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Approved 6.5.24
<br /> 101 with what the Comprehensive Plan calls for, and in particular, the Future Land Use Map. So, the Future Land
<br /> 102 Use Map designates this area as Commercial Industrial Transition and that is land that's focused on designated
<br /> 103 road intersections within either a 10-year or 20-year Transition Area that's appropriate for retail and other
<br /> 104 commercial uses, and/or manufacturing and other industrial uses. So,there's no proposed change to the Future
<br /> 105 Land Use Map itself. Surrounding uses include single-family residential and the mobile home park to the north,
<br /> 106 just up here. To the south, you'll also find single-family residential and the North Carolina Railroad line runs
<br /> 107 east-west right here. To the east,there is some commercial auto repair and single-family residential, and then to
<br /> 108 the west, there's also commercial auto repair, single-family residential where there are some churches, there's
<br /> 109 Efland Supermarket, and a few additional commercial uses. So, what is required for the Conventional District
<br /> 110 application? Of course, the complete application signed by the applicant, a map showing the land proposed for
<br /> 111 rezoning, and a narrative detailing basically why this request makes sense or why they believe it makes sense,
<br /> 112 and that could be how the proposed amendment corrects an error and how it is consistent with the consistent
<br /> 113 with the Comprehensive Plan. And then, finally, it also requires additional information as identified by reviewing
<br /> 114 agencies, and all of these have been provided by the applicant. So, a quick overview of GC4, General
<br /> 115 Commercial. General Commercial is intended to provide suitable, situated and sized sites that allow a broad
<br /> 116 range of commercial office and service uses, and then it has performance standards used to ensure the absence
<br /> 117 of adverse impacts on the zoning district boundary, so should this zoning be applied to the property, these
<br /> 118 dimensions are particularly kept in mind if there were to be a subdivision of the property or if there is future
<br /> 119 development of the property with the addition of buildings.
<br /> 120
<br /> 121 Jana Murdoch-Doherty: Good evening. Thank you for this opportunity to address the Board. My name is Jana
<br /> 122 Murdoch-Doherty. I'm a board member for the Efland Ruritan Club, and this is Anthony Cecil. He is a long-time
<br /> 123 member and current president of the club. We are coming before you this evening to request this
<br /> 124 recommendation to change the zoning designation from R1 to GC4 on the parcels owned by the Efland Ruritan
<br /> 125 Club. We believe this change would bring the property zoning in line with its current and historical uses, as well
<br /> 126 as with the County Future Land Use Plan. As Ruritan is one of the lesser known civic organizations, I'd like to
<br /> 127 take just a moment and share a little information about it. Ruritan is a national civic service organization made up
<br /> 128 of local clubs dedicated to improving their communities by identifying needs in their area and implementing
<br /> 129 solutions to address those needs. Club membership represents a cross section of the community in which the
<br /> 130 club serves. It is not restrictive with regard to occupation, social position or any other specific criteria. Currently,
<br /> 131 there are about 25,000 members in 900 communities nationwide. Our club in Efland was founded in 1981 when
<br /> 132 four local citizens saw a great opportunity to serve and support our community there. They came together to
<br /> 133 purchase the land from the Orange County School Board and charter the club to benefit Efland and Orange
<br /> 134 County, and we have been in operation ever since. Our mission as a nonprofit civic organization is to strengthen
<br /> 135 and improve our community through various activities and financial methods. Prior to the Club's existence, this
<br /> 136 property served as the local high school for the area and before that, as the site as the elementary school. Many
<br /> 137 local citizens have a strong connection to this site and happy memories from those times. Not long ago, I was
<br /> 138 chatting with one of our members about the history of the buildings while we were preparing a benefit dinner, and
<br /> 139 1 got to hear some really great stories about when he attended the high school. This sort of oral history is made
<br /> 140 possible by being able to gather together in this place and being able to pass those stories down helps to deepen
<br /> 141 the younger generations' connection to the community also. It's clear that this centrally located spot makes
<br /> 142 sense as a hub of activity and community engagement in the area. It has always been a natural gathering place.
<br /> 143 Currently, we serve the community in several different ways including events for community enjoyment,
<br /> 144 scholarships for graduating seniors from each of the local high schools, sponsorships of other local clubs and
<br /> 145 community organizations, benefit meals, and more. Every year,we host a rodeo which is very well attended and
<br /> 146 enjoyed by our local community, as well as surrounding communities. We allocate $6,000.00 each year to
<br /> 147 provide scholarships to two graduating seniors from each area high school who are furthering their education,
<br /> 148 either in academics or in a trade. We support youth programs both financially and by donating our space for their
<br /> 149 use. This year, we're sponsoring youth sports teams and we also support the high school athletic teams,
<br /> 150 specifically, the football teams, by providing a meal each year during their regular season. We've been
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