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January 31, 2004 Page 357 The Board of Commissioners for the County of Cabarrus met in recessed session in the Community Board Room at Barber Scotia College, 145 Cabarrus Avenue, West, Concord, North Carolina on Saturday, January 31, 2004, at 8:30 a.m. Present - Chairman: Robert M. Freeman Vice Chairman: Richard D. Suggs Commissioners: Carolyn B. Carpenter Robert W. Carruth Coy C. Privette Also present were Mr. John D. Day, County Manager; Mr. Mike Downs, Deputy County Manager for Operations; Mrs. Frankie F. Bonds, Clerk to the Board; Ms. Aimee Hawkins, Public Information Officer; and Mr. William J. McCoy, Facilitator. After breakfast, Chairman Freeman called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Commissioner Privette gave the invocation. Northwest Area Plan Draft Mr. Day presented the draft Northwest Area Land Use Plan and associated map. Discussion of Short-Term Goals Mr. McCoy stated that the Board would move today from discussing the long-term future of Cabarrus County to short-range issues (next year or two) in planning for the County. County staff will take the goals identified by the Board and develop recommendations as how to implement those goals. Growth-Related Issues The Board discussed a number of growth-related issues and made the following observations: (1) Ability to stick to a long term plan; (2) Infrastructure needs, including schools and parks; (3) Lack of engagement by citizens in comprehensive planning efforts; (4) Original intent of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and possible need to revisit that document; (5) Current efforts to work with the municipalities to develop transitional zoning areas; and (6) Need for the County and the municipalities to work together to address the growth issue. After discussion, the Board by consensus instructed staff to set up a joint meeting of the County Commission and the governing boards of local municipalities for discussion of the "vision for the future of Cabarrus County." The following items were suggested topics of discussion: (1) Village and mixed use development; (2) Affordable housing/mixed housing; (3) Integration of business sites; (4) Community redevelopment; (5) Northwest Area Plan; and (6) Transitional zoning. Utilities The Board discussed the following items related to utilities in Cabarrus County: (1) Service in the unincorporated areas; (2) Inadequate supply of water for the future; (3) Original intent of the Water and Sewer Authority of Cabarrus County (WSACC) and how that differs from the actual operation of WSACC; (4) Concerns that one municipality is the primary water provider for the entire county; (5) Possibility of looking at a cooperative agreement with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities Department (CMUD); and (6) Benefits of having a single utility provider, including the possibility of WSACC becoming a utility provider such as CMUD. By consensus, the Board instructed staff to gather information about the formation and operation of CMUD. Also, the Board asked staff to plan a Utilities Summit for all elected boards in the County to discuss water resources and to look at the best possible system to provide water for the 400,000 residents projected for 2054. Economic Development Mr. McCoy asked the Board to identify issues/goals regarding future economic development activities in the county. The Board listed the following goals: (1) Promote entrepreneurship and create wealth, which will in turn create jobs; (2) Identify areas for future commercial, business and retail