Cary council turns duet into solo

Chatham board shows for joint session; Cary leaders otherwise engaged

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CORRECTION

In the City & State section Thursday, an article mischaracterized a gathering between Chatham County and the town of Cary. It was an open house for residents, not for the elected bodies, even though officials were in attendance. The article also should have mentioned that part of Cary extends into Chatham County.

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PITTSBORO -- The joint gathering of the Chatham County commissioners and the Cary Town Council was a little less joint than most people expected.

The Cary Town Council didn't show.

Members of the Cary planning staff, who did attend, said the council was in a work session that had been scheduled long ago. They added that Chatham officials had selected Wednesday night to hold a community gathering at North Chatham School.

The missing council, however, did not stop more than 300 residents from roving the school's gym to look at large maps of the area between Chatham County's Jordan Lake and the town of Cary, which is on the other side of the Wake County line.

The two government bodies have agreed to discuss creating a joint land-use plan for the area. The plan would establish guidelines for development, environmental protection, common roads and a greenway system, said Scott Ramage, a member of Cary's planning staff.

A majority of those in attendance were Chatham County residents, and most said they don't trust Cary. They fear Cary has plans to annex the area.

"We don't want Cary to take over," said Faye Dark, who lives near Pittsboro. "If we wanted to live in Cary, we'd live [there]. Some of us moved from Cary to live in the country."

Chatham County Commissioner Patrick Barnes -- who lives near the Wake County line and has fought Cary annexation as a member of the board -- stood near a map at the end of the gym as a stream of Chatham residents approached him to talk about the issue.

"We have a lot of frustrated people here tonight," he said.

Most of his conversations, he said, involved "telling people what they didn't want to hear: that Cary can legally annex."

Barnes said the state passed legislation years ago giving municipalities the right to annex, so they can grow.

"But it's been abused," he said.

Ramage said Cary has placed a moratorium on annexation requests until a joint land-use plan is created.

"What we're developing is not an annexation plan but a long-range land-use plan," he said.

Whether such a plan comes to fruition is not certain, said Chatham County Planning Director Keith Megginson.

Three of the five Chatham commissioners will leave office at the end of the year. "I'm not sure how much energy the board wants to put into this for the time they've got left," Megginson said.