INC NEWS - New Hope Creek Cooridor-Duke Tract Update

[Fred Mowry]

Dear INCers

Enclosed is a update on the effort of the Erwin Area Neighbors Group 
(EANG) with respect to the Duke Tract-New Hope Creek Corridor campaign.

<>Fred Mowry
Westglen Neighborhood
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Neighbor,

Thank you for sending emails to our elected officials last week. We need 
to keep up our lobbying efforts as well as our pledge campaign.

**

*UPDATE FROM FEB. 9 MEETING OF CHAPEL HILL, ORANGE COUNTY, DURHAM COUNTY 
AND DURHAM CITY OFFICIALS*:

All four jurisdictions are still interested in purchasing the Duke Tract 
for open space preservation and public use. They agreed to meet again 
*March 9 *to further discuss how much money each jurisdiction could 
contribute over a three year funding period and to report back on grant 
funding opportunities.

At this meeting Wade and Carolyn Penny made the important announcement 
that they will put all 60 acres of their land, most of which is included 
in the original New Hope Creek Corridor Master Plan, under conservation 
easements, *if* the Duke Tract along Pickett and Erwin roads are 
purchased and protected for the Hollow Rock public access point to New 
Hope Creek. *THUS MORE THAN 100 ACRES, NOT JUST THE 44 ACRE DUKE TRACT 
IS AT STAKE HERE AND WELL AS FUTURE PROSPECTS FOR COMPLETING THE NEW 
HOPE CREEK CORRIDOR MASTER PLAN!*

**

*1) WE NEED TO KEEP THOSE EMAILS COMING. *OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS SAY THEY 
NEED TO HEAR FROM THEIR CONSTITUENTS.

*

PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS WITHIN THE NEXT 2 WEEKS.

KEY POINTS FOR EMAILS OR CALLS:

_

TO CHAPEL HILL TOWN COUNCIL:

_*

*-*We applaud the Chapel Hill Town Council for passing a resolution 9 to 
0 opposing Crosland’s request to run sewer and water through the Orange 
County Rural Buffer.

We encourage you to ask Orange County to do the same.

-We share council member Bill Stom’s expressed concern that once the 
sewer and water is there, we loose control of future development in the 
Rural Buffer.

-We support the town council’s efforts to uphold the Joint Planning 
Agreement in respect to this development and share council member Ed 
Harrison’s concerns that all four municipalities follow this approved 
agreement.

-We encourage Mayor Foy to take a leadership role in this issue and be 
involved with negotiations with Duke and Crosland.

- The Duke tract is close to Chapel Hill city limits and a New Hope 
Creek Park access along Erwin Road will be of benefit/easily accessible 
to Chapel Hill residents.

-Chapel Hill is one of the signatories of the 1991 New Hope Creek 
Corridor Master Plan. We hope that with the addition of the Penny lands, 
the city will be able to pledge more than $100,000 over a 3 year period 
toward this preservation effort.

_

Chapel Hill Town Council

_

(for group email)

__

_Mayorandcouncil at townofchapelhill.org_ 
<mailto:Mayorandcouncil at townofchapelhill.org>_ _

Kevin Foy _kevinfoy at townofchapelhill.org_ 
<mailto:kevinfoy at townofchapelhill.org>

Sally Greene _sally at ibiblio.org_ <mailto:sally at ibiblio.org>

Ed Harrison _ed.Harrison at mindspring.com_ <mailto:ed.Harrison at mindspring.com>

Bill Strom _billstrom at nc.rr.com_ <mailto:billstrom at nc.rr.com>

Mark Kleinschmidt _mark at cdpl.org_ <mailto:mark at cdpl.org>

Cam Hill _hillcc at nc.rr.com_ <mailto:hillcc at nc.rr.com>

Dorothy Verkerk _dverkerk at nc.rr.com_ <mailto:dverkerk at nc.rr.com>

Jim Ward Windsor _circle at mindspring.com_ <mailto:circle at mindspring.com>

Edith Wiggins _edithwiggins at nc.rr.com_ <mailto:edithwiggins at nc.rr.com>

Phone-968-2743

*_

TO ORANGE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS:

_*

*-*We urge Orange County Commissioners to pass a resolution opposing 
Crosland’s request to run water and sewer lines through the Rural Buffer 
to service the Erwin Trace development. This is a violation of the 
Orange County rural buffer requirements and will open up the possibility 
of non rural development in this area in the future.

-The Joint Planning Agreement involving all 4 jurisdictions must be upheld.

- We need Commissioner Carey’s leadership in joining with Durham 
Commissioner Reckhow in meeting with Duke and Crosland concerning 
contract conditions for the public purchase of the Duke tract.

-Orange County Commissioners endorsed the New Hope Creek Corridor Master 
Plan in 1991 and we urge them to help complete this plan by adding all 
available Duke lands and the Penny lands. The county’s generous 
financial support over a 3 year period , perhaps through its Lands 
Legacy program, is vital.

_

Orange County Commissioners

_

Moses Carey _mcarey1 at mindspring.com_ <mailto:mcarey1 at mindspring.com>

Barry Jacobs _barry.j at mindspring.com_ <mailto:barry.j at mindspring.com>

Valerie Foushee _vfoushee at co.orange.nc.us_ <mailto:vfoushee at co.orange.nc.us>

Alice Gordon Gordon _am at minspring.com_ <mailto:am at minspring.com>

Steve Halkiotis _stevenhh at mindspring.com_ <mailto:stevenhh at mindspring.com>

Phone-245-2130

*_

TO DURHAM COUNTY COMMISSIONERS:

_*

- We urge Durham County Commissioners to continue to take a leadership 
role in putting together this coalition of the four governments, who 
endorsed the New Hope Creek Corridor Master Plan in 1991, to purchase 
the Duke Tract and create a regional park access at the Hollow Rock area.

-We also urge the County to honor the conditions of the Joint Planning 
Agreement in reference to the Erwin Trace development.

-Durham County should actively pursue negotiations with Duke concerning 
the purchase price and the inclusion of an 8 acre tract of Duke land on 
the west side of Pickett Road that is not yet protected as part of the 
Corridor.

Duke has been benefiting from little or no taxes to Durham County for 
many years on this tract, yet now they want to extract a profit from the 
county for this same land.. Duke is authorized to sell decommissioned 
forest lands for economic or “other” deemed benefits. Surely public 
recreational use and further protection of New Hope Creek could be 
viewed as an “other” benefit to Duke University and Durham in which it 
resides. Duke can also act in good faith by giving Durham County the 
right of first refusal involving all future sales of Duke forest land.

-Durham Commissioners should also meet with Crosland about their 
expected, yet undocumented claim of compensation for lost profits in 
opposition to public efforts by local governments and citizens to 
provide for a community resource.

-Durham county needs to look thoroughly into all grant opportunities for 
the Duke tract with the inclusion of the Penny land, as well as the 
additional 8 acre Duke tract, that could be protected.

-We remind our commissioners that the Duke Tract is designated as Open 
Space/Recreation land in all current and proposed land use plans, that 
we have no county open space or parks in Southwest Durham and that the 
2030 Comprehensive Plan highlights the need to preserve open space and 
natural areas and provide trails for citizen use.

-We urge the Durham County commissioners to generously fund this land 
purchase with a 3 year period in mind.

_

Durham County Commissioners

_

Ellen Reckhow _ereckhow at co.durham.nc.us_ <mailto:ereckhow at co.durham.nc.us>

Becky Heron _bmheron at co.durham.nc.us_ <mailto:bmheron at co.durham.nc.us>

Philip Cousin _prcousin at earthlink.net_ <mailto:prcousin at earthlink.net>

Michael Page _mpage at co.durham.nc.us_ <mailto:mpage at co.durham.nc.us>

Lewis Cheek _lcheek at co.durham.nc.us_ <mailto:lcheek at co.durham.nc.us>

Phone-560-5000

*_

TO DURHAM CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS:

_*

-We need the city council and mayor to take a leadership role on this 
issue and join in a united front with the three other local governments 
and participate in meetings with Duke and Crosland.

-We need our city officials to live up to their 1991 commitment to 
implementing the New Hope Creek Corridor Master Plan. Most funds toward 
preserving these lands have come from Durham County, not the city over 
the past 14 years.

-City Council members need to pass a resolution or Sense of the Council 
denying Crosland’s request to access Durham city water and sewer. 
Crosland can not develop the Duke tract as planned without city sewer 
and water.

-The city needs to uphold the Joint Planning Agreement in considering 
the Erwin Trace development.

-The Duke Tract is within the designated UGA (Urban Growth Area) and is 
surrounded by city residential developments. City residents will benefit 
from direct pedestrian access into this land. This is the last 
designated open space area left in Southwest Durham.

- City residents identified *WALKING* as their highest priority on a 
survey that ranked non-active recreational needs (as opposed to team 
sports being considered active) for the land use master plan. .A trail 
through this tract would provide opportunities for walking and biking 
for city residents.

- The Duke Tract is virtually across the street from *Forest View 
Elementary School*. Forest View is a science focus school and is the 
most economically, racially and ethnically diverse public school in all 
of Durham. Direct access to this land would provide immeasurable 
educational and recreational opportunities for these more than 700 
Durham public school students of whom 70% are minorities and nearly 50% 
are Title 1 participants. These children come from 14 different 
apartment complexes, several federally subsidized, and probably would 
not have access to this type of environment where they live.

- The city of Durham collects *impact fees for both parks and recreation 
and open space *for all new construction. Current collection rates are 
1) for Parks and Rec: $296.99 single residence, $183.38multi-family, 2) 
for Open Space: $51.57 single family, $32.92 multi-family.

*

Where have the impact fees for parks and recreation and open space that 
have been collected from the developments of Garrett Farms, Winstead, 
Lochnora, Stonegate, Hope Creek, Pickett Crossing, Solterra and others 
in Southwest Durham been used over the past 15 years?

**

NOT IN THIS AREA OF DURHAM WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN COLLECTED. WE HAVE NO 
CITY PARKS OR OPEN SPACE AREAS IN THIS PART OF DURHAM!

*

The Carillon development of 163 homes on Randolph Road has begun 
construction and will generate *$56,815 *in parks and rec and open space 
fees. The proposed Centex development on Garrett Road of 242 town homes 
will generate *$54,038.60 *in parks and rec fees and open space fees. 
Just these two developments alone represent a total of *$110,853.60!!!*

**

*We want this money spent here, in the area of Durham where they are 
generated, where we are losing our open space and where we have no 
recreational resources. The city can put these projected funds toward 
the Duke tract purchase.*

-The city of Durham can also include Open Space/trails funding in the 
*upcoming bond referendum* or *increase* the Open space impact fees 
which are too low, especially in view of quickly disappearing open space 
lands

__

_Council at ci.durham.nc.us_ <mailto:Council at ci.durham.nc.us> (for group email)

Diane Cattoti _dcattoti at ci.durham.nc.us_ <mailto:dcattoti at ci.durham.nc.us>

Bill Bell _bbell at ci.durham.nc.us_ <mailto:bbell at ci.durham.nc.us>

Eugene Brown _ebrown at ci.durham.nc.us_ <mailto:ebrown at ci.durham.nc.us>

Howard Clement _clement at ci.durham.nc.us_ <mailto:clement at ci.durham.nc.us>

Cora Cole McFadden _ccole-McFadden at ci.durham.nc.us_ 
<mailto:ccole-McFadden at ci.durham.nc.us>

Thomas Stith _tstith at ci.durham.nc.us_ <mailto:tstith at ci.durham.nc.us>

John Best _johnbestjr. at mindspring.com_ <mailto:johnbestjr. at mindspring.com>

Phone-560-4396

**

* *

**

*2)WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF ONE OF OUR LOCAL PAPERS. *The Herald 
has been incredibly supportive by covering this story, in their 
editorials and by printing citizen letters.

**

*3) COME TO OUR NEXT EANG STRATEGY/WORK SESSION-*We would love to have 
some help with the nitty gritty stuff. OUR NEXT MEETING IS *TONIGHT *AT 
7PM. Call/email Wendy at 401-3538 or _geewen at nc.rr.com_ 
<mailto:geewen at nc.rr.com> for directions.

**

*4) PLEASE KEEP THOSE PLEDGES COMING!!! *WE HAVE RECEIVED *MORE THAN 
$47,000 IN PLEDGES *IN ABOUT 3 WEEKS* *BUT WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO!

DON’T WAIT UNTIL OUR APRIL 1 DEADLINE TO PLEDGE, LET’S TRY TO MAKE OUR 
$100,000 GOAL BY THE *MARCH 9 MEETING*!

YOU CAN NOW *PLEDGE ON LINE *-IT’S EASY AT _www.ErwinNeighbor.org_ 
<http://www.ErwinNeighbor.org/>

*

3) MARK YOUR CALENDARS- TALK AND WALK ABOUT THE HOLLOW ROCK AREA/DUKE 
TRACT- SAT. MARCH 5

*

Local historians David Southern , Todd Magnuson (Trading Path 
Association), and others will teach us about the history of the Old 
Trading Path , New Hope Road, and Native American settlements in the 
area. Then we will walk through parts of the Duke Tract.

More info about time and meeting place to come.

Thank you again to everyone for all your help and support,

We *can* make a difference here …and as one of our elected officials 
commented at the Feb. 9 meeting:

/“They aint making any more land. When its gone, its gone. There isn’t 
any turning back. We have to think about the future here. What do we 
want this area to be like in 20 years? What kind of legacy do we want to 
leave for our children?… If some folks hadn’t had a vision and taken a 
risk we wouldn’t have places like West Point on the Eno. We will attract 
good people and businesses to this area if we have places like the New 
Hope Creek Corridor for people to enjoy”/

Wendy Jacobs

For the Erwin Area Neighborhood Group

/

Please forward this email to interested neighbors and friends. Thanks!

/