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Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop teamed up with representatives from the Carolina Wetlands Association, Partners for Environmental Justice, NC Conservation Network and Wake Up Wake County for a walk with a purpose this week.

The group walked along Walnut Creek in Raleigh to get a feel for how rezoning of a 17-acre tract from conservation to residential would affect the area.

“Numerous groups have expressed concern about this proposal, due to its location in an impaired and heavily invested-in watershed, and the flooding impacts there,” Sam said. “Most of the property is within the floodplain area, and the area has a long history of flooding issues.”

Located between Lake Johnston and Lake Raleigh, the request to allow residential development on a site currently zoned for conservation management will likely be up for vote by the Raleigh City Council in early December.

Sam said the point of Wednesday’s walk was to get a better sense of the landscape, flooding impacts, topography and natural communities in the area.

The property has previously been the subject of three similar rezoning proposals, each of which was withdrawn during the planning commission stage and did not go before council for a vote.

Joining Sam on the walk were: Rick Savage, Sara Wall and Marilyn Meyer from Carolina Wetlands Association; Michael Kendall from Partners for Environmental Justice (which has formally opposed the project); Grady McCallie from NC Conservation Network; and Adam Terondo from Wake Up Wake County.