Water is a very emotional subject for a lot of people,” N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources section chief Tom Fransen said in July. A battle brewing in Guilford County over water, land, and suburban development confirms Fransen’s words.

County commissioners in December are scheduled to hear a controversial rezoning request by Bluegreen Development Corp. to build a 700-home golf course development on 700 acres adjacent to the Haw River State Park. One issue is the development’s plans to draw 100,000 gallons of water peer day from the Haw River. Another issue is that the development would limit expansion of the park.

Commissioners were scheduled to hear the case in October, but Bluegreen requested a delay. In the meantime, the company has begun negotiating with the state on a possible purchase of the property at a fair market value of $12.4 million.

Jill Lucas, public information officer with the N.C. Department of Administration, which is overseeing the negotiations, confirmed that a deal is in the works but that she couldn’t comment otherwise.

If anything, the delay provides more time for citizens and environmental groups against the development to further influence county commissioners. On the surface, public opinion appears to be against the development, which is to be named Patriot’s Landing. The Triad Business Journal has editorialized against the development, while the the News & Record of Greensboro has published several editorials and letters to the editor opposed to it.

Opponents have also started a Web site, Citizens for Haw River State Park, to aid their cause, while two influential Greensboro blogs, “A Little Urbanity” and EdCone.com have spoken out in support of the state park.

Reidsville officials also have spoken out against the development. In September, Mayor James Festerman wrote a letter to both Guilford and Rockingham county commissioners outlining the city’s opposition.

Reidsville disposes its wastewater into the river, and significant withdrawals, especially in the face of the drought, “could have a devastating and costly effect on Reidsville’s wastewater treatment plant operations,” Festerman wrote.

Bluegreen, a Florida-based development company, is being represented by lawyer Henry Isaacson, who said state regulations will protect the environment surrounding the development and the park. Officials with DENR did not know of any water permits for which Bluegreen had applied.

But considering the expense involved in applying for permits, not to mention the expense Bluegreen has already incurred in preparing for the development, the company appears confident the state will sign off.

As for the land adjacent to the park, Bluegreen has offered up a 100-acre buffer on the park’s northern side as well as a 50-acre buffer on its eastern side.

Randal O’Toole, a scholar with the Cato Institute who specializes in land-use issues, said in an e-mail message that “50 acres really isn’t much — a 50-acre square is 1,475 feet on each side. But why do they need a buffer anyway? What did they think was going to happen to the land? That it would be open space forever?”

If the state is unable to broker a deal for the land, it will ultimately come down to Guilford County commissioners, who have supported other developments. They’ve recently approved two projects despite passionate protests from residents claiming such developments would harm their health and their quality of life.

In April, commissioners approved a sports complex proposed by former NFL star Ricky Proehl after nearby residents complained that the increased noise, traffic, and light pollution would disturb their neighborhood and lower the value of their property.

Earlier this summer, Sharpe Brothers Co. proposed an asphalt plant across Interstate 85 from a residential neighborhood.
Residents presented studies showing emissions from the plant and increased truck traffic would pose grave danger. A member from an environmental group presented a study showing that residents downwind from a Salisbury asphalt plant suffered greater incidents of illness and death as a result.
After hearing residents emotionally state their case, commissioners voted, 9-2, to allow the asphalt plant. Isaacson represented Sharpe Bros.

Sam Hieb is a contributing editor of Carolina Journal.