Residents press Alamance County commissioners on water, traffic and service risks from proposed 1,000-home development

Several residents told the Alamance County Board of Commissioners on May 4 that a proposed large housing development near Mora/Morrill/Morrow Mill Road threatens local wells, roads and public services and urged the board to act to protect long-time neighbors.

"We are here this morning to ask for your help," said Peter Childers, a longtime resident, at the podium. Childers told the board the development would add about 1,000 homes to a rural area and estimated household water use at roughly 350 gallons per day, which he said would amount to about 10.5 million gallons per month drawn from commercial wells. He warned that shallow private wells could run dry and asked who would compensate affected homeowners.

Michelle Aronson, a vegetable farmer who lives about a mile from the site, said private well testing on neighboring properties found nitrate levels more than double the maximum contaminant level identified by federal guidance. "This is not theoretical. This is a real urgent public health concern," Aronson said, asking what testing protocols and long-term safeguards would protect current and future residents.

Henry Vines, another resident, urged commissioners to protect the county's rural character and farmland, saying rapid, uniform development erodes what makes the area distinctive.

Commissioners acknowledged the concerns but described limits on local control. Commissioner Thompson said local officials should be proactive where possible but noted some projects are reviewed by state authorities and technical review committees. Commissioner Powell said the county has tools—such as unified development plans—but acknowledged many residents oppose zoning until it affects their property. "Some items have been brought up this morning concerning water use and police and fire...those are things we need to take into consideration," Powell said.

Commissioner Carter reiterated that certain large development approvals may be handled through a state technical review process and may not reach the county's planning board. "So we won't see it," Carter said, adding the board will revisit some land-use items and try to identify helpful steps.

No formal vote or action on land-use controls or the development was taken during the meeting. The board and county staff did not announce a follow-up hearing for this proposal during the session. Several transcript lines use different spellings for the road at issue (Mora/Morrill/Morrow Mill Road); residents and multiple commissioners described the site as being on that Mill Road corridor and asked for consistent notice and information on the project's route, water studies and emergency-services impacts.

The meeting closed without taking policy action on the development; residents asked that their written materials be entered into the record and the board confirmed the public comments were recorded for the meeting minutes and video archive.