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Capital
Area Master Plan for State Government |
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The Capital Area Master Plan for State Government
is a land use plan which defines the Blue Ridge
Road Area to include state-owned land between
the North Carolina Museum of Art and Umstead State
Park. It contains the same geographic area as
the Richland Natural Area minus Umstead. The plan
divides the Blue Ridge Road Area into three zones:
Eastern, Central, and Western. For each of these
three zones, the Plan recommends different land
uses and levels of environmental protection. It
foresees much of the proposed construction occurring
between 1995 and 2005, although to date not much
has been constructed.
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Eastern Zone
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Geographic Area:
The Eastern Zone is comprised
of lands east of Blue Ridge Road, including the
North Carolina Museum of Art. |
Summary
The
Master Plan suggests the addition of trails and
outdoor art exhibits, of which many have come
into fruition with the addition of the Reedy Creek
Greenway. It also proposes that the Eastern Zone
land be placed under the Department of Cultural
Resources. |
Central Zone |
Geographic Area:
Lands between Edwards Mill
Road and Blue Ridge Road are part of the Central
Zone. The National Guard, Agronomic Laboratory,
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural
Resources Laboratory, and the North Carolina Museum
of Natural Sciences’ Prairie Ridge Ecostation
for Wildlife and Learning can be found in this
zone. |
Summary
The
Plan designates development in the Central Zone
primarily for future state laboratories and office
space, but also includes private development.
The private development refers to a hotel/conference
center and general office space in proximity to
the RBC Center. |
Western Zone |
Geographic Area
The Western Zone is land
west of Edwards Mill Road, including the North
Carolina State University Equine Unit. NCSU’s
Schenck Forest borders the Western Zone. |
Summary
The Plan advocates for
environmentally-sensitive development in respect
to the forest and pastureland in this region.
More specifically, the Plan says that this zone
should remain preserved until the Central Zone
is fully built, and then development should abide
by a 150 foot buffer between it and Schenck Forest.
The Plan acknowledges the agricultural importance
of the Western Zone |
Transportation |
| The Master Plan pushes for
more roads to be built in the area, including
the continuation of District Drive to Reedy Creek
Road, the extension of Lake Boone Trail to Edwards
Mill Road, and the construction of the Edwards
Mill Extension. It views the Wade Avenue Extension
as a beautiful gateway to the city that should
be protected. In anticipation of a regional rail
system, it suggests further developing bus service
to connect a rail stop with Rex Hospital and Crabtree
Valley Mall. |
Open Space |
| The Master Plan encourages
open space to be kept in mind during planning
and development, although much will be compromised
if these development plans become reality. Trails,
including those that are a part of the City of
Raleigh Greenway System, are planned. |
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2004
Appropriations Act, Section 6.4 (HB 1414) (2003
Legislative Session) |
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HB 1012 (2007 Legislative Session) Repeals Section
6.4 of HB1414.
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Summary:
Section 6.4 of the 2004 Appropriations Act establishes
the Commission on State Land within the Department
of Administration to oversee the selling of state-owned
lands deemed as “surplus.” Sixteen
members appointed by the North Carolina General
Assembly serve on the commission, eight recommended
by the Speaker of the House of Representatives
and the other eight by the Senate President Pro
Tempore. The duties of the commission are to work
with real estate salespersons and brokers to identify
surplus land, notify every licensed real estate
salesperson and broker when a property is to be
considered by the commission, hear recommendations
of real estate salespersons and brokers and the
general public, and establish the “State
Owned Surplus Real Property Disposal System”
to identify surplus lands within government departments,
agencies, and university systems. Revenue from
the sales is credited to the General Fund.
HB 1012, entitled “A bill to be entitled
an act to abolish the commission on state property
and to terminate its contract,” effectively
ends the Commission on State Land. |
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2005 Appropriations Act,
Section 6.25 (SB 622/ HB 719) (2005-2006 Legislative
Session)
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Summary: Section
6.25 of the 2005 Appropriations Act limits the
sale of state-owned Blue Ridge Road (and Dorothea
Dix) lands. The Blue Ridge Road lands constitute
a large portion of the Richland Natural Area,
straddling Edwards Mill and Reedy Creek Roads.
This section requires that the North Carolina
General Assembly approve the sale, rental, or
reallocation of the Blue Ridge Road Area lands,
defined in the O'Brien/Atkins 1995 Capital Area
Master Plan for State Government. Section 6.25
does not apply to the “Special Development
District,” which is the state-owned lands
east of Edwards Mill Road in the RNA. This provision
expires September 1, 2007. |
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The North Carolina Division
of Water Quality’s 2002 Neuse River Basinwide
Plan
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http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/basinwide/Neuse/2002/plan.htm |
Section 4.8 “Protection
and Restoration of Streams in Urbanized and
Developing Watersheds”
The North Carolina Division of Water Quality
has established water quality plans for each
of the state’s seventeen river basins.
Each plan contains an analysis on the major
streams and river of the basin with detailed
suggestions for improving water quality. The
Richland Natural Area (RNA) is within the Neuse
River Basin. Section 4.8 of the 2002 Neuse River
Basinwide Plan directly applies to the streams
flowing through the RNA.
Background (for
more information see our water quality section)
A large portion of the lands surrounding the
Richland Natural Area are urbanized, containing
buildings and paved surfaces. These unnatural
(impervious) surfaces do not absorb water and
therefore cause runoff. Runoff degrades a natural
environment in a variety of ways—it increases
the frequency of flooding (Richland Lake) and
it carries with it the sediment, fertilizers,
and oils from development due to human activity.
Although development outside of the RNA has
degraded the water quality and aquatic communities,
Schenck Forest and Umstead State Park still
offer great protection of the streams within
their borders, and continuing to protect RNA
lands would do the same.
Recommendations
The plan outlines its
recommendations for protecting streams in urbanized
watersheds with four general parts—maintaining
riparian buffers, protecting headwater streams,
reducing the impact of future development, and
establishing long-term restoration plans for
impaired streams.
Riparian Buffers
are the vital natural
areas along waterways that filter pollutants,
sediments, and nutrients. The vegetation within
a riparian buffer creates habitats for macroinvertabrates,
and the trees within a buffer shade the water,
keeping it at the right temperature for aquatic
species. Cool water also contains more dissolved
oxygen than warm water which is necessary for
aquatic life. The plan advocates for protecting
riparian buffers and is against lining a stream
with rocks, straightening a stream, and clearing
vegetation. |
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Headwater Streams
are the many small channels
that unite into one larger stream. Although
they are not monitored, they do influence the
water quality of the larger stream into which
they drain. The plan advocates for landowner
protection of the headwaters and being mindful
of them during rural or urban planning.
Future Development
impairs biological communities
through increased sedimentation during construction
and urban runoff in the newly established office
park or subdivision. The plan stresses the importance
of maintaining a balance between economic growth,
natural resource management, and water quality
protection. It offers the following recommendations
for new development:
• Protect streams beyond existing buffer
regulations
• Develop land use plans that minimize
the disturbance of sensitive areas in watersheds
• Minimize the number and width of residential
streets
• Minimize the size of parking areas
• Place sidewalks only on one side of
residential streets
• Plant vegetation on road right-of-ways,
parking lot islands and highway dividers to
increase infiltration
• Plant and protect natural buffer zones
along streams and tributaries
• Minimize floodplain development
• Protect and restore wetland/bog areas
Establishing Long-Term
Restoration Plans for Impaired Streams
will help to improve
water quality over a long period of time. Developing
sensibly in the first place would eliminate
the costly endeavor of restoring streams, but
if the need arises for restoration, the plan
recommends collaborating with community and
business groups, minimizing impervious surfaces
during redevelopment, installing best management
practices, targeting specific streamside properties
for easements or purchase, and maintaining good
water quality in neighboring streams.
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HB
1012 (2007 Legislative Session) |
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Summary: HB 1012,
entitled “A bill to be entitled an act
to abolish the commission on state property
and to terminate its contract,” effectively
ends the Commission on State Land. This act
became effective April 2007.
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S1954
(2005 Legislative Session) |
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S1954, “A bill
entitled to be an act to appropriate funds to
construct a residential facility at the prairie
ridge ecostation for wildlife and learning,”
appropriates $1,900,000 from the General Fund
to the Friends of the North Carolina State Museum
of Natural Sciences for the construction of
an environmental education residential facility
at the Prairie Ridge Ecostation for Wildlife
and Learning. Prairie Ridge is located on the
southeast corner of Edwards Mill Road and Reedy
Creek Road. The law became effective July 1,
2006.
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