Orange-Chatham Group Sierra Club: Conservation

Conservation

Local action

See the Politics & Issues page for information about OCG's actions in the community.

What we can do locally

(Note: A shorter version of this piece appeared in the April/May 2009 newsletter.)

On the evening of March 11, members met with four county commissioners, two each from our two counties. George Lucier was first elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2006 as part of a multiple-election cycle transformation of the Board from a pro-development majority into a force for responsible growth that protects the environment, which includes Sally Kost, who joined the BOC in 2008. During the previous year, Chatham County had observed a moratorium on new development, during which the BOC and the Planning Board, chaired by Kost, worked on new ordinances and zoning changes to make sure growth didn’t overrun the county in haphazard fashion.

On the night that Kost was installed as Commissioner, the Board passed the new regulations that had been crafted during the year. At our March meeting, Lucier and Kost outlined some of the changes:

New subdivision regulations that require an environmental inventory to be first in a developer’s process, not an afterthought.
Conservation Subdivisions, which grant a 10% density bonus in return for 40% open space and consideration of flood plains and wildlife corridors.
Zoning changes allowing smaller commercial development, to make communities more walkable.
Watershed Ordinance amendments that enlarge buffers of perennial and intermittent streams and provide buffers for ephemeral streams and protection for seeps, wetlands, and springs.
Limits on building on steep slopes and protection against soil erosion and sedimentation. Some of these are innovative, exceed state requirements, and will fight nutrient pollution in Jordan Lake.
Creation of the Environmental Resources Department, the Environmental Review Board, and a green building task force to encourage new buildings to be built to LEED standards and to oversee retrofits of existing buildings.
A lighting ordinance to protect dark skies so that people can see the stars.

Environmental responsibility did not begin as recently on the Orange County BOC. Alice Gordon, a commissioner since 1990, has three major areas of concern: water, open space, and regional transit. She helped create several environmental committees and was especially important to the Lands Legacy Program, the first in the state, which has set aside 2200 acres in the county. She says that transit plans must be regional and is now supporting several initiatives for Triangle Transit, including light rail and an expansion of bus services to coordinate with the train. She noted the recent passage of an Intermodal Transit Bill in the state legislature and urged us to support it.

Bernadette Pelissier, former Chair of the OCG, was elected to the Orange County BOC in 2008. She also supports regional transit and, knowing that development patterns determine how much people drive and therefore greenhouse gas emissions, hopes to see a 0.5 cent sales tax dedicated to transit. She expects the county’s land use plan, not changed since 1981, to be updated to take historic preservation into account, and she is interested in the joint Orange County/North Carolina State University family farm incubator because farming is a method of land preservation and a way to promote sustainable agriculture.

The Sierra Club helps to keep environmental concerns central to BOC by endorsing more environmentally-concerned candidates during elections. It also provides input at public hearings on individual issues. The commissioners of both counties urged the Sierra Club members at the meeting to stay in touch with them on areas of concern and stay involved as decisions are made. Please join us in this work! If you wish to participate, contact a member of the Executive Committee.

--Report by Judith Ferster

Conservation

Local action

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What we can do locally