Raleigh-Durham International Airport wants to develop 136 acres of its land into a "unique and innovative entertainment destination,"
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — For Dylan Harvey, Lake Crabtree County Park is the perfect mountain biking destination.
"I started there," Harvey said. "You can continue to get to the harder spots to where it’s still challenging for somebody who’s a little bit better."
The park is one of the most popular parks and the "go-to" location for novice and intermediate mountain bikers, according to Elise Freed, who teaches young people how to ride.
"This is such a such a good trail system for everyone," Freed said. "Beginners can learn there and even experts can enjoy themselves."
But nearly all of the park’s bike trails are in jeopardy after Raleigh-Durham International Airport wants to develop 136 acres of its land into a "unique and innovative entertainment destination," to generate revenue, according to documents . For years, the RDU Airport Authority leased a part of the park it owned to Wake County for just $1 a year. But that lease is expiring and new federal requirements require all leases to be at market rate, which to Wake County, would be "prohibitively expensive for that portion of the park property," according to a county spokesperson who sent the following statement:
"Lake Crabtree County Park sits on land that the RDU Airport Authority owns and leases to Wake County, and that lease expires on June 30, 2025," Alice Avery said. "The Airport Authority has chosen to develop a 130-acre portion of […]
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