LELAND — Though it was considered earlier this week, Leland Council did not vote to oppose northern Cape Fear Crossing paths Thursday. Mayor pro-tem, Pat Batleman, proposed a resolution Monday that would have formalized Leland’s stance against the three northern route options for the $1 billion project.
Related: Leland Town Council to vote on opposing northern Cape Fear Crossing paths
At Monday’s agenda meeting, the town voted 4-1 to draft a resolution to oppose the northern routes. (View all the maps here). The resolution would request the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to urgently remove B, Q, and T — routes that pass through the Brunswick Forest area. (Leland does not have a formal seat at the Cape Fear Crossing merging process table. The resolution would function as a political message, rather than an actionable item.)
With these alternatives removed, only two viable alternatives remain: MA and NA. These routes would still pass through neighborhoods.
Councilman Michael Callahan voted against drafting the resolution. During the meeting, Callahan vocalized his reservation with opposing the northern routes, which would inevitably leave southern routes as the town’s preference. He said he wanted to make sure the southernmost neighborhoods had the opportunity to be heard.
Southern routes MA and NA, according to current NCDOT maps, would result in condemnations in Stoney Creek and Snee Farm. Routes B, Q, and T, which cut through Mallory Creek and Brunswick Forest, would result in a higher number of business and residential condemnations, a 2017 analysis shows. Batleman said failing to arrive at a preference could result in a voice against the bridge altogether, an implication she said the town ought to avoid.
“Of the routes that are remaining, the three most terrible options are routes B,Q, and T,” Batleman said at Monday’s meeting. “I want to protect those folks in those three corridors. This is so important it isn’t even funny.”
Representation from southern neighbors
By Thursday’s Council meeting, however, Batleman removed a discussion item on the resolution. Batleman said she learned the department’s draft environmental impact study would soon be released. Citing the preference to wait until the document’s findings, Batleman said Council could re-consider the option after reviewing the study.
At the meeting Thursday, multiple residents from Stoney Creek and Snee Farm said they felt slighted by the proposed resolution.
Donald Johnson, Jr., Stoney Creek homeowners association’s vice president, said he was disappointed by resolution. “[Alternatives] M and N affect a lot of people that are your constituents,” Johnson said. “We don’t feel that you have been representing us.”
Catch up on Port City Daily’s recent series on the project: NCDOT can’t stop development and Brunswick and Leland are one step removed from a seat at the table
According to a 2017 alternatives analysis, the most recent data made available, Alternatives MA and NA would result in 53 and 98 residential relocations, respectively.
Some homeowners said they felt like they were stuck in limbo.
“You’re basically telling us that you’re going to take away our homes,” Lisa Gruber, a Snee Farm resident said. “So either we have to stick it out and stay there until the road is built, and until [NCDOT] buys us out, or we can try and sell now and probably not get our houses sold because of the fact that this road may or may not come through our neighborhood.”
Area residents with public comments and concerns are encouraged to redirect their input to the soon-to-be-announced public hearing in April. If comments cannot be held until the April hearing, NCDOT would prefer input to be sent to capefear@ncdot.gov. Learn more about the project here.
Send tips and comments to Johanna Ferebee at johanna@localvoicemedia.com
