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Approved 4 - 5 - 23
<br /> 768 matters , and that HVAC company has been here for 30 years or something . They are locally owned and run by a family ,
<br /> 769 they keep their money local . No one is complaining about those buildings . Also , the size of them , the largest building is a
<br /> 770 warehouse which is 4 , 200 square feet, they have an office which is 2 , 500 square feet, so nowhere near the parking
<br /> 771 requirements that a retailer would bring . The historic White Cross school that was mentioned is 7 , 000 square feet and it
<br /> 772 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
<br /> 773 huge footprint on our community , but it does bring in culture and art and local businesses and it' s a huge boon to our
<br /> 774 area . The largest building in the area is 8 , 800 square feet and that' s the local artist' s cooperative which has 12 local
<br /> 775 artists operating in it . It' s also not a retail building , it doesn ' t have a ton of parking , it' s low impact on the neighborhood
<br /> 776 but again it' s also bringing jobs and high - quality workers to our area . It really serves the White Cross community
<br /> 777 aesthetic of a thriving , cultural crossroads . I also wanted to speak briefly to the comprehensive plan since we can ' t speak
<br /> 778 directly about the type of retail . . . (timer went off) I ' ll let others speak to that . Thank you for your time .
<br /> 779
<br /> 780 John Griffin - Good evening . For centuries , rural Orange County , NC has maintained an economy of home local trade and
<br /> 781 agricultural self- reliance , while state and nationwide economic forces lured neighboring counties to invest in major
<br /> 782 commercial and industrial infrastructures , generations of Orange County residents kept corporate land development out
<br /> 783 of their forests , watersheds , and county crossroads . Today , rural Orange County is a sanctuary from the industrial and
<br /> 784 suburban sprawl of the Triangle and Triad . The preservation of home and land is unique here . That's the social and
<br /> 785 economic character of Orange County . I believe these ideals are enshrined in the County Is 2030 Comprehensive Plan .
<br /> 786 The Board voted down an application almost identical to this one last fall . The County has rejected other rural dollar
<br /> 787 stores . In fact, there are no dollar stores within the rural boundary of Orange County that I ' m aware of. This would be the
<br /> 788 first . While the neighboring counties are saturated with dollar stores at their rural crossroads and boundaries . Approval
<br /> 789 sets a sad precedent for economic development under the comprehensive plan . Southern Orange County at White
<br /> 790 Cross , like other economic development nodes is well served by locally owned retailers . A dollar store would seek to
<br /> 791 disrupt and outcompete and ultimately shutter them and preclude future local businesses from operating there . A ton of
<br /> 792 journalism and legislation all over the US has examined and responded to the sprawling social and economic costs of
<br /> 793 corporate box retail like Dollar General to families and local governments . Bottom pay , understaffing , non - nutritious
<br /> 794 foods , increased opportunity for armed robbery, and an overall deterioration of local economic and social well - being .
<br /> 795 implore Orange County to again deny this application in the spirit of Rural Orange Preservation and the values for
<br /> 796 commercial development set forth in the comprehensive plan . Vote again against predatory low quality , and low paying
<br /> 797 chain retail in Orange County , thank you .
<br /> 798
<br /> 799 Jesus Bravo- Thank you , my name is Jesus Bravo and I own Fiestas Grill and Bravo ' s Market . I think when I started the
<br /> 800 Bravo ' s Market , started thinking that community needs . It' s been over 3 years since we started . I think definitely its going
<br /> 801 to have a bad impact on my business and not only on my business , but on the community , and also on the traffic . The
<br /> 802 Fiesta Grill , too of course . We have a hard time making a left turn into Fiesta Grill already . Everybody else already talked
<br /> 803 about the bad impact this is going to have in our community , and of course , it' s going to have a bad impact on Bravo ' s
<br /> 804 Market . Thank you very much .
<br /> 805
<br /> 806 Dr. Anndal Narayanan - Members of the board , thank you for this opportunity for input tonight . My name is Andal
<br /> 807 Narayanan and I ' m here on behalf of 5 neighbors in White Cross , who were not able to be here tonight, but all of whom
<br /> 808 share my opinion on this matter . I live in White Cross , 8 minutes from the parcel in question . I ' m here to also ask you to
<br /> 809 refuse Glandon Forest Equity' s rezoning request . A big box retail establishment of this size will lower property values for
<br /> 810 surrounding homeowners , it will increase traffic , it will disrupt the calm and quiet that we all value in the area . And , as
<br /> 811 you as you just heard it will hurt the small businesses that are part of what make White Cross such a special place to
<br /> 812 live . It' s not needed in White Cross , this type of establishment . White Cross is not a food desert by any means . I rely on
<br /> 813 Bravo ' s market, as part of my weekly shopping . It offers high quality dry goods , dairy , meat, and fresh produce . A lot of
<br /> 814 this is , locally produced , and I really value that. I value keeping my dollars in the area . There are also several big box
<br /> 815 dollar stores and grocery stores within a few miles driving distance in either direction . Finally , I think this is also
<br /> 816 unnecessary , because if we if we really need to buy cheap stuff that' s made in China from a predatory company , we can ,
<br /> 817 and already do that, from Amazon . Thank you for your attention to the overwhelming community opposition to this
<br /> 818 rezoning request .
<br /> 819
<br /> 820 Tony Blake- I didn 't originally plan to speak , but I heard some stuff in here that kind of bothered me and I wanted to
<br /> 821 approach it from a little bit of a different tact . I ' m sort of conservative property rights guy and I ' m all for diversifying the tax
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