Agenda - 09-05-2023; 8-a - Minutes

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52 1 Matt McDermott said he and his wife have lived for 24 years off of Lawrence Road. He 2 said that investment 101 is to find that one component that holds undeniable value. He said that 3 this site, and what would make it more valuable in the eyes of an investor, is publicly provided 4 water and sewer. He said that the applicant wants it and has leveraged a relatively new general 5 statute to get it. He said that Hillsborough struggles with water and sewer. He said that 6 Hillsborough elected has a smart growth agenda. He said that if further concessions are made by 7 the applicant for approval, that it is just the cost of doing business for them. He said that if this 8 request is approved, any changes desired by the applicant will be outside of a public forum and 9 they will have to live with the result. He asked the Board to demonstrate that they are financially 10 responsible. He asked them to demonstrate that they are good stewards of Orange County 11 taxpayers' dollars and vote no. 12 Hart Edmonds said this project is not a philanthropic enterprise. He said anyone would 13 be in favor of providing athletic fields for the youth in the community. He said that the testimony 14 from the fields supporters has reminded him of the movie "Field of Dreams." He said this is built 15 on the notion that if you build, they will come. He said it is built on speculation. He said there is 16 no purchaser for the K-8 property, and he does not imagine there can be a high school with no 17 cafeteria or with a sports program with no showers. He asked the Board to vote no. 18 Vicki Hill said she lives in the Little River Township. She said what she is heard from the 19 developers has been confusing. She said a lot of people had to look into the information 20 themselves, and they are here tonight as a group. She said the application does not meet the 21 goals in the 2030 plan. She said she has heard the planning department say that the rezoning 22 request is consistent, but she has heard that the proposal doesn't meet all of the goals. She said 23 there is a discrepancy there. She said they have heard a lot of discrepancies through all of the 24 meetings they've attended. She said there is a need for organized sports for children's mental 25 health. She said they need access to sports. She asked if the groups build the facilities, will the 26 high school have access to the ball fields. She said that the Town of Hillsborough has said that it 27 would be a financial hardship, but they are being forced to, they will have to. She said that the 28 neighbors have said they have shallow wells and asked what is going to happen when you have 29 those facilities put in. She asked the Board to vote no. 30 Robin Barnhill said for many reasons already mentioned, this spot zoning request is not 31 in the best interest of the public. She asked them to vote no. 32 Jane Guede said she has lived in Orange County for 50 years. She said this rezoning is 33 a terrible idea. She said they are being asked to sign onto an elephant in a shoebox and it also 34 seems to be a pig in a poke. She said they have heard about wells and septic for the fields, but a 35 charter school would demand that the town provide water lines. She said she is very concerned 36 about water lines, water rates, and long-term damage to environment and water supply overall. 37 She said they've heard about turning lanes, if there will or won't be, but it depends on what 38 NCDOT says. She said that turning on Lawrence Road is already horrendous. She asked them 39 to vote no. 40 Robb Minton said he and his family have lived on Wingate Drive for 25 years. He said 41 Hillsborough is known for its rolling hills, lush green forests, walkable trails, rivers, rich history, 42 residents note reasons for coming there include a peaceful lifestyle and sense of community. He 43 said those reasons alone bring tourism and a real tax basis. He said that these rural values are 44 consistent with the land use objectives. He reminded the Board of the reasons why the Town of 45 Hillsborough voted against this rezoning plan. He said one is the Comprehensive Plan Summary, 46 Section 5 says adapt policies to move the community towards sustainability. He said that this is 47 not part of that. He said that section 6, says to promote land use values while protecting natural 48 resources. He said that this application is not part of that section. He said that section 9 focuses 49 on pollution prevention and waste reduction. He said that this project does not meet this. He said 50 that section 11 says to protect their water supply, and he added that no one has mentioned a 51 hydro-geographic survey. He said there are residents that depend on wells for their water supply,