AGENDA #4i
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Follow-up Report on Buffer Landscaping Between US 15-501 South and the Culbreth Park Neighborhood
DATE: November 13, 2000
The following report responds to the attached letter from Ms. Maureen St. John-Breen requesting that the Council consider planting a vegetative buffer between the recently completed improvements on US 15-501 South and the Culbreth Park neighborhood to the west.
At its May 10,1999 meeting, the Council received a verbal petition from Ms. St. John-Breen, President of the Culbreth Park Homeowners’ Association, requesting that a berm and landscaping be installed on the west side of US 15-501 to provide a buffer for the Culbreth Park Subdivision. Please see the attached map.
At its June 28, 1999 meeting, the Council received a staff report responding to the petition. In that report, we noted that the alignment and improvement of US 15-501 were established to properly align with the Morgan Creek bridge and were based on input from the Town, interested citizens, and State standards for such projects.
We noted that the clearing on the west side of US 15-501 was contained within State right-of-way and easements, and that cleared areas would be graded and revegetated for stabilization only. No significant buffer landscaping was planned. Areas outside the roadway shoulders which were not required for routine access and/or maintenance would be allowed to naturally reforest. We noted that significant natural reforestation typically occurs within five to ten years in our area of the State. This consists of fairly dense pine coverage in most cases.
The clearing and grading associated with the US 15-501 and bikeway improvements has now been completed. The State’s contractor has graded, seeded, and planted some pine seedlings in the disturbed areas between the roadway and Culbreth Park. We spoke with the State Project Engineer, and were advised that no formal buffer landscaping was included in the project plans, and that natural reforestation would be allowed to occur in the disturbed areas beyond the roadway improvements. This would include the area between US 15-501 and Culbreth Park.
We agree that some additional vegetative buffer would be desirable to provide a noise, light, and visual screen for the Culbreth Park neighborhood. However, no State funding has been assigned for this purpose and no local funds are available at this time. We will work with the North Carolina Department of Transporation to pursue any State funds that may be available for this purpose.
1. St. John-Breen letter dated 8/23/00 (p. 3).
2. Map (p. 4).