The board also officially agreed that the land would not be used for solid waste storage or landfill purposes as it was originally intended.
At the meeting, Greene tract work group members and Orange County Commissioners Moses Carey and Margaret Brown presented the results of a public "conversation" about possible uses of the Greene tract to the board for consideration. "The public gave their feedback and appeared to support the direction we were headed in already," Carey said. "There has been a lot of support for those three uses from the public and the boards."
The core controversy behind the Greene tract is environmental because many locals want the Greene tract to remain undisturbed, unlike its neighbor, the Neville tract.
Orange County Commissioner Barry Jacobs suggested that some of the more disruptive activity -- like recreation facilities -- should take place on the Neville tract. "If there is going to be dissent it will be over how much of the Greene tract is disturbed," Jacobs said. "It would be better if the disturbance could go over to a place already disturbed."
The resolution presented by the group specified that the open space would be primarily for the preservation of the natural environment, the affordable housing would be for mixed incomes, and the recreation would be mostly low-impact.
"The work group tried to shy from specifics, but the main interest was in preserving the natural areas and wildlife corridors," Carey said. "(The resolution) presented tonight is a comprehensive, but simple, plan for the next step."
After hearing the work group's feedback, the board offered several future possibilities for developing the Greene tract in a way most pleasing to all groups.
Brown said the Chapel Hill Town Council had suggested the commissioners not look at the Greene tract by itself when making their decision.
"They suggested that we see the Greene tract in a larger setting, such as its proximity to Homestead Park," Brown said. "It's always better to look at the bigger view."
