Durham residents sound alarm about proposed development near Eno River park

Neighbors are concerned about impact the development could have on their quality of life and the environment.

The West Point on the Eno is considered a treasure to thousands of people who visit annually. Those who live nearby have been fighting for several years to preserve this treasure from turning into what they call an environmental nightmare.

“There is nothing more vital to the health of the river than this particular ridge," said Jessica Sheffield, the Executive Director of the Eno River Association.

The Black Meadow Ridge sits on the edge of West Point on the Eno River. Currently, for Tim Hill it’s a short walk from his home.

“You know I moved here from Chicago and the West Point on the Eno was the first place I really fell in love with when I moved here," he said. "I think it’s a staple and an institution in Durham."

He was alarmed to learn that 60 acres of forest and nature could soon be erased to become about 400 homes and townhomes. So he joined a fight to stop it.

“There’s no buffer to the city park. It’s being built at the highest density on the Eno River in total," he said. "It could be a lot less dense and it could be a lot more environmental[ly] conscientious."

The map of the proposed location shows it would be nearly a mile of town homes on the southern border of the city park. A neighborhood association of North Durham residents called Save Black Meadow Ridge have been petitioning, raising funds for legal support and writing emails to city leaders against the development.

“It would have impact on pollution. It would have impact on traffic. It would have impacts on noise," Sheffield said. "We don’t know yet the extent of the flooding impacts it would have at this park. We’re doing everything we can to slow down or stop it all together."

Hill said there are questions about whether or not the original development site plans should have been approved in the first place. As the homebuilder awaits permit approval from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, the community has one last chance to submit their concerns.

“This simply isn’t the right place for it. Durham needs housing, yes. Durham needs townhouses, yes. This isn’t the environmentally sound place to build those town houses," Sheffield said.

If approved, the group plans to use funds raised to buy the land from the developer outright.