In a turnout that signals a storm of public sentiment, Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority's recent proposal to develop Lake Crabtree County Park met with robust resistance at a public comment session. The park, a beloved recreation spot covering 330 acres, faces a future clouded by discussions of entertainment venues and market rate leases. The Airport Authority, pressed by FAA regulations to abandon their symbolic $1 per year lease, seems poised to pivot towards profitability.

Lined up deep into the waiting arms of the evening, residents crammed the agenda to voice their protest. Over 70 individuals, as reported by WRAL, were slated to speak against the prospect of restaurants, bars, and a hotel transposing the existing mountain bike trails and lakefront—amenities which currently provide solace and recreational space to the community.

The park's value extends beyond mere green space to many of its users. "It’s an easy place to ride, it’s like one of the only places that has very accessible trails, and it’s also physically accessible," Matt Haley told CBS17, emphasizing the uniqueness of the mountain bike trails. Echoing such sentiments, Jean Spooner, Chair of The Umstead Coalition, underscored the importance of the forested trails, emphasizing their appeal and the park's connectivity to a network of trails in a statement obtained by WRAL.

However, not all see the amendment as a sign of doom. RDU Airport Authority Board Member Ellis Hankins imagines a less grim development, one respecting the natural setting. He has been quoted envisioning, "a rustic outdoorsy development with open air designs, preserving the trails," a sentiment he shared with CBS17. Still, the swell of community pushback punctuates the conversation with a clear preference for preservation. Natalie Lew, a local researcher, put her heart into words, stating to ABC11, "This is the heart of the community because this has been planned since the '50s and then RDUA just wants to just swoop in and take it away."