County gives Briar Chapel thumbs up

By Randall Rigsbee

Although many people expressed their sentiments with stickers pro and con, it was hard to tell just from scanning the large crowd jammed inside the Superior Courtroom in Pittsboro Tuesday night whether most favored or opposed   Briar Chapel.

But where opinions mattered most – among the five members of the Chatham County Board of Commissioners who convened for a special session Tuesday to consider a conditional use permit request for the largest development ever proposed in Chatham – proponents outweighed the opposition.

After a three-hour discussion, commissioners voted 4-1 in favor of granting a conditional use permit for the 1,589-acre, 2,389-home Briar Chapel.

Commissioner Patrick Barnes cast the only dissenting vote.

California-based developer Newland Communities first proposed the large-scale development in 2001, asking the county’s authorization to build Briar Chapel in the Baldwin and Williams townships, bounded by US 15-501 on the east, Andrews Store Road on the south, and Mann’s Chapel Road on the west and north.

County commissioners rejected Newland’s initial proposal in the spring of 2002 but Newland returned last year with a revised plan after Chatham County enacted its first-ever Compact Communities Ordinance.

Mitch Barron, who has helmed Newland’s Pittsboro office, said he was relieved by the county’s Tuesday approval.

“It feels good,” Barron said in an interview moments after the commissioners’ decision. “It feels real good. It’s been a long haul.”

more- See Thursday, February 17 paper: Vol 85, No.12

Authorities seize marijuana in Siler City

By Melissa Ledgerwood

Two Siler City residents face felony drug charges after police seized 13 pounds of marijuana from their residence Monday.

The Siler City Police Department in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Guilford County Sheriff’s Office and police departments from Liberty and Greensboro searched a residence at 733 West Dolphin Street in Siler City February 14.

Seized in the search were 13 pounds of marijuana packaged in bundles and a small amount of loose marijuana and cocaine, according to Siler City Police Major Bill Harman.

The street value of the marijuana was reported at $10,000.

Two people were arrested at the scene, Harman said.

Santa Sanchez Cruz, 52, faces charges of felony possession of marijuana and possession with intent to sell and/or deliver marijuana.

Cruz was released after her $5,000 bond was paid in cash, the major said.

Jose Garcia Cazares, 22, faces charges of felony possession of cocaine and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

Cazares was placed in Chatham County Jail under a $1,000 bond.

Cruz and Cazares are scheduled to make a first appearance in district court on March 1.

Sheriff's race gets early start

By Randall Rigsbee

The next election for sheriff of Chatham County is more than a year away, but retired state trooper and current chairman of the county Board of Education Allan “Ziggy” Zimmerman this week announced his plans to seek the post in 2006.

Zimmerman, a trooper in the NC Highway Patrol in Chatham County from 1980 until his retirement in 2003, said he’s long considered running for the top county law enforcement post.

“I always knew one day I’d like to run for sheriff,” Zimmerman said in an interview on Monday. “I’m looking forward to this. Hopefully this will be the next step for me.”

Zimmerman declined Monday to discuss a specific campaign platform, saying he would announce his plans and his choices for top administration closer to the 2006 Democratic primary.

 “I just wanted to make it official,” he said of his early announcement, “to let people know I will be running.”

Zimmerman said law enforcement has remained “near and dear to my heart” but added that he will continue to be a dedicated member of the Board of Education through the remainder of his term, which expires next year.

“I plan to work as hard as I can on the school board,” he said. “I was elected to do that.”

more- See Thursday, February 17 paper: Vol 85, No.12