Stephen's Woods http://www.stephenswoods.org Welcome to the Neighborhood Thu, 30 Aug 2007 13:57:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.11 en Proposed shopping center at N. Roxboro and Infinity: It’s about TRAFFIC http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/08/30/proposed-shopping-center-at-n-roxboro-and-infinity-its-about-traffic/ http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/08/30/proposed-shopping-center-at-n-roxboro-and-infinity-its-about-traffic/#comments Thu, 30 Aug 2007 13:57:52 +0000 DavidGretaWiehle Neighborhood http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/08/30/proposed-shopping-center-at-n-roxboro-and-infinity-its-about-traffic/ West Pointe Village is a 300,000 square foot shopping center proposed for the northeast corner of North Roxboro and Infinity Roads.  A smaller, less attractive shopping center was approved for the site in 1999, but was never built.  This was due to the high cost of the intersection improvements included with the plans.  The current proposal offers more shopping options than the old plan, but with sharply reduced road improvements. 
The developer has a well-crafted and highly focused marketing message. He highlights two talking points whenever the shopping center is discussed:

  1. North Durham has been starved for retail options for too long
  2. $2 million in improvements to the intersection are part of their plan.

Item 1 is true.  However, Item 2 leaves out one critical fact:  The improvements they propose are feeder lanes to guide traffic into the shopping center from westbound Infinity and from northbound North Roxboro just beyond Infinity.  No new turn lanes are proposed for North Roxboro Road.
I believe the intersection is overloaded right now.  Adding a large shopping center without improving the traffic flow through the intersection is a mistake.  I ask you to join me in a lobbying effort directed at the City Government to fix the intersection. 
To be successful, our message must be as well crafted and focused as the developer’s:  “It’s the TRAFFIC”.
The vote on West Pointe Village is scheduled for the October 15th City Council meeting.   This will be the final opportunity for the public to speak about the shopping center.
What can we do?
1. Contact the City Council members, express your concerns.  To send a general email to all Council members,
mailto:council@ci.durham.nc.us
My advice is to keep emails short and simple:  Remember that it’s about the TRAFFIC.  Here’s a couple of talking points:

  • Describe how northbound traffic grinds to a halt before the Kroger shopping center on your afternoon drive home, or how southbound traffic backs up to Milton Avenue in the mornings.
  • Ask for the City Council’s help to alleviate the pressure at the intersection now.
  • How could the shopping center be successful if first-time shoppers get stuck in traffic jams and decide it’s not worth the hassle to come back?

2. Discuss this issue with your friends who live in River Forest, Eno Trace, Vantage point or Latta Woods.  There’s strength in numbers.
3. Stay informed.  Visit this webpage for updates.

Resources:

West Pointe Village rezoning application (official document describing the shopping center used in the 14 August 2007 Planning Commission hearing) http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/planning/zoning_committee/items/A07_06.pdf
Discussion about West Pointe Village on a Durham blog 26 August 2007 http://www.bullcityrising.com/2007/08/infinity-roxbor.html
Meeting minutes, Durham City Council 20 September 2004  (scroll to page 16 to read about how a group of concerned neighbors defeated a housing development called “Infinity Heights” ) http://www.durhamnc.gov/agendas/minutes/cc_minutes_09_20_04.pdf
NCDOT Traffic Survey Maps (by year and county) These maps are a little cumbersome to use, but this is the official source for traffic data. http://www.ncdot.org/it/gis/DataDistribution/TrafficSurveyMaps/ 
Author contact info: 
David Wiehle dwiehle@mindspring.com

]]> http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/08/30/proposed-shopping-center-at-n-roxboro-and-infinity-its-about-traffic/feed/ Where To? http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/08/28/where-to/ http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/08/28/where-to/#comments Tue, 28 Aug 2007 15:15:49 +0000 Dan Smith Neighborhood http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/08/28/where-to/ Stephen’s Woods needs a new location for our monthly neighborhood meeting. Our current location, the Durham County Library’s North Branch on Milton Road will begin charging $50 per meeting for use to continue using the Community room.

So, we need your help to find a new location (or locations) to hold our community’s meeting once a month. If you have any suggestions, please mention them in this thread on the forums.

]]> http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/08/28/where-to/feed/ Neighborhood Meeting - 8/27 http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/08/16/neighborhood-meeting-827/ http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/08/16/neighborhood-meeting-827/#comments Thu, 16 Aug 2007 19:57:58 +0000 Dan Smith Neighborhood calendar http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/08/16/neighborhood-meeting-827/ August 27, 2007from: 7:00 pmto8:30 pm

North Durham Library, Milton Road

Forum Thread

]]> http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/08/16/neighborhood-meeting-827/feed/ Community Yard Sale http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/05/05/community-yard-sale/ http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/05/05/community-yard-sale/#comments Sat, 05 May 2007 18:27:37 +0000 TrishWatson Neighborhood Events calendar http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/05/05/community-yard-sale/ http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/05/05/community-yard-sale/feed/ What once was, and never shall be again http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/02/02/what-once-was%e2%80%a6-and-never-shall-be-again/ http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/02/02/what-once-was%e2%80%a6-and-never-shall-be-again/#comments Fri, 02 Feb 2007 18:08:54 +0000 Dan Smith Commentary http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/02/02/what-once-was%e2%80%a6-and-never-shall-be-again/ A recurring topic at the informal monthly meetings leads me to believe that there is a great deal of concern and confusion regarding the status of “the Covenants” and “the neighborhood association.”

Monthly Meetings
Firstly, the meetings, in their current form, are not those of a neighborhood or homeowner’s association. As of now, no such thing exists in Stephen’s Woods. The meetings, which occur on the first Thursday of each month, are of neighbors primarily concerned with improving the community — with events such as socials, garage sales and community plantings.

The Covenants
As I understand it (although I am not a lawyer), the covenants, which are attached to the property deeds of the plots in the Stephen’s Woods sub-division through the year 2099, are only enforceable on an individual basis; i.e., legal action can only be taken by a neighbor against another. Personally, I hope that such drastic actions are never required, which is one of the reasons I promoted the concept of a neighborhood website: the closer-knit the residents of “the subdivision,” “northern Stephen’s Lane” and the surrounding houses are as a community, the lower the likelihood that disagreements or disputes can’t be settled, amicably, through discussion and compromise.

Anyway, enough of my opinion — this site isn’t my personal soapbox. I welcome anyone who’s interested, to discuss these issues in the forums.

]]> http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/02/02/what-once-was%e2%80%a6-and-never-shall-be-again/feed/ Welcome to the Neighborhood http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/02/01/welcome-to-the-neighborhood/ http://www.stephenswoods.org/2007/02/01/welcome-to-the-neighborhood/#comments Thu, 01 Feb 2007 17:11:56 +0000 Dan Smith Neighborhood Site http://www.stephenswoods.org/home/2007/02/01/welcome-to-the-neighborhood/ Snow Sign

Welcome to StephensWoods.org, the new online community for the Stephen’s Woods neighborhood in north Durham, North Carolina.

Go ahead and register, then drop by the forums and say hello. Or, you can browse the neighborhood directory to get in-touch with your neighbors, face-to-face. And, if you want to show your neighbors Stephen’s Woods from your unique perspective, head to the gallery to share your photos or browse through the neighborhood’s.

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