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

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56 1 diversity in charter schools and she said this will create a high school full of wealthy white children. 2 She asked them to vote no. 3 Kathleen Ferguson, Commissioner for the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners, spoke 4 with Commissioner Robb English and Water and Sewer Board Chair Jenn Sykes standing by her 5 side. She said they have shared their technical reasons to request that the Board vote no. She 6 said Hillsborough's limited water and sewer capacity is well known. She said that there is a statute 7 that requires the town to reserve capacity for a school and the requests for water and sewer may 8 occur in perpetuity as long as a school exists. She said that regardless if a town has a desire for 9 water capacity elsewhere, it must be granted to the school. She said that Town of Hillsborough 10 water service is not provided uniformly to neighboring properties nor does the Sustainability Plan 11 call for water or sewer service for neighboring properties. She said that this plan does not call for 12 water sewer service in this area, which is why the annexation was declined and the water service 13 was declined. She said the town respectfully requests that the county allows the town to allocate 14 these precious resources for in town use and in town residents. 15 Jim West said he lives at 1801 Washington Dr and has lived in his home for 20+ years. 16 He said he loves his neighbors, and he loves his home. He said that those in opposition are there 17 because they want what is best for their community. He said there will be lights and noise 18 everywhere. He said there is a reason why the land is R-1 right now. He said there has been a 19 lot of emotional arguments but asked for them to look at it from the logical side. He said it will add 20 noise and lights. He said that it would take him 45 seconds to walk to the field. He asked what is 21 going to happen if his well goes dry or his neighbors' do. He said they need the commissioners 22 to help them by doing the right thing. 23 Janet Wright-Simpson said change is inevitable. She said as a resident of Hillsborough, 24 she knows they are all served by the Board's land use goals, which provide a guide for navigating 25 these changes. She said that she believes that the applicant's rezoning request is in direct conflict 26 with the essence of the planning principles and for her standards of community stewardship. She 27 said she is a supporter of youth athletics. She said that the county's report on school capacity 28 should make clear that this parcel is not right for a charter school. She asked the Board to vote 29 no on the rezoning application. 30 Alex Stanford said he is a life-long resident of Hillsborough. He said he is there to stand 31 up for the youth and his kids. He said that the town has changed drastically over the years. He 32 said with the large influx, the community has a need for more schools and recreational facilities. 33 He said the Town of Hillsborough is at 100% capacity for athletic fields. He said he played for 34 HYAA and his hope is that his kids can meet their best friends through HYAA. He said that the 35 proposed baseball and softball facilities will help them better their youth. He asked the Board to 36 vote yes. 37 Ryan O'Keefe said he loves Hillsborough and that he has three children who play 38 organized sports. He said that organized sports has helped them in different ways. He said that 39 HYAA has had a profound effect on his life. He said he has volunteered for HYAA for a number 40 of years. He said the opposition says they support sports, but they do not have any idea of where 41 they can put the fields. He said they have looked at countless options. He said that this project 42 is the best option they have had. He said this is not urban development, it is schools and a 43 baseball field. He asked the Board to vote yes on the project. 44 Linda Johnson said she is a single mom and an educator. She said that she loves the 45 children in Hillsborough. She said the vote should be no. She said that she understands that 46 tonight's vote is not about tennis courts and baseball fields. She said that she wants to focus on 47 spot zoning. She said that the classic definition of spot zoning is singing out a parcel of land totally 48 different that those around it for the benefit of the owner and to the detriment of the other property 49 owners. She said that the question is whether it is done ethically. She said that spot zoning is 50 illegal in many states and municipalities. She said the developer knew what the zoning was when 51 he bought the property in April 2023. She said that the developer is going to make a windfall. She