NC-54 For Sale!
Concerns
There's suddenly a lot of property for sale along this stretch of NC-54. It's a far different situation from having an isolated parcel or two on the market.
This unstable situation threatens liveability for the individual homeowners along that stretch of NC-54. But the main adverse effect of commercial or office rezoning will be increased traffic on an already-overburdened 2-lane highway.
Destabilization
Asking prices for these properties are far too high to allow residential development. Pressure to rezone will be intense.
Likewise, selling pressure will be intense for adjoining landowners — especially those who live on their land. These properties could easily be combined and connected into several acres of commercial development. It's not hard to imagine that entire section of NC-54 given over to offices or to yet another strip mall.
(See map showing properties for sale.)
Traffic
Commercial, office, or institutional development will dramatically increase traffic on an already-overburdened 2-lane highway. This would be in addition to other commercial development along NC-54. Furthermore, no road improvements are on the horizon.
DETAILS ABOUT TRAFFIC STUDY FROM HOPE VALLEY COMMONS AMENDMENT
Environmental Concerns
We could imagine a really lovely wooded office park, but we fear clearcutting is far more likely. What we will certainly see is large, tall buildings and many parking lots.
Furthermore, this land is just uphill from the Jordan Lake wetlands. Runoff pollution is already a concern for this troubled reservoir.
Not Hard to Imagine This...
