Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:57:31 -0500
From: Tom Glendinning
Subject: Haw River Christian Academy
I want to raise two points about the proposed school in Pittsboro and add some comments.
The area or market served will be the county, not the town, and areas outside Chatham also, just as all the businesses in town.
The neighbors of the Academy are businesses, not residents.
I am familiar with quasi-judicial processes, sitting on the county planning board and attending BOC meetings for forty years. The rules are no hurdle or blockage for such a use. The process may change the use, as in CUP or SUP in a lacking set of rules. The exception may be that there is a prejudice against a religious or Christian establishment. A liberal agenda is supposed to include all law abiding religions, beliefs, practices. Or is that too American?
To protect the community from “certain uses which could have detrimental effects.” Such as a school? Yes, we have too much education in Pittsboro and Chatham. Lord knows what the peons will do when they are educated.
Traffic has no bearing on the issue. At one time, everyone who had a PO box or mailed postal items went to the post office across the street. Further, Piggly Wiggly occupied the building proposed for the new school. There was never a traffic jam or too much traffic when these two businesses were on West Salisbury Street. My memory recalls much more than one hundred cars going to those locations each day. Why should cars from fifty parents dropping off students cause a problem?
The school would use 100% of the building. The parking lot is large enough. The property is privately owned and taxes are paid on it. Why not consider the preference of the owner in the consideration of the issue instead of hiding it behind legal and planning jargon? I do appreciate Mayor Voller’s explanation of the process. Now, if the newly elected board will only approve a substantial improvement to our community, the argument can be put to bed.
Tom Glendinning