Agenda - 10-07-2008- 7b - Laserfiche WebLink

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I~I~A,~'~' ®l~LY-I~TC)T ,A.I"1~~~9~D 'Y~~ ~Y ~OCC 1 2 Orange County Comprehensive Plan Coalition Member Organizations 3 Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, Community Action Network, EmPOWERment, 4 Inc., 5 Foundation for a Sustainable Community, The Greater Chapel Hill Association of REALTORS, 6 Homebuilders' Association of Durham, Orange and Chatham Counties, Inter-Faith Council on 7 Social Service, 8 The Village Project, Walkable Hillsborough 9 10 11 Bonnie Hauser made the following camments: 12 13 Statement to the Orange County Board of Commissioners on August 25, 2008 14 From Concerned Citizens Against the Use of Eminent Domain 15 16 17 My name is Bonnie Hauser. I am a property owner and resident of Orange County. Tonight I am 18 speaking on behalf of Concerned Citizens against the abuse of eminent domain. 19 20 We are pleased to see this public forum and transparent act of government to agree on a plan 21 to take Orange County into the future. We are especially pleased that the plan addresses 22 economic, environment and other land use considerations and is intended for the greater good. 23 And of course, we are pleased that the plan has been made available for public debate. 24 25 We see no mention in the plan of an airport in Orange County and how that might serve the 26 greater good. In fact, the airport conflicts with multiple elements of the plan including land use, 27 economic development, provision of public facilities and services, and preservation of water 28 resources, rural land and natural areas. In the plan, we see no anticipated obligation of Orange 29 County to serve AHEC or UNC. We see no provision in our growing tax liability to pay for such a 30 project or take the needed land off our tax rolls.. 31 32 We are very unhappy that the NC legislature has granted UNC the authority to override the 33 good work of our county leadership. We believe that this is an over-reaching act of government - 34 especially since UNC and the proposed, airport authority are not elected by the people and 35 cannot be held accountable to serve the greater good. 36 37 We are more disturbed since this suspicious act of the legislature bypasses the 38 recommendations of experts hired by UNC who suggest that AHEC is best served by using a 39 private terminal at Raleigh Durham'Airport. 40 41 We ask why bother with a comprehensive plan, zoning or other protections under the law. 42 Today, the citizens of Orange County sit in fear that - at the whim of UNC or the North Carolina 43 Legislature -their land will be condemned or they will have an airport or some other fabrication 44 as a neighbor. As part of this planning effort, we ask the commissioners and the planning board 45 to stand up for the property rights of our community and to protect the greater good. 46 47 48 Steve Richardson made the following comments: 287