INC NEWS - Fwd: Z07-24 T. W. Alexander Properties

Tue Mar 11 13:27:40 EDT 2008

Please see my letter to commissioners regarding this
development's rezoning application (to be considered
TONIGHT). The case has been delayed until tonight so
that the required comprehensive plan amendment (for
the rezoning) can be considered simultaneously.

This development team is the same one that is doing
Jordan at Southpoint, which recently agreed to abide
by the amended conservation subdivision requirements.

I understand the applicant has agreed 'in concept' not
to put soccer fields in the flood plain. But this
should be a real, committed element before the plan is
approved. And, as you all know, I think Durham needs
to demand stronger environmental protections,
including REAL tree-save requirements throughout.

If you cannot attend the meeting, please email your
planning commissioners and request that they demand
the few and very reasonable requests below.

Also included (below my letter) is a letter from
another Durham citizen in this regard, including
pictures of the site.

Thanks in advance for your participation in the
planning of South Durham!
Melissa

________

Dear planning commissioners,

I am writing to plead that you all insist on the
following committed elements from Z07-24 T.W.
Alexander Properties. As I think that the reasoning
behind these committed elements is obvious, I won't
waste time expounding it here, except to say: 1)
Durham's stated Green House Gas Plan, 2) Jordan Lake's
violation of Federal Clean Water Act and 3) Durham's
stated commitment to bicycle and pedestrian
transportation. 

The committed elements that must be required are as
follows:

1) A pedestrian/bicycle trail consistent with the
standards of the RTP property to connect Alston Avenue
with T.W. Alexander (along the upper part of the slope
from the swamp forest to the developable part of the
tract).   

2) Preservation of the swamp forest as permanent
undisturbed open space. Any impervious surface here
would be environmentally irresponsible, to say the
least. You must see this site -- the 'pond' they
describe is no small matter...it looks like a small
lake, with trees and wetlands surrounding it.

3) Durham must start prohibiting the clear-cutting and
mass-grading (strip-mining, in essence) development
practices that are becoming the norm in its rural and
suburban areas; South Durham already has two prominent
instances where trees were clearcut, topsoil was
removed and sold, dirt was removed and sold, and rock
was blasted and sold as crushed rock...again, grossly
environmentally irresponsible. 

Please do all you can to prevent this from happening
at this site.

Thanks, as always, for your sincere consideration of
citizens' concerns and for your continued
demonstration of environmental responsibility.

Sincerely,
Melissa Rooney

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Melissa Rooney, Ph.D.
Fairfield Community Awareness, 
Communications and INC representative

Durham, NC 27713
mmr121570 at yahoo.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

____________________
Members of the Planning Commission:

I am commenting on the proposed zoning map change for
Z07-24 T.W. Alexander Properties, whose decision seems
to be a foregone conclusion.

Nonetheless, I believe that the Planning Commission
should be aware of what South Durham is losing when
this development goes forward.

The tract under consideration contains a stream that
drains from T.W. Alexander Drive, a pond, and
wetlands, more specifically the swamp forest type of
wetlands.  .I have enclosed an image from the Durham
GIS system that shows the location of these
environmental features and photos so that you can get
a sense of the place.

The runoff from the i-Loft office building and the
Alston Village LLC multifamily housing drains into the
pond when we have heavy rains like we did last Friday.
 The pond is a long-time fishing hole for people who
live in the Stonesthrow and Triangle Park Apartments.

The swamp forest floods in even moderate rains and has
contained lately from the MetroCenter construction
activities.  The flooding allow those sediments to be
deposited in the swamp forest, mix with leaf litter,
and become topsoil in the swamp forest instead of
becoming part of the sedimentary delta in Lake Jordan
at the mouth of Northeast Creek.

Durham has a serious problem when properties such as
this one are relegated to become a parking lot for 700
people working in an office building instead of being
incorporated as amenities into the design. This shows
a woeful lack of imagination on the part of the
developer or a willful contempt for the environment
that makes South Durham unique.

Durham has a serious problem preserving permanent
undisturbed open space, especially wetlands, in a way
that permits access for people to appreciate their
uniqueness.  And South Durham has an abundance of 
wetlands that could be seen as an asset to residents
and businesses instead of a hindrance to fill and
drain and culvert and ignore.

Durham has serious financial problems finding the
funds to tie workplaces like RTP to residential areas
like Parkwood with pedestrian and bicycle trails. 
This causes the tremendous asset that the RTP trail
system provides to be underused for trips to work from
nearby 
neighborhoods.  Consequently I join with those
neighbors who have already asked the developer to have
a committed element of a pedestrian/bicycle trail
consistent with the standards of the RTP property to
connect Alston Avenue with T.W. Alexander along the
upper part of the slope from the swamp forest to the
developable part of the tract.   I also ask the
developer for a committed element to let the swamp
forest be permanent undisturbed open space.

Durham has a serious problem with developers
strip-mining tracts during development.  South Durham
has two prominent instances in which trees were
clearcut (except for token tree saves), topsoil was
removed and sold, dirt was removed and sold, and rock
was blasted and sold for crushed rock, leaving a site
that is more appropriate for the Coastal Plain than
the Piedmont.  I expect that this will not happen to
this site.

Finally, I ask that more of you walk the sites that
you are making decisions about.  Based on the
developer's description of the site, I had no idea
that the "old farm pond" described was what you see in
the photo.  Nor did the developer have any idea that
there was a stream feeding the pond with runoff from
T.W. Alexander Drive.

Note: forwarded message attached.

      ____________________________________________________________________________________
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