Irreplaceable Ellerbe Headwaters Land Threatened With Rezoning

Update: The rezoning request was defeated, providing a reprieve of uncertain duration for this oasis of beauty and biological diversity in western Durham.

A developer is proposing to bulldoze this land, the prettiest and most biologically rich in the Ellerbe Creek headwaters. The 270 proposed units, which in the developer's presentation were referred to as "product" and appeared unattractive and of cheap construction, would obliterate the natural features and impose a massive increase in impervious surface on a headwaters site that biologically and hydrologically is essentially pristine. There are salamanders within a stone's throw of the meadow of undisturbed native, deep rooted grasses, with Atamasco lily in the swale.

In addition to being a window into Durham's rich biological past, the land also shelter cultural history. A section of the colonial Fish Dam Road, dating back to 1600, and an important Indian path prior to that, is still visible in the woods, running parallel to Berini Drive.
There's another beautiful view where the land drops off to the south and east, with mature hardwood forest and deep rooted native meadow.

The land borders the Berini Drive neighborhood, which lacks a park. The proposed dense development would add to the number of residents who will have to drive to find a park for their children.