[Durham INC] DN Letter supporting the 751 Ass. Rezoning -- Pls. Respond!

[Melissa Rooney]

Please see Rob Sneed's letter in the opinion section of today's Durham News:
http://www.thedurhamnews.com/2010/07/14/202697/the-silent-majority.html

... in which he states that the 751 Ass. Rezoning SUPPORTERS are the 'silent 
majority.'

It is important that people respond to Mr. Sneed's unfounded (and ludicrous) 
allegations by sending letters to the editor of the N&O and showing that, on the 
contrary, it is the proponents of this development that are 'the relatively 
small group' of people who are 'attract[ing] disproportionate attention.'

Just limit your letter to 250 words and email it to editor at nando.com (remove any 
spaces in this email address). A letter of only a couple sentences will also 
do. (It would be good to include your name, address, and phone number.) 

Below are some pertinent talking points in this regard:
~~~
1) The opponents of the 751 rezoning include the People's Alliance, the 
Interneighborhood Council, and over 2000 people who signed the online petition 
against the watershed rezoning (and against this development in this 
location, http://www.PetitionOnline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?jrdnsrvy).

2) All 12 members of the Planning Commission recommended denial of the 
associated watershed rezoning last year, and 11 of the 12 members (including 
those with ties to the development industry) recommended denial of the 751 South 
rezoning in April of this year. 

3) The PA website states: "The Durham People's Alliance is 
a progressive community organization with a history of accomplishment on a wide 
range of city and county issues including education, the environment, economic 
justice and sound economic growth for our community." This is far from people 
who fight progressive ideas, as Mr. Sneed contends. 


4) At the April 13th planning commission public hearing on this 751 
rezoning, there were NO citizens (outside of those working for the development 
team) speaking in support of the 751 Assemblage. On the other hand, 11 citizens 
spoke in opposition to this rezoning, and more opponents were present but did 
not speak.

5) Rob Sneed also says the opponents arguments do not contain 'much connection 
to the real facts of [the] matter' and then provides THE 751 SOUTH DEVELOPER'S 
website as evidence of the 'huge majority of people who encourage an innovative 
mixed-use development like this one.' How far from objective can you get? 

In the letters to the N&O people could also point out the back and forth 
conversation b/w proponents and opponents on the Bull City Rising blog at this 
link: http://www.bullcityrising.com/2010/05/751-protestors-withdraw-boa-appeal-and-cite-protest-petition-in-doing-so.html

Within the above conversation, one of the few proponents of the 751 rezoning 
states: "Again, I'm sensing the extremist anti-development individuals that have 
no room to negotiate with developers, beyond a take it or leave it with regards 
to something like the Jordan Lake Rules. Who wrote these rules? I'm sure it 
wasn't the developers, which leaves the environmentalists (am I correct?)." 

How can any informed Durhamite NOT know what the Jordan Lake Rules are, and how 
extensive was their review before being passed by the STATE Environmental 
Management Commission and the NC General Assembly?

On the other hand, on the BCR website above, opponents provide many arguments 
(and links to the original source information) containing the actual, 'REAL' 
facts which continue to allude the proponents and their baseless arguments.
~~~

Thank you for taking the time to read this email and thank you for sending your 
letters to the N&O proving that Rob Sneed's 'silent majority' of proponents is a 
fallacy.

Melissa (Rooney)



      
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