Agenda - 09-16-2008 - 5a - Laserfiche WebLink

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C~ ~e~ese J A Response to The Proposed Special Use Permit Proposing the Development of a Private School at 711 Terry Road, HiIIsborough, NC 27278 I am a lifelong educator who supports innovative efforts in education. I have worked in schools for 34 years and know many of the ins and outs of the logistics of running a school. The issue of building the Montessori Farm School on Terry Road in Orange County is not about education. It is about my home and my neighborhood. I chose to live on Terry Road for the peace and quiet, for the privacy and good neighbors, for the nature and the space. I gave up amenities and , convenience for solitude. For more than 30 years, my neighborhood has retained the unique rural characteristics that I chose. Longtime residents welcomed us as we carry on the tradition and welcome new neighbors who have chosen this street because of its AR zoning and its tranquility. I didn't choose to live here expecting that a school would shatter the quiet. Since our neighborhood has a diverse population, there are retired residents as well as toddlers. Daytime noise will~affect those of us who are not working a traditional schedule. I am opposed to granting a Special Use Permit that will inevitably change the nature of my neighborhood. In addition to the general concerns I have about changing our neighborhood, several other issues that are discussed in the SUP report concern me. III. Landscaping and Buffering 2c. A variable vegetative bu, f,~er along the southern property line, ranging from ten to twenty feet in width. The proposed driveway and emergency vehicle access area is approximately ten feet from the southern property line. It's not hard to imagine twice a day, having 150 cars coming and going along a driveway that would only be 10 feet from my land. I know it's not really my land, but it is Keith Tilley's. Sound travels In our area. With an approximately 300 foot buffer of trees between our house and the road, we can hear our neighbors across the street each morning as they close their car doors to leave for work. VII. Additional Standards a. The lot size shall be adequate to handle the maximum number of participants and patrons for any single event. Schools hold parent meetings usually with a large number of parents attending. I would assume that a Montessori School would have extensive parental support. In my experience as a school teacher, the 35 parking spaces would not be sufficiexxt for parent meetings for elementary schools. Where would people park for large meetings? Would they then be parking along the road? Parking should not take place along the fire lanes. I was teaching at a Durham school that had 2 fires while school was in session. I know firsthand the importance of having clear fire lanes at all times. We never expected the first fire, let alone the second. b. Appropriate screening methods shall be used to enhance the aesthetic value of a project. Appropriate by whose standards? Each time I drive past the proposed site, I try to imagine in my mind how 8 buildings (1 barn , 6 classrooms and 1 administrative building}, a 35-space parking lot, 20 foot wide fire-engine-ready driveways, a pond, two well sites and a septic site will look on the existing cleared land, because according to the Environment and Resource Conservation . Department The Site Plan would limit the construction of the school and its associated facilities 57