News

Concerns about a proposed residential development near the Tar River had one Nash County group reaching out to Sound Rivers recently.

Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Jill Howell stepped in to help with talking points for a planning board meeting: why clear-cutting 122 acres of forested land to make way for a large development would be bad for the environment.

“If it was built, it’s an ongoing stormwater problem because they’d be turning all the pervious land into impervious surface. Our concerns during construction are sediment and erosion control, because the state is not out there checking,” she said.

For residents, the primary concern was turning rural, agricultural land into “something that it’s not.”

“I understand that residential development will happen that close to Wake County, but this is in a highly agricultural-use area,” Jill said.

The collaboration was an initial success: the Nash County planning board turned down the applicant.

“There is another hearing in January, but for now, it was denied at the planning board level,” Jill said.

This post will be updated with future developments.