The city of Durham is reviewing a proposal for a large development just south of the West Point on the Eno park in an area known as Black Meadow Ridge. The development includes almost four hundred townhomes and densely packed single family homes. Learn more about the development on this page.

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West Point on the Eno is Durham's premier city park and is listed in the National Register of History Places. Visitors to the south side of the park, including the popular trail to Sennett's Hole, will look up at the backs of several dozen townhomes. The experience of being in nature will be forever compromised. The stormwater management planning is based on data that doesn't take climate change into account. Flooding in the park is likely to become worse and could affect the water quality of the Eno river.  

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The two before-and-after images below show the location and the density:

 

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As shown above, construction of the proposed Westpoint development would clear-cut and demolish over fifty-four acres of trees and vegetation, then blast and grade the rocky granite areas of Black Meadow Ridge which overlooks the Eno River and West Point Park. The forest ecosystem will be replaced with large areas of hard surfaces like roadways, sidewalks, and rooftops so that stormwater runoff during heavy rains could end up in creeks that feed the Eno river.

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A bad plan for commuters and neighbors

 

We are concerned about the added traffic from four hundred new homes. A traffic study was done in 2019 without including the impact of the new Northern High School being built now one block south on North Roxboro Street. We think a new traffic study is needed to fully understand the impact of hundreds of additional cars moving in and out of an already congested area. And by connecting N. Roxboro over to Stadium Drive, this development would also cause a dangerous flow of heavy traffic onto small neighborhood streets in Horton Hills and the surrounding neighborhoods.

 

A bad plan for a unique environment

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Black Meadow Ridge contains old growth forests that sit high above Warren Creek and Black Meadow Branch Creek, both of which flow directly into the Eno River and are already prone to heavy flooding.  The large sprawling and densely packed development would devastate habitats, exacerbate stormwater flooding, disturb federally mapped wetlands, and degrade the region's key watershed that flows into Falls Lake.  See more details about those severe impacts throughout this web site. 

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Say NO to this development in this location

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Durham needs new housing, but not this development in this unique environment. The risk of the severe impact on the West Point Park and the Eno River is too great. The best outcome would be for the city to find a way to acquire the land and make it part of the West Point on the Eno park, and we are hoping to convince the city to look into that.

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About Us

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The Save Black Meadow Ridge organization is a group of neighbors, homeowner associations, and environmental organizations working together to educate the public about the proposed WestPoint development and its impact.  We need your help and support! Read more on this site to learn additional details about Black Meadow Ridge and the proposed development. Read the take action section to see what actions you can do to help preserve Black Meadow Ridge. 

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