Guest Blog by Ron Spinhoven
Fellow Snow Campers,
As you may be aware, the Alamance County planning department has been working with several members of the community, the County Planning Board and Stewart Inc, a consulting firm, to draw up a small area development plan for Snow Camp. This process has been going on for the better part of a year and is beginning to reach its final months of development.
At a special steering committee meeting with County Planner Tonya Caddle and Stewart Inc., as a steering committee member, I suggested that any further Class III heavy industrial development be “not permitted” in the Snow Camp small area plan. This is what many of us envisioned when we lobbied for a small area zoning plan for Snow Camp over a year ago, as we did not want to see expansion of these industrial uses here in our community. View that meeting here.
Class III industries include Mining/Quarrying, Racetracks, Chemical Manufacturing, Asphalt Plants, Electricity Generating Facilities (not including renewable sources), Landfills -- except inert debris, Paper Mills, and Cement Manufacturing.
The planning director has taken this idea to the Legal Department for review. It was further discussed during a Special planning board meeting with several board of commissioner’s members in attendance. View meeting here. There will be resistance to doing this as it is a controversial subject.
Therefore, as the discussion continues for including a section “not permitting any Class III Heavy Industry” in the Snow Camp Small Area Plan, I believe it will be significantly helpful for as many residents as possible to express their opinion on this matter ahead of the Planning Board meeting this Thursday, December 9th, and tell them there is widespread support from Snow Camp residents.
➣ To do so you can sign this petition on Change.org.
and/or
➣ Comment directly to the Planning Department: Comment
Recommended comment: As a Snow Camp Resident, I want to express my support that a restriction of all Class III Heavy Industry be added to the proposed Snow Camp Zoning Ordinance to be considered “Not Permitted” in all Zoning Districts.
Warm regards,
Ron Spinhoven, Snow Camp Resident
