A map indicating the RDU Forest enhancement concepts , produced by the RDU airport authority
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The RDU Airport Authority has scheduled a Special Meeting regarding the future of Lake Crabtree County Park (LCCP) for Wednesday the 29th. This meeting will be to present plans to use the property that is currently part of the Lake Crabtree County Park, a recreation area in the middle of RTP and used by hikers, mountain bikes, nature lovers.

Updated: I have updated to clarify the start time of the public meeting. It is 5:00PM

 Lake Crabtree County Park has one of the oldest trail systems in the Triangle. Due to its central location, varying terrain, and trail offerings for riders of all abilities, it is thought to be one of the area’s crown jewels.

A map of the trails network at Lake Crabtree County Park
These trails could be going away soon.

The expectation is they will lease the 136 acre tract for development of an “entertainment destination”. I know we all have different ideas of that definition, but to thousands of hikers and mountain bikers in the Triangle, entertainment is heading out and shredding on the trails that have centrally served so many in the area. Lake Crabtree County Park is the site of one of the first big mountain biking trial systems in the triangle. When I lived and worked in RTP, I frequently rode there. When my daughter went to NC State, we’d meet each other at the trails to ride as it was equally distant from Chapel Hill and NC State campus.

Things you should consider doing:

Note that I have seen various times mentioned on when this meeting begins. Apparently it was originally supposed to start at 3PM, but pushback from the community supposedly got them to change it to 5:00PM. However, the Airport Authority Webpage it is listed as 4PM, but be careful. The first hour is for a closed session. The public session is expected to start at 5PM

There is a lot of history of the land around the RDU airport being developed questionably. A years long battle has been going on regarding the Wake Stone site bordering Umstead Park. Just recently, an area just east of RDU remote lot 3 has been cleared to add even more parking. Note, The Airport itself has stated a significant portion of its revenue is from Parking. This is possibly also why the Airport is indifferent to comprehensive public transit options to the airport.

Thank you Natalie Lew for her work in digging into volumes of public (and FOIA’ed) documents to chronicle an incredible history of the RDU Airport Authority, Umstead Park and the area surrounding it. You can read her remarkable work here

Another map from Natalie’s substack. You can see the natural areas the Airport Authority is systematically removing.

A Map of proposed development of a 'business complex' on top of current public mountain bike trails
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John Rees lives in Chapel Hill. He was, until very recently, a member of the Chapel Hill Planning Commission and former chair. He serves on the board of the Bicycle Alliance of Chapel Hill, and is also...