Minutes 02-04-2025-Business Meeting

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60 streetlight on a 25-foot pole would shine into their barn and property. She said she and her family fear this project will disrupt their life. She said the scale of this project is overwhelming and the proposed density has increased drastically. Mike Fox said the increased traffic will change the character of the rural road. He said a project of this scale will inevitably disrupt the surrounding land, wildlife, and residents. Bland Simpson said he is from the Morrow Mill Rd. community. He said he is speaking in opposition to this request. He said that if this is approved, other developers will propose the same in other AR areas of the county. He said the Board can support the Planning Board's unanimous opposition to the proposal. He said that the project demands and assaults are extravagant and excessive. He said that they can speak for farm and community preservation and that the whole community hopes they will deny this application. Tom Barren said he sees only risk involved with this proposal. He questioned where the money will come from to develop this land. He said he has lived in Orange County for 20 years. He said he is an engineer and a project planner that has worked on a lot of big projects. He said the land cost was reasonable, the cost of planning is 100 times that. He said people have natural questions about where the money is coming from. He asked if the people that are signing up are going to get what they think they are getting. He asked the Board to do the right thing and to do no harm by not approving this proposal. Ellen Lohr-Hinkel said she has been a member of H41D for a long time. She said a lot of work was put into this to make sure there will be as little disruption as possible to the land and surrounding community. She said she hears a lot of fear, but the research was done. She said if this application is denied and the land is sold to a developer, a lot more houses could be built that would be much more disruptive. Miriam Cowen said she supports this development because it maintains sustainability. She said she is married to Tom Cheek who spoke earlier. She said she has a 3-acre vineyard and that is her life's work. She said it is sustainable, and they do not use pesticides. She said she has 800 feet of vegetable beds. She said that her dream for this property is what the people are proposing. She said she appreciates that the plan preserves the land. She said she has worried about the number of homes that could be built as it is currently allowed. She said they are the closest neighbors, and they plan to build their retirement home on the remaining 35 acres. She said that she does not agree with the fear that she is hearing. She said they will not put up fencing and it will be open space. She asked for the Board's support. Roberta Romano said she opposes this development as a resident and homeowner on Morrow Mill Road. She said they moved here seeking a more sustainable and rural lifestyle. She said this area is full of residents that encourage sustainable practices. She said this project does not benefit the existing residents and would increase social and environmental pressures. She said it would rush this place toward a trajectory that is irreversible. She asked the Board to reject the proposal and protect the longstanding vision of sustainable and responsible land-use. Coy Isaacs asked the Board to vote no. He said they seem like wonderful folks and have a major passion and important mission. He said that utilities would need to be run accordingly because the land footprint will not handle the pressure. Laura Streitfeld said she is a neighbor of Morrow Mill Rd. She asked the Board to deny this application as unanimously recommended by the Planning Board. She said that the application is full of discrepancies, but regardless, the plan is incompatible with surrounding area. She said this would slice the property in half. Nathan Bearman said he has been a resident of the community for over 20 years. He said this development is incompatible with the character of the surrounding rural community. He said it is incompatible with the county's land use goals, and he urged the Board to continue getting community input before amending land use policy. He said no services would be available to surrounding neighbors that are not a part of the community.