Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger joins 97.9 The Hill’s Brighton McConnell to discuss some of the items from Wednesday’s town council meeting. She shares an update on how the town’s Climate Action Plan is coming together, as well as on Chapel Hill Transit providing rides to COVID-19 vaccination sites and the town’s financial forecast for the next year.
After years of back-and-forth planning, 900 acres of developable land are under consideration by the City of Mebane and Orange County.
The Buckhorn Area Plan aims to provide more commercial and industrial growth to western Orange County by “identifying properties that could be zoned for nonresidential purposes and best support economic development.”
The Buckhorn Economic Development District was dedicated as a development district by the City of Mebane and Orange County in 2011 to include a variety of manufacturing, wholesale, distribution, retail and service uses. The district is located just off exit 157 from Interstate 85/40, and includes approximately 900 acres of developable land.
The existing land use for that area is currently agricultural and residential. The Executive Summary for the plan states that the large land areas and low residential growth of the area make it “ideal for commercial and industrial growth.”
Community organizers in Efland rallied an opposition strong enough to fend off Texas gas giant Buc-ee’s. But what voices were left unheard in the discussion, and what is the future of development in western Orange County?
97.9 The Hill News Director Brighton McConnell shares the latest stories from around our community, including breaking news of gun violence in Chapel Hill.
Community Asks for Cooperation From Developers After Efland Station Failure
After the developers for Efland Station withdrew their application earlier this month, Orange County residents and government officials are reflecting on how to better serve the Efland community moving forward.
Since the Efland Station application was submitted to Orange County staff in August of 2020, the project had come under scrutiny from residents, who shared concerns about the environmental impact and traffic changes to the Efland community off Interstate 40.
On February 5, the applicant chose to withdraw its application after months of community backlash and multiple public hearings with hours of aired grievances.