INC NEWS - New Hope Church Initial (Z07-31A): Public Hearing Tonight

[Melissa Rooney]

Please see the following email I wrote to council, and
the JCCPC regarding tonight's public hearing to rezone
part of this South Durham (and ATT) land parcel to PDR
(planned development residential).'

I hope that you all will consider this issue
seriously, and email council with any concerns as soon
as possible. Tomorrow will be too late.

Contact Info:
council at ci.durham.nc.us, 

JCCPC Info: 

bmheron at durhamcountync.gov, ereckhow at aol.com,
lcheek at durhamcountync.gov, gabrine013 at msn.com,
Steve.Medlin at durhamnc.gov

Thanks!
Melissa 

Melissa Rooney
mmr121570 at yahoo.com

________________

I've been away on vacation (thank goodness!), and just
got back this weekend. Sorry to write you about this
at the last minute, but the following item is on the
City Council Agenda tonight (Jan 7, 2008):

"20. New Hope Church Initial (Z07-31A)
To conduct a public hearing and receive public
comments on the initial zoning map change for New Hope
Church Initial (Z07-31A)."

This would change Durham City's zoning of this area to
Residential Rural (RR) AND PLANNED DEVELOPMENT
RESIDENTIAL. 

Full Agenda at:
http://www.durhamnc.gov/agendas/2007/cws_122007.cfm

This site is located on the east side of Fayetteville
Road, south of Atkins Heights Boulevard and north of
the American Tobacco Trail PIN 0717-02-78-4537]. 

This parcel literally abuts the Tobacco Trail near
Herndon Park, which is currently one of the few
remaining natural forest areas on the ATT. The NE
Creek also passes through this area and would be
damaged further by development in the immediate
vicinity, passing any negative erosion and filtering
effects on to Jordan Lake.

Apparently, the plans reviewed by the DOST DRC meeting
were ONLY for a church and parking lot, and DOST
merely asked them to preserve a grove of trees in the
SW corner. No one I've talked with seems aware of the
PDR component.

It would appear that present (or future) plans are to
split off some of the land and build houses. This land
could also be sold/flipped to a developer who may not
have the same intentions as the church members.

As no one I've talked with seems aware of the PDR
component, at the very least, the city should require
truly COMMITTED elements before approving the PDR
component.  

Ideally council should ask that the PDR portion be
deleted (since if passed intact, there will be no
option to request committed elements when development
occurs). I don't know if council will be able to do
this, at this late juncture, but this case should be
discussed in depth -- since many PDR developments (in
the recent past) latched onto "no minimum lot size,'
and managed to avoid the majority of the intentions of
this zoning.

Independent of the county's zoning for this land, this
is a last-chance opportunity for DURHAM to protect
this area from urban sprawl, as well as destruction of
natural vegetation and topography (and thus natural
filtration and erosion control of our water).

As such, I think that council and Mayor Bell should
require that the case be re-reviewed by DOST and the
Planning Commission before any area is rezoned to PDR.

Sincerely,
Melissa Rooney
P.S. Unfortunately, I cannot make the meeting tonight.
I'd have to bring both of my kids this time, and I
don't think Seamus could sit through another 3 hour
meeting (I know my daughter couldn't). I know that you
will take my concerns seriously, and hope that you
bring them up during your discussion of this rezoning
case tonight.


      ____________________________________________________________________________________
Looking for last minute shopping deals?  
Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.  http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping