2.7.24 Planning Board Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Approved 3-6-24 547 resources available for making such informed decisions. North Carolina's Department of Environmental 548 Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency, to name just two. Answers to the challenges posed to our 549 environment by climate change and to our watersheds by Urban Stream Syndrome, are inextricably linked to 550 our land use policy, and thus provide us with a relatively clear path forward. Science-based reforms to our 551 Comprehensive Land Use Plan will contribute to solving those long-term environmental issues that we face 552 together. Now is the time to listen to the boots-in-the-water and bring our UDO into compliance with the 553 science. 554 555 John Dempsey provided a handout of watershed neutral planning and development to the Board. 556 557 Margo Lakin: Good evening, my name is Margo Lakin. I live in Hillsborough. I attended the public input 558 session on January 20. My husband attended the one in Cedar Grove on January 19th. Both sessions saw 559 staggering numbers of concerned citizens who I would argue are the ultimate stakeholders in all of this. Past 560 and current board members from Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough spoke to the importance of 561 protecting the watersheds and the rural buffers and our tree canopy and our biodiversity. Past County 562 commissioners shared how they fought for the Rural Buffer back in the day, as they vehemently encouraged 563 us to do the same now. It was alive and clearly articulated consensus we need a science-based 564 Comprehensive Land Use Plan. We need to hear from the scientists, the experts, who have the concrete data 565 needed to make land use decisions. I also want to remind everyone that during the pandemic, many of us 566 were able to put food on our tables, thanks to the farmers of Orange County who were able to farm only 567 because of the Rural Buffer. We must remember this is Orange County. This isn't Chatham or Johnston or 568 Durham or Alamance. It's imperative to listen to the citizens in creating a Comprehensive Land Use Plan that 569 reflects our wants and our needs. I see Thank Science signs in many yards throughout the County. If we 570 want to truly thank science, it's time we bring science to the table when creating this Comprehensive Land Use 571 Plan. Thank you. 572 573 Rob Minton: Thank you for allowing us to speak in public in this very important meeting. My name is 574 Rob Minton. I've lived in Hillsborough, 25, 30 years, and one of the things that we appreciate of this area is the 575 rural buffers. It needs to be emphasized over and over again. The reason it was created is because of the 576 positive impacts that it has on the community as a whole. That's why people come here. I think that's why this 577 county is unique. Compared to other counties, they have sort of bellied up to lax zoning laws and things that 578 happened in Mebane here, recently with Buc-ee's, with very little environmental concerns. Anyway, wanted to 579 emphasize that science, I agree with the previous speaker, science-based evidence is important here, as well 580 as it is to emphasize the fact that there needs to be... the stakeholders here, I feel, are the people who spoke 581 out in public, and I appreciate the survey having us. I was one of the attendees at this one on January the 582 20th and I was very impressed by the fact that so many people overwhelmingly want to keep this community 583 intact with the rural buffers. The reason things have been very different and unique here is because of that 584 and I would like to certainly continue to encourage this committee and survey to include that within their overall 585 presentation. One question that I have here, is actually who are the stakeholders? I agree with one of the 586 Planning Board members that it seems to be a little disconnect here, with one side, I don't even know who the 587 stakeholders are. I don't know if any of us do, other than to survey, the consultation people, that wasn't 588 addressed at all. If the stakeholders are pro-development, I've got a real problem with that. I think public input 589 is important here and I just wanted to close out by saying please keep the current rural buffers. They're so 590 important. Thank you. 591 592 Lamar Proctor read out the list of stakeholder interviews from the packet and asked if there was input from an 593 scientific resources in terms of ecological protection. 594 595 Leigh Anne King confirmed that one part of the consultant team is Equinox, a group with landscape architects 596 and others focused on the science and the planning of natural lands.