Raleigh is Ignoring its own Environmental Policies

Good Afternoon.

I am one of nine residents in Anderson Forest whose backyards would be taken by the proposed Big Branch Greenway Connector under Streamside Option 1B.

I want to be very clear: this project takes private property. An easement does not exist – a fact that took Parks and Rec eleven months to admit, misleading the public. The City has acknowledged it would have to condemn a long-standing conservation easement and condemn our properties to build this greenway.

That is not a minor adjustment but rather the taking of land that has been protected for decades.

The City is also ignoring or bending environmental rules. Option 1B conflicts with North Carolina riparian buffer protections as well as the City’s own stated environmental policies. It is deeply troubling to see environmental regulations treated as obstacles to work around rather than standards to uphold—especially for a project being justified as environmentally beneficial.

There are also serious financial concerns. This project is already significantly over budget, and additional significant costs such as property acquisition, legal proceedings, and potential eminent domain have not yet even been included. Proceeding down this path exposes the City to escalating and unnecessary expense.

Additionally, the public process has been compromised. The City has relied on misleading or incomplete information to advance this route, and when given the full picture, even the Parks Board voted 9–5 not to recommend the streamside option. That alone should give this Council pause.

We are not opposed to greenways. We support connectivity and conservation. What we oppose is a decision that sacrifices a group of homeowners and their safety, violates conservation commitments and environmental protections, and increases costs—when less harmful alternatives exist.

To conclude, I have two personal statements. Just yesterday, I had to contact the Raleigh Police Department after a trespassing individual crossed the creek behind our home, entered our backyard while my son was playing basketball, and used our private driveway to reach Six Forks Road. His behavior was alarming enough that my son felt unsafe and rushed inside.

Neighbors have shared similar incidents with you. Creating a greenway in this location would increase these encounters and make an already concerning safety situation worse.

Finally, I’d like to thank Council Member Christina Jones for taking the time to speak recently with my 18-year-old daughter, now a voting Raleigh resident, for a Politics assignment, for which she selected the greenway topic. I appreciate her willingness to engage directly with residents, and I thank her for voting NO on placing a greenway in our backyards.

We respectfully ask the Council to stop Streamside Option 1B, and choose a path that reflects Raleigh’s values of fairness, transparency, fiscal responsibility, and environmental integrity.

Thank you for your time.