The Town of Cameron invited Moore Family Farms, a nonprofit focused on educating citizens on how to end urban sprawl and overdevelopment, to speak at its July 26 meeting.
Moore Family Farm’s Nick Lasala said developers present a misnomer when they tell towns more residents will bring more tax dollars.
“Because for every dollar (towns) spend on services, it costs the town,” Lasala said about residential development. “But commercial development brings in three dollars in tax revenue, and agriculture brings in twenty-six to seventy-four cents.
“Developers will play the land use plan against you. The land use plan is your power to protect Cameron,” Lasala said.
Lasala is retired military and owns Victory Vineyards on Cranes Creek Road in Cameron.
Cameron’s Planning Board Chairman Jim Joliff listed the land use plans’ six goals.
- Continue beatification efforts.
- Provide recreation areas with walkways and maintain existing walkways.
- Protect and preserve charm of town while encouraging board to attend planning and zoning workshops.
- Ensure adequate water and explore waste water systems.
- Identify green areas and enhance Phillips Memorial Park.
- Increase community parking and utilize town’s parking for community parking.
Moore Family Farm’s Michael Parker said when residential agriculture (RA-40) zoning, which requires at least an acre to build a home site, is removed and replaced with residential (R-20), which requires only half an acre, there is no room for farming.
“North Carolina is the second highest state for loss of farmland. Every home adds 10 trips per day on highways. The developers for Union Pines want R-10, that’s four homes on one acre,” Parker said about the proposed development on Union Pines Church Road in Carthage.
“If you build houses for the sake of building houses, you lose community. Ensure recreation areas are within walking distance, not twelve to fifteen minutes from shopping areas,” Parker said about Moore County approving developments that promote urban sprawl.
Parker is a retired state homicide prosecutor who quit to help neighbors fight urban sprawl. He and his son, Matthew Parker, operate Terrace Ridge Farm.
In other new business, the town will confer with its lawyer on how to proceed with an invoice in violation of its policy. The invoice from Carlyle & Co. did not include labor hours when a waterline was damaged after an excavator did not call 811 to identify logistics of underground pipes.
In committee reports, Sylvia Caddell said anyone who wants to assist with beautification may contact the town clerk.
The Pines Preservation Guild has completed a contract for the town’s lawyer to review. The next meeting with the guild is Aug. 6. They are “Moore County’s Historic Preservation nonprofit organization and are assisting the Town of Cameron in developing a Historic Preservation Commission and a Local Historic District.”
The town rescinded an offer to Holden Hall for chief of police after communications with the prospective hire stopped when he was asked to provide a letter of commitment.
The town is searching for a chief of police.
The town also has a vacant council member seat due to lack of candidates.
Interested persons for the council position must live in the Town of Cameron.
Feature photo: Nick Lasala, of Moore Family Farms, shares information on July 26, 2022 at the regular town meeting held at Cypress Pointe Fire and Rescue.
~Article and photo by Sandhills Sentinel Journalist Stephanie M. Sellers. Contact her at [email protected].
