Hillsborough to Hold Public Hearing on Highway 70 Rezoning Request

Hillsborough’s Board of Commissioners is holding a public hearing on Thursday to address a rezoning request from Orange County for a 21-acre plot of land off of Highway 70.

The county is looking to use the land for a new government complex which would include an agricultural center and detention center as well as some offices.

Despite the current county jail located in Hillsborough being in very poor condition, over 500 citizens have signed a petition against the new multi-use campus.

Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens believes that any location the new detention center is built will attract protests.

“Every place has pros and cons,” said Stevens. “It’s been right downtown, which is very close to an elementary school, very close to all different kinds of housing. If it’s on a parcel, it will certainly have all sorts of buffers around it.”

Stevens says that some kind of relocation for the jail is inevitable despite the petition.

“There’s no question that a new jail needs to be built, and needs to be built quickly,” said Stevens. “I think that’s a driving factor for the county.”

Orange County is exploring other locations for the new campus as well; however, the parcel of land off of Highway 70 is likely the most cost-effective.

“[The county has] certainly looked at options downtown and some of that would be certainly acceptable, but I think trying to build a new space, like where the farmers market is, it would be very difficult to get it where you have the jail that you would that would meet the standards of the historic district commission,” said Stevens.

Thursday night’s public hearing in Hillsborough is scheduled for seven o’clock at the Town Barn.

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