Wednesday, Jun. 16, 2010

Park picked for eco-friendly pilot program

Horseshoe Farm Park, the site of one of the most intense environmental battles ever seen in these parts, will become a national model for environmentally friendly design and construction.

The park in Northeast Raleigh has been selected for a pilot program designed to come up with standards for sustainable development, the city announced earlier this month. When the standards are finalized, they will be used to rate the environmental friendliness of future outdoor development projects around the country.

The city tries to be kind to the environment in all park projects, but "at Horseshoe Farm Park, we're going to take it up a notch," said Stephen Bentley, a senior planner with the Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department. "We're going to do some things there that are even more innovative."

Plans are still being drawn up, Bentley said, but design and construction methods being considered include special concrete for parking lots that allows water to seep through instead of running off into the Neuse River, plantings that do not need to be watered and would help the park be built without the need for city water, and "zero waste" construction methods.

"Anything you grade or cut down or dig up, you use on site," Bentley said. "You don't put anything in the landfill."

The pilot project, known as the Sustainable Sites Initiative, is a partnership of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the United States Botanic Garden. Horseshoe Farm Park is one of more than 150 projects selected from 34 states as well as from Canada, Iceland and Spain.

Design and construction methods are generally of little interest to city residents, but Horseshoe Farm Park was the subject of an intense battle from 2005 to 2007. City officials originally proposed a typical park with such amenities as a 24,000-square-foot community center and outdoor basketball courts.

But environmental activists argued that the city's plans were too intense for land in an environmentally sensitive area - a 146-acre site along a horseshoe-shaped bend in the Neuse River that is home to a diverse ecosystem of plants and animals.

A 10-group alliance formed, including a citizens group called friends of Horseshoe Farm, the Capital Group Sierra Club, the N.C. Wildlife Federation and the Wake Audubon Society.

After a battle for the hearts and minds of city residents, the alliance beat back park planners and the City Council in 2007 adopted a master plan that mandated a passive recreational park rather than the intense uses originally envisioned.

The park's selection in the pilot program underscores environmentalists' victory. One of those activists, Raleigh resident Lena Gallitano, was full of superlatives in describing her reaction to the city's selection by the pilot program.

"I shared that good news with my friends and we're full of excitement," said Gallitano, who became active in the Horseshoe Farm Park battle through her participation in the Audubon Society. "It's delightful. ...It's just great that we're moving in the direction of showcasing a 'green' park and [Horseshoe Farm Park] is the perfect pace for it."

Construction of phase one, which will include a picnic shelter, road, parking and trails, is expected to be completed in June 2012, Bentley said.