Orange County NC Website
26 <br /> 1002 people are unaware that dozens of Morrow Mill landowners including us have voluntarily <br /> 1003 put restrictive covenants on their properties requiring 10-acre minimum lot sizes so that <br /> 1004 their land can be protected from development for future generations. These restrictions <br /> 1005 go far beyond what the County requires in the unprotected watershed. It may be hard for <br /> 1006 a developer to understand, but those of us who live here do not have a transactional <br /> 1007 relationship with this land. We know that once agriculture and forested land is lost, you <br /> 1008 don't get it back. Playing by the County's rules has meant that our property values have <br /> 1009 not increased the way property values close to town have. Though we may not get rich <br /> 1010 selling our land to a developer one day, this stability serves a greater good. It means that <br /> 1011 folks can still find smaller lots and homes that are affordable and young farmers have a <br /> 1012 chance of holding on to their inherited land because tax values are not sky high. It is only <br /> 1013 because the rest of us have played by the rules that this developer can now see our land <br /> 1014 as cheap and ready to be exploited for their suburban development. This project is <br /> 1015 unnecessary and unneighborly. I say unnecessary because without changing a single <br /> 1016 ordinance, they can build enough homes for all of the current members to live side by <br /> 1017 side, sharing resources and supporting one another like the rest of us do. I ask the <br /> 1018 planning board to respect the wisdom of the LIDO and the vision outlined in the Land Use <br /> 1019 Plan 2050 and reject this proposal because it is wholly inconsistent with both, thank you. <br /> 1020 <br /> 1021 Carol Mellon: Yes, first I'd like to say, I've had to make a lot of changes to my notes because, we were <br /> 1022 first told that there would be an assisted living center on the campus of the proposed <br /> 1023 development and it has since been changed to family care home. This seems like kind of <br /> 1024 an effort to shoe-horn this proposal into or toward approval, but let me continue. Our area <br /> 1025 does not have the infrastructure to support a large community of people needing frequent <br /> 1026 medical care. We are served by a volunteer fire and rescue squad that is not equipped to <br /> 1027 transport residents to relatively distant hospitals on a frequent basis and along a hilly, two- <br /> 1028 lane highway with infrequent passing zones. Those needing skilled care would have to go <br /> 1029 elsewhere in any case since the planners of this community will not have any provision for <br /> 1030 that. Even if everything goes as planned from a financial point of view, a high-density <br /> 1031 staff intensive development will not only increase environmental pollution nearby, but will <br /> 1032 definitely increase the amount of traffic, air pollution, and noise. As one of our previous <br /> 1033 residences was adjacent to an assisted living center, we know that the required staff will <br /> 1034 be working around the clock as well, coming and going at hours that are now reserved for <br /> 1035 peace and quiet in our area. Again, I ask that you reject this proposal, thank you. <br /> 1036 <br /> 1037 Anna Hatcher: So, for me personally, because of the concerns about the traffic which is going to grow, 1 <br /> 1038 don't know, probably three times more than we have originally, I think that one of the <br /> 1039 requirements for this neighborhood is they will go ahead and build a public bus station <br /> 1040 because people in age sometimes have challenges with driving good and paying <br /> 1041 attention, especially when it's getting dark. I think it has to be a requirement a public bus <br /> 1042 station, something like that. Next concern is the construction hours. I don't want to live in <br /> 1043 hell for the next 10 years, right? I came to this country from the huge city Kyiv in Ukraine <br /> 1044 5 years ago. I know what construction is, and at least it has to be mandatory that after <br /> 1045 5:00 p.m. no noisy construction work. It has to be documented. If you don't want us, with <br /> 1046 Chelsea to pull out my truck and block the entrance and exit and makes strikes and <br /> 1047 revolution which I know how to do revolutions trust me. And you don't want to have it in <br /> 1048 the county, right? So, no construction after 5:00 p.m., no noisy construction activities on <br /> 1049 weekends. It has to be documented and be a requirement to these people.Also, we <br /> 1050 would like to have and see a backup from this group, like a backup plan. Because they <br /> 1051 are in respected age, right? If they aren't able to perform in 3 years, what's next steps. <br />