Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 11:16:40 -0500
From: John Alderman
Subject: Chatham Park Ad Nauseam
Thank you Samatha Capitol (AKA, the anonymous Taylor Kish) for your rapid fire list of 25 reasons why Chatham County citizens should feel warm and cozy with doubling our county’s population with the approval of
the planned Chatham Park. Since you were good enough to be succinct, I will continue with adding to your numbered list; however, my list includes reasons for our citizens to be quite concerned:
26. In 1989, the state legislature, controlled by the Democrats, passed House Bill 804 authorizing Pittsboro’s ability to expand its Extraterritorial Jurisdiction beyond that allowed for similarly sized towns across North Carolina. For its size, Pittsboro now has one of the largest ETJs in North Carolina, and it has been getting larger as time has passed. The bottom line is that Pittsboro can do whatever it likes within its ETJ, and the vast majority of county citizens can do nothing about it. If Pittsboro’s actions result in greatly expanded costs borne by all county citizens (e.g., costs associated with doubling the number of schools, teachers, and school age children), the majority has no ability to vote the rascals out of Pittsboro’s seats of political power. They can dig themselves in like Chatham County seed ticks. Essentially, this is taxation without representation. If I am not mistaken, we fought a little war over this issue back in the 1700s. NOTE: The Chatham County Republicans and Democrats have been in bed with each other since passage of HB 804. Both are guilty of abusing the
voting rights of the Chatham County majority.
27. The only way Chatham Park can be developed without great environmental damage to our lands, streams, drinking water supplies, soils, and wildlife resources is by having Pittsboro adopt sufficient environmental ordinances based on the best available science and best management technologies. Chatham Park’s Master Plan and Pittsboro’s Land Use Plan and associated rules are grossly deficient in this regard.
I know this to be fact, since I am a professional in this area. The ordinances (rules to be followed when lands are developed) come first, then consideration of specific projects. Given that Chatham Park is the largest development ever planned in North Carolina, we should have significant concerns about protection of our environment and drinking water supplies. As Randy Voller essentially expressed during his December Chatham County Courthouse midnight diatribe, the vast majority of Chatham County citizens has no voice in these matters. Our democracy has been eviscerated.
28. One must always plan for the worst case scenario: Our state Legislature, led by the Republicans and, apparently, silent minority Democrats (chaired by developer Randy Voller), is seriously considering limiting local governments’ ability to enact and enforce local environmental ordinances . . . while at the same time limiting environmental management at the state level. They are even considering revoking existing local ordinances. I will leave it to your imagination as to the effects of such actions. Until this kind of bullying of local citizens and their governments, fully supported and spearheaded by the NC Homebuilders Association, ceases, Pittsboro should table consideration of Chatham Park Investors, LLC’s request for approval of Chatham Park Master Plan.
29. Folks, snap out of it, this is a corporation with limited liability, not just some next door friendly neighbor. Protect your interests as strongly as the corporation is trying to protect its bottom line.
That’s all I can stomach for now.
John M. Alderman, a real, independent Chatham County citizen