On Dec. 30, 2024, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality issued a Brownfields Agreement to the Town of Chapel Hill concerning the redevelopment of the property at 828 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, which currently houses the Chapel Hill Police Department.
The property was initially the site of a borrow pit from the 1950s to early 1960s which was later filled with coal ash and other materials, including construction and demolition debris. The Town purchased the property in 1980 and the police station was later constructed in 1982.
According to the Town, the materials were discovered in late 2013 and the DEQ was quickly notified.
The draft agreement from the DEQ included revisions to the initial drafts that incorporated feedback provided by community members during the public comment period, which began in July 2024.
Edits included clarifying the definition of “recreational use” in the agreement to only list options that are actually being considered for the property, including sports-related courts and fields, walking space or an amphitheater. Options that are not feasible for the site, like playgrounds, have been removed.
Increases in property productivity, the creation of hundreds of temporary construction jobs and expanded use of public transportation were also listed final agreement as some of the potential benefits that could result from redeveloping the property.
However, some community members feel the lasting environmental implications outweigh the potential benefits that come with the plan and these revisions.
16 community members spoke at the public meeting on Sept. 18, 2024, to discuss the Brownfields agreement. Among them was Shiva Rajbhandari, a founding member of Sunrise UNC, who still has concerns about the future development of the property.
“You can see coal ash coming out of the ground when it rains," he said.“There's no chance that's not seeping into the water system and I think, you know, just disturbing that land.”