Orange County NC Website
5 Draft <br /> 1 use permit were issued. So, if you have evidence to that effect, or evidence that qualifies you <br /> 2 as a person with standing in some other way, that would be the thing to talk about right now. <br /> 3 <br /> 4 Sarah Lormand: Okay, but I was advised it's actually the reverse of what's happening, is that they would <br /> 5 address the continuance normally first and that then I would have legal counsel present to <br /> 6 help me establish that standing. <br /> 7 <br /> 8 Leon Meyers: Right. <br /> 9 <br /> 10 Sarah Lormand: So, short of that, we have been impacted both by the increase of traffic across a single-lane <br /> 11 gravel, private road that we have paid to maintain. We are impacted by the current business <br /> 12 model, which brings clients, patients, and volunteers to the property directly adjacent to ours, <br /> 13 and in this case, the exception that was granted for the bona fide farm allowed this business <br /> 14 to be where it is despite the zoning being agricultural, residential, and rural buffer, but now <br /> 15 we're pivoting to non-farm uses and expanding that business. If you take away the farm use, <br /> 16 that takes away the fact that they're allowed to use an easement across private property. So, <br /> 17 that is, I guess, part of why we're here tonight is just that, the bona fide farm was why they <br /> 18 were allowed to put a business in our little quiet residential area, and now they're pivoting to <br /> 19 non-farm uses via this and that cannot be a blueprint for how to circumvent zoning that's there <br /> 20 to protect us. <br /> 21 <br /> 22 Leon Meyers: All right, board members, questions for Ms. Lormand? Then, a motion will be in order to <br /> 23 determine whether Ms. Lormand has standing for the purpose of participating in tonight's <br /> 24 hearing. <br /> 25 <br /> 26 Beth Bronson: I guess, before I make a motion, my question would be that this is not your easement,correct? <br /> 27 <br /> 28 Sarah Lormand: No, it's Sylvia Stracke's. <br /> 29 <br /> 30 Beth Bronson: Yeah, this is the neighborhood, okay. <br /> 31 <br /> 32 Sarah Lormand: We do have her pay as part of the road maintenance agreement for that maintenance. <br /> 33 <br /> 34 Beth Bronson: So there is a contractual maintenance agreement on that road? <br /> 35 <br /> 36 Sarah Lormand: Correct, and we are a party to that and have paid for that. <br /> 37 <br /> 38 Beth Bronson: Okay, and it's gravel? <br /> 39 <br /> 40 Sarah Lormand: It's a single-lane, gravel, private drive over multiple properties that connects the applicant's <br /> 41 property to Dairyland, and I was under the impression that businesses were supposed to have <br /> 42 frontage on the state-maintained roads and direct access to them, and the only reason there <br /> 43 was an exception to that was because of the bona fide farm status. Now the bona fide farm <br /> 44 status stands in the way of her getting her fire inspection to expand her business and acquire <br /> 45 further licensure, and, so now we set that aside and just let them have a business in our quiet, <br /> 46 residential community. So, that's the loophole that seems very odd. They're saying that <br /> 47 there's no change being made to the business, but there is. It's gone from a farm-based bona <br /> 48 fide farm to a non-farm use medical facility. <br /> 49 <br /> 5 <br />