Opinion: Reader asks for growth limits

31 Responses

1. Hello Everyone:

   Never mind the traffic on Capital Blvd. what about the traffic on Rogers Road – HOLY MOLEY!!! Did anyone even think of making it wider 🙁 And just try to make a left hand-turn on Main Street where there isn’t any light, especially at lunch time and trying to make a left turn out of Culver’s – RIDICULOUS! Believe it or not, I come from a city where you’re able to drive a five-mile parkway with a light on every corner and many times never had to stop. If they add more lights along these roads at all intersections and are synchronized properly traffic will flow more smoothly than it is now. And come November, let’s all pay attention to who and what we’re voting for.

   1. Believe it or not, I think 10 years ago they widened that stretch from HMS to Harris Teeter and replaced the bridge. Since then that area mushroomed with more housing and offices.

      We all should be paying attention for sure.

2. Brian – Of course you called Bb&T 12 years and they told you that the lively neighbors of the golf course threatened them. LOL I expected such a reply & warned people to just ignore you.

3. The plan for the former Wake Forest CC property will add considerable traffic to local roads which were not designed for what they currently have. Egress to Purnell for one section of the development is particularly problematic. The houses and multifamily units proposed overall are in contrast to existing properties. There will definitely be reduced habitat for wildlife and possible damage to the floodplain of Horse Creek and connecting streams. Is this progress?

   1. These are excellent points!

4. If you own a piece of land that is 12 acres and want to sell it, and a developer wants to buy it, are you telling me you wouldn’t sell it?

   Simple supply and demand. If you want to be mad at someone for development, be mad at the people who owned the land and chose to sell to a developer.

   If you want to control what happens to the land, buy it.

   I love it when people complain, “The town should have bought the golf course so we could play free.” Right, the taxpayers should pay millions for you to save $50 greens fee.

   I also love, “This town needs to stop growing! This growth is ludicrous!” Followed by, “I can’t wait to go to the new Wegmans!”

   1. Where are you from? If you like overpopulated and hyper- developed spaces, many metropolises await you. If you believe that growth is unlimitited in a limited space, try getting 12 pounds into a 10 pound sack.

      1. I have lived here since 1998 when the town had 8,000 people. I also put my money where my mouth was and served this town for four years. In addition, I volunteered for the Wake Forest July 4th committee for 17 years, sat on the board of directors of the Wake Forest Chamber for 14 years, currently sit on the Koinonia Foundation and Purple heart board. What have you done to better our town other than sit at your keyboard and complain?

         1. I’m glad you are active. We seem to have different opiniins on what makes Wake Forest quality of life. I hope your ulcer gets better

         2. Brian,

            You have an impressive resume. However, your resume does not carry any extra weight when it comes to thoughts on what is best for our community. Perhaps if you could put your resume to work to solve the traffic problem on Capital Blvd before we add more high density housing, then we will all live in a better community.

            1. I am pretty sure I made no reference that my opinion deserves more weight. I am merely pointing out that I go to the meetings when they are held to give my input on the plans for our community.

               I attended all of the US-1 Corridor meetings and represented Wake Forest on that committee when the design for the 6 lane interstate style highway was being developed.

               My bigger point is, there ARE plans. Most people don’t take the time to care about them until it inconveniences their personal daily activities. That tells me you don’t really care about Wake Forest, just yourself.

               I find it laughable that Mr. Ostergard moved here in 2016 and is part of that very influx of people he is complaining about.

               Perhaps YOU and Mr. Ostergard should attend some of those meetings too and give your input where it can do some good instead of complaining about it on a message board on the internet.

   2. Brian –

      If BB&T gave me 149 acres of a PUD in 2011 for $325,000 maybe I would have re-opened a golf course. On the other hand, they didn’t nor would they accept phone calls from the neighborhood groups who created a plan iver a year to buy, renovate & re-open it.

      It’s so easy to throw out these little bomblets at Mr. Ostergard, who is simply taking up the mantle of a fewbof our deceased leadership to keep the PUD either Open Space park or perhaps a golf course again. Who knows?

      But when the course was given to the current owner for pennies on the dollar instead of working with neighboring stakeholders… well you see the result.

      And didn’t you attend all those meetings as part of your elected duties as a town commisdioner or is this a different Brian?

      1. When I spoke to BB&T about the land, I was told the nature of the approach of the neighbors was more threatening in nature than true interest in anyone purchasing it. I was not involved in any of those conversations but had a client that was interested in that property back in 2012. That is what I was told but I admit, that is second hand information.

         As far as the meetings you are asking about; I was attending those meetings LONG before I was elected. I was elected in 2015 and served on no boards after I was elected out of possible conflict of interest issues. If you look at minutes from meetings, I have been in front of the planning board for multiple issues beginning in 2003 and have been involved advising some neighborhoods on how to approach the Board in a more positive manner to try to get some concessions from developers.

         What people don’t understand is that by the time the presentation gets to the Planning Board, the developer has met all of the requirements of the Town. It is not being stopped at that point unless there is strong will among the members of the Planning Board and Board of Commissioners.

         I often was the lone no vote, as I voted against development more during my four years than all of my colleagues combined. Yet, I was always criticized for even being on the board merely because I am a Realtor. What people forgot was that because of my experience as a Realtor, I also understood what the developments were going to look like because I had seen them in the past.

         Sadly, some commissioners come to the joint planning board meeting without having ever opened their packet and studying the project. They just “go with their gut” the night of the meeting. That has to stop.

         If you don’t care enough to be involved in the process often, don’t expect to be taken as anything other than a “not in my backyard” person when you protest the development that is near you. Most of the time, people would not complain until a development affected their property. That left them with very little credibility in their argument when they “reached” for things that were not possible.

         If you really want to have an effect, educate yourself on how the process works and speak up when there is something you don’t like. Saying there should be no more development, especially from someone who has lived here for 5 years, wreaks of NIMBY.

         You may not like my opinion, but I ask you to truly consider it. The view of every issue is totally different from behind that Commissioner table than it is from the audience seats in front of it.

         1. Brian – I already warned everyone what you do. This sort of thing. You throw out info that no one can verify that happened 13 years ago. You never change.

         2. Brian – Thank you for the excellent advice on how things work behind the scenes in WF. You simply voiced what most are beginning to understand. Developers have an out-sized reach into our town that a regular citizen or should I say NIMBY doesn’t.

            So are you for 400 homes in our water supply? What side will yiu come downnon?

         3. Brian – Joyner obtained the property in 2011 so maybe you had reached out to him rather than BB&T. If you ever wish to fet the true facts those of us trying to re-build our lives and home prices after all this will gladly sit down with you. I actually think I may have boted for you in 2015, so I am not the enemy nor is Rick Ostergarde.

5. Wake Forest missed a great opportunity to buy the golf course and give us all a municipal course. Golf for everyone at reasonable prices!

   1. They sure did. Please join us in saving it from Toll Brothers & E Carrol Joyner’s nearly 400 planned housing units there.

6. In all due respect, Mr. Osterberg, you bought your house, which is not in the town limits, in 2016, You are part of the explosive growth. And what is a “greedy developer,” someone that is doing his or her job the way anyone else does so in their profession? Wake Forest is an awesome place to live, and people want to move here, just like you.

   1. Why aren’t people moving to highly developed and over populated areas? Simple answer, we like the room, quiet, forest and small town atmosphere. Certainly, others want the same thing. There is a tipping point where those attractions begin to diminish. A developers job is to extract the maximum amount of profit from a piece of land without regard to the general welfare of the city. It is only through zoning and active citizen participation that any parks, greenways, or recreation areas are preserved.

   2. Eric – He bought Twigg Wiggins house on the golf course – an existing house so not part of the balooning, mushrooming housing stock currently in process. BTW, I miss you & I know you love the watershed & the old golf course. Rick is a good guy. Brian, of course, is also a good guy but he is a realtor & so therefore maybe his opinion on growth is slightly skewed. For myself, if the town lured you here with it’s promise of Mayberry RFD & you put your roots down here aren’t those people entitled to an opnion?

7. You are dead on, Richard!

8. A thought out perspective by this writer. For the past two election cycles in Wake Forest, many of us who actually vote in local elections have been wanting our candidates for office to control the growth. I for one am disappointed in the outcome and from what I read on social media and with talking to people, we are all not happy with the outcome. Growth is happening, but way too much for our town. I going to propose to the public is that we ask our current Commissioners and any candidates coming forward to dramatically increase the impact fees to developers. One friend who until recently worked for the General Assembly told me: if Wake Forest increases them by $1.00 the developers will plead poverty so there is your answer. So anyone wanting to run, look at the costs for developers on the town website and let’s at a minimum double them.

   1. Matt –

      Hope you are well. Your comments are right on target as usual.

9. Three cheers for Richard, who eloquently expressed what many of us are thinking.
   Thank you.

   1. Gene – My old friend … Rick is our fearless on this side of Capital! We miss you!

10. Totally agree. Well said and I hope WF listens

    1. If we speak with ONE voice saying ENOUGH, they will listen.

11. I totally agree! Also, this clear cutting of trees is an abomination. Our city planners need to slow down their approvals. Remember, we can vote them OUT if their vision of Wake Forest is different than the residents’ vision. Keep an eye on them!!!

    1. Michelle –

       Our group, Mr Ostergarde is the Chair, Concerned Citizens for the Preservation of Open Space & Watershed Protection plan to form a PAC to support candidates who support Smart Sustainable Growth in Wake Forest. At present, national homebuilder Toll Brothers is attempting to build nearly 400 homes in the Falls Lake watershed by seeking a change in a PUD designed in 1998 to kerp the area as Open Space to PROTECT our water. Changing the PUD is a political decision. We have plans to fight this development as we have done 2xs in the past. Please join us by emailing us at keepitopen27587@gmail.com

12. I completely support what the author is saying. Growth needs to be smart growth, not just throwing up a bunch of townhouses to make a few dollars. Ruining our town for a few dollars is short sighted.

    Once the open land in Wake Forest is gone, it is gone forever. Think about what our beloved town might become when it turns into row after row of cookie cutter townhouses.

    Our roads cannot support the current situation,,,why add hundreds more of high density housing units? I bet that all who read this fuss about the current traffic at times. Di you want it to get worse? New high density housing needs to stop at least until the traffic situation is fixed.

    I am not against development, but his new project must be stopped or at least significantly scaled back. At the very least, develop that tract of land into nice single family houses sitting on an adequate sized lots.