INC NEWS - Update on Jordan at Southpoint

[Melissa Rooney]

See below for a summary of the decisions regarding
this development at the CC meeting last night. 

Thanks to citizens for voicing their concerns, to
council for holding Haden-Stanziale to the fire, and
to developer Jerry Owen for his pronounced dedication
to a true conservation subdivision for Jordan at
Southpoint.

There is still a lot of room for imrpovement:
With our current state of drought and S. Durham school
overcrowding, the BOCC and city council really must
demand that developers help pay for schools AND the
new plumbing required to hook up to the Tier Quarry,
Jordan Lake, and other water sources, and PRAY that
these don't run out of water. If we citizens are
paying for this infrastructure in taxes, by buying
biodegradable paper plates and cups (as suggested by
Councilwoman Catotti, who admitted these aren't
exactly cheap), etc., then surely the developers
should pay their share as well.

IN addition, BOCC and CC should REQUIRE that
developers install TRUE water saving utilities
(dishwasher, washing machine, no-leak toilets, etc.)
from the onset. Requirement of top rated energy-saver
utilities, particularly for conservation subdivisions
should be considered as well. And restrictions on
planting of grass and young trees and other plantings
should be implemented, as these require much more
water than the mature trees that they are replacing.

And I still think we need language in the UDO that
prohibits or, at least, minimizes the practices of
clear-cutting and mass-grading.

UPDATE:

"Evidently quite a bit happened between December 11
(date of Planning Commission meeting) and December 17.
 As of December 11 staff was against Jordan at
Southpoint (based on comments Steve made at the
meeting).  However, things clearly got worked out to
staff's satisfaction.  Just what the proposal looks
like now I do not know, but it has clearly changed.  I
was told that the number of lots was reduced, the the
power easement is no longer a factor in the open space
consideration, and that the applicant is using only
primary and secondary conservation items to meet the
requirements.  He is also saving some of the specimen
trees.  It was a tough haul to get to this point.  At
any rate, in part because of this, council approved
the water/sewer extension (6-1, with Diane voting no)
and the annexation (7-0).  The lawyers solved the
extension part by working out new language (that will
appear in all future extension contracts) that in
essence says that if the city declares a water
shortage, then no water will be given to the contract
holder.  The missing piece is a definition of a water
shortage (the reason for Diane's "no" vote).  At this
point council doesn't have a policy that would define
a water shortage, although staff have been asked to
begin working on it."

Cheers,
Melissa


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Melissa Rooney, Ph.D.
Fairfield Community Awareness, 
Communications and INC representative

Durham, NC 27713
mmr121570 at yahoo.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


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