We Need a Park in North East Chapel HIll

In attempting to meet a legitimate town goal of providing affordable housing, choosing this property for housing will reduce the amount of useable land available for much-needed recreation activities, such as basketball courts, a splash pad, etc. Chapel Hill lacks sufficient recreational amenities found in surrounding communities and this is a one-time opportunity to meet that community need. Much of the Legion property is taken up with steep slopes and environmentally sensitive land that can’t be built on, but is perfect for outdoor recreation.

Draining the pond is problematic for several reasons. The pond is not only an attractive water feature that is home to wildlife, but also functions as natural stormwater control for the Meadows, an existing downstream neighborhood.

• Come to the Chapel Hill Town Council meeting tonight. Be prepared to wait, as this vote is the last agenda item.
• Ask a friend or neighbor to sign the Save Legion Community Park petition at https://www.legionpark.org to stay abreast of future Council actions.
• Email all council members and ask them to guarantee a minimum park acreage and to find a way to keep the pond if any housing is built.

What is at stake? The Legion property is a beautiful 36-acre property purchased by the town of Chapel Hill which many expected would become a park. A number of council members favor affordable housing, as well as a park. The staff presentation will feature an 8-9 acres plan for affordable housing — a plan that would likely drain the lake.

As Town Council Adam Searing recently put it, “we should not pit Legion Park against the building of affordable housing. We can, and are, doing both in town. We simply need parks along with affordable housing — and we are doing a great deal for affordable housing without having to take away our parks. Just this month, the Council funded six affordable housing projects in town, spending over $9 million in new taxpayer dollars! Chapel Hill is a leader in North Carolina for a community our size.”

Why not create both a park and affordable housing? If a map were to be presented, the public would realize that the remaining open space is quite small if the town staff concept were adopted. If you subtract the 8+ acres in the RCD from the 27 acres, that greatly reduces the acres available for any kind of park use. The pond attracts myriad wildlife and is a source of fascination to all visitors, yet the town plan would eliminate it altogether. Sticking to a goal of a 100% community park is the only option that benefits the entire community.

This area of town has seen a boom in dense housing. Guarantee the missing ingredient — a park.