Bill Jensen: Mistakes in Apex

Regarding your Nov. 19 article “Sweetwater poised to be approved by current Apex council”: When intelligent people realize they have made a mistake, they change direction. Unfortunately, the majority of the Apex Town Council refuses to do so with the Sweetwater development.

Apex’s Unified Development Ordinance requires the council to consider “whether the proposed Conditional Zoning District use is substantially detrimental to the adjacent properties.” I believe the Sweetwater development is indeed “substantially detrimental to adjacent properties.” The vast majority of Apex residents agree with me. Other considerations overlooked by the lame-duck Apex Town Council are compatibility, minimization of adverse impact, minimization of environmental impact and impact on public facilities such as roads and schools.

We still have time to make Sweetwater ve more compatible with the area. On Dec. 1, we can deny annexation of the Sweetwater land into the town. We can then make this development more harmonious with its location in a manner comparable to other development proposals in the area. I urge my fellow council members to correct their mistakes before it is too late.

This story was originally published November 30, 2015 at 4:28 PM with the headline "Bill Jensen: Mistakes in Apex."