After eight years of planning for the development of housing, office space and commercial buildings at a property off Eubanks Road, the landowners sold the 27 acres to Duke University on November 5, according to the News & Observer. The university purchased the land from Park Louis LLC, who owned the acreage for more than a decade, for $2.5 million.

The site will be added to Duke’s 1,117-acre Blackwood Division, which borders the property.

Duke Forest officials announced their deal with Parker Louis LLC in a statement.

“We are excited to add this acreage to the Duke Forest’s Blackwood Division,” the statement said, “which is critical to our research mission. The Blackwood Division has long been an important national and international destination for studies related to climate change, atmospheric chemistry, ecosystem health, and more. The addition of these lands helps preserve the integrity and viability of ongoing and future research and enhances our commitment to natural resource protection.”

After years of the project being delayed for various reasons, progress on development hit a snag again in May when environmental concerns arose over the location of a natural heritage site on the property. The proximity to Duke Forest’s property where research is conducting also raised caution. The landowners then decided to postpone the project.

When talking with WCHL’s Aaron Keck about the delayed development in September when a deal with Duke was first reported, Carrboro mayor Lydia Lavelle said it was disappointing because she thought the proposal had promise. She also said the town’s partnership with the landowners as Carrboro created its new flexible zoning to streamline the rezoning larger sites presented an exciting opportunity.

“We have been working with him for years,” Lavelle said in October. “We created the flex zoning process so we could specifically address concerns along the way when a developer came to us and wanted to rezone their property under this new planing tool.”

Photo via Town of Carrboro.

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