cannot disallow a Dollar General because that's discriminatory and the North
<br /> 613 Carolina's statutes don't allow that. So, if you could speak in a broader sense about the size of the establishment, or
<br /> 614 something else,that would be helpful to me to help make my decision.
<br /> 615
<br /> 616 Diantha Rau-Sure,well, any type of a retail store, particularly a national one, I don't know what other ones would be on
<br /> 617 the table, a Walgreens or anything like that, interferes with the Mom and Pop businesses that we have in the area. We
<br /> 618 rely on them, they rely on our business,and they could be put out of business by a retail store coming in there.That's my
<br /> 619 concern.
<br /> 620
<br /> 621 Sadie Rapp- I'm here on behalf of preserve Rural Orange. Based on the applicant's presentation, at the neighborhood
<br /> 622 information meeting, I believe that they seem to have misunderstood our core concerns. They characterize the
<br /> 623 communities protest as being largely about the aesthetics of the building, the using up of limited commercial zoning, and
<br /> 624 the vagueness of the proposal. I would like to recognize their effort to assuage these concerns, but it doesn't change the
<br /> 625 basic nature of the project. Preserving your own character, not just about aesthetics, but it's also about values. The
<br /> 626 purpose of conditional zoning is to allow an exception to existing zoning to meet a distinct need of the community.To pull
<br /> 627 from the language of the County's unified development ordinance;The exception comes with a high standard to ensure
<br /> 628 compatibility and harmony with the surrounding areas and take applicable regulations to an equivalent or higher degree
<br /> 629 when it comes to things like improved level of amenities, creative design, and a better environment.These standards
<br /> 630 and expectations are lofty,we have data from the Institute for local self-reliance, as well as Consumer Reports,that
<br /> 631 shows that dollar store proliferation is associated with a hollowing out of the local business economy. They use their
<br /> 632 purchasing power to put any competitor out of business, including those that currently provide significant jobs, carry local
<br /> 633 products, meaningfully contribute to the economic well-being of the area, and also serve our needs in a dynamic and
<br /> 634 responsive way.A dollar store which siphons profits from our neighborhood and out-of-state has none of these qualities.
<br /> 635 It's important to say that we are not opposed to economic development in general, but we deserve better than this
<br /> 636 project. I simply cannot see how the term"Good civic design"could suit this project that is so grossly redundant,with the
<br /> 637 many dollar stores in an 8-mile radius, and also create such conflict with the businesses in its orbit. On the basis of the
<br /> 638 guidelines set forth in the UDO, I believe that the Board has a responsibility to vote against approving conditional zoning
<br /> 639 as it is in direct conflict with the requirement that development be, as the UDO states, compatible and harmonious with
<br /> 640 White Cross, thank you.
<br /> 641
<br /> 642 Amanda Griffin-There were a lot of questions around what businesses exist and the size of the buildings that are there
<br /> 643 right now. This is my neighborhood, and I can speak very clearly to any of those questions that I heard some of you have
<br /> 644 earlier. I sent an email, I don't know if you have access to that right now, but I emailed the planning board with a map
<br /> 645 that has descriptions of all the local businesses and their sizes. Bravos Market is 2,700 square feet and that's our largest
<br /> 646 retailer right now. Between that and the two convenience stores,White Cross Mart which is directly across from the
<br /> 647 proposed lot is 1,680 square feet and the 76 Gas Station is 2,700 square feet with a tire repair shop, so this proposal of
<br /> 648 a 10,640 square foot retailer is grossly disproportionate to the retail size that we have right now, and I think it's totally
<br /> 649 unnecessary. I feel like our retail needs are already met with what we have in the community. There have also been
<br /> 650 some rude comments about the buildings directly across the street, about the HVAC service,that they are big ugly metal
<br /> 651 buildings, but I think that as another resident said earlier, aesthetic concerns are part of it but what's inside is what really
<br /> 652 matters, and that HVAC company has been here for 30 years or something.They are locally owned and run by a family,
<br /> 653 they keep their money local. No one is complaining about those buildings.Also,the size of them,the largest building is a
<br /> 654 warehouse which is 4,200 square feet, they have an office which is 2,500 square feet, so nowhere near the parking
<br /> 655 requirements that a retailer would bring.The historic White Cross school that was mentioned is 7,000 square feet and it
<br /> 656 is a local artist's studio space with 4-6 commercial tenants. It's not retail, it's not open to the public, it doesn't have a
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