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December 20, 2004 (Regular Meeting) Page 29 Ray Moss, Mayor City of Kannapolis December 20, 2004 Mrs. Carolyn Carpenter, Chairperson Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners 65 Church street, SE Concord, NC 28025 Dear Chairperson Carpenter: This letter is to inform you and your board, for the record, that the Town of Harrisburg has officially adopted the Memorandum of Understanding at our December 6, 2004 council meeting. It was confirmed by a unanimous 7-0 vote of the town council. It is important to Harrisburg that the County continue to study and implement standards for growth management. Harrisburg also takes joy in the blessings that God has sent to our land and we want to continue to make wise decisions on land use in the town limits and our sphere of influence. The development and building standards that the county approves within that sphere is important to us. We appreciate the action the commissioners took on December 6, 2004 in approving the temporary moratorium to allow sufficient time to review your current standards. We look forward to working together with Cabarrus County and the regional municipalities and developing a plan that residents will enjoy for generations to come. May God bless you and the commissioners for your service to others. Sincerely, /s/ Tim Hagler Tim Hagler, Mayor Town of Harrisburg Chairman Carpenter then opened the hearing for public comments. Eric Beaver, a resident of Landis and representing Carolina Real Estate and Carolina Builders of Cabarrus, Inc., spoke in opposition to the proposed moratorium. He stated a moratorium would increase the cost of lots and have a negative impact on affordable housing. Ramona L. Matthews, broker with Remax/Carriage Realty and resident of Meadowlark Lane in Concord, objected to the proposed moratorium, stating it would slow growth and negatively impact the local economy. She advocated amending the ordinance without implementing a moratorium in order to protect the livelihood of citizens involved in the building industry. Patti Rader of Forestbrook Drive in Kannapolis described the video as "bureaucratic propaganda" and stated a moratorium would have a negative impact on the local economy. She said there should be improved communication between city and county governments and the business community and suggested that a summit be held in January to prioritize growth issues and to develop and implement an action plan. E. K. "Toby" Prewitt, Interim Chairman of the Economic Development Corporation Board, stated he was "pro growth" for residential, commercial and industrial development. He stated he supported the six-month moratorium to accomplish the development of land use ~tandards that are the same throughout the county and to identify key areas to earmark and recruit commercial and industrial businesses. Mr. Prewitt stated in his opinion the moratorium would have a minimal effect on the housing industry due to the over 13,000 building lots that are currently available. On behalf of Ray Fry and representing the Centralina Association of Realtors, Mike Chisholm read a statement in opposition to the proposed moratorium. He stated the moratorium was not necessary and would be detrimental to the economic well-being of the community. Mr. Chisholm stated the moratorium would disrupt commerce, limit the supply of workforce housing, reduce employees of one of the County's largest employment sectors and artificially increase the price of homes and services in Cabarrus County. He encouraged the Board to create a committee or focus group to assist in working through the problem without implementing a moratorium.