Orange County is continuing to make progress on its plans for a recreational playing field facility at Millhouse Road and north of Chapel Hill.
The county originally purchased the 75-acre property two decades ago with the intent of creating a soccer-oriented park, although those designs were deferred due to 2009’s economic recession. On Tuesday, the county’s Board of Commissioners reviewed a solicitation document for the site’s eastern portion, seeking to retain and preserve the natural resources to the west.
In Nov., the board favored selling to an organization that would adhere to the original vision for the property, noting today’s demand for parks and open space. While the March 17 session saw commissioners Phyllis Portie-Ascott, Marilyn Carter, and Earl McKee urging for a portion of the 45 acres be considered for affordable housing, a majority rejected exploration of that option.
“The need is still there for these recreational purposes,” Commissioner Sally Greene added. “And maybe most germane, as Commissioner McKee pointed out, even if theoretically we were to get permission from our partners on a fast track to do this, the expense of building those water and sewer lines from way down below where that line is would be phenomenal, and they would not lead to any production of affordable housing.”…