Five years ago, on December 20, 2021, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners stood at a critical land-use crossroads. On a narrow 3–2 vote, the Board approved a 184-acre expansion of the Compact Communities Ordinance (CCO) boundary map along Parker Herndon and Morris Roads. 

That evening, Commissioners Franklin Gomez Flores and Karen Howard cast courageous "No" votes. They saw through the speculative promises and warned that expanding high-density zoning boundaries into rural Baldwin Township without guaranteed wastewater solutions, adequate road networks, or plan consistency was a grave mistake.