![\"falls](\"http:\/\/www.raleighpublicrecord.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/DSC_0747.jpg\")
<\/a>Jennifer Wig<\/p>
Falls Lake, as seen near the dam. Photo by Jennifer Wig.<\/p><\/div>\n
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Development and Water Quality<\/strong> Commercial development has the tendency to increase the amount of impervious surface, thanks, in part, to the required parking.<\/p>\n It\u2019s for these reasons, Bowers said, the city generally doesn\u2019t allow commercial development in the watershed.<\/p>\n To lessen the impact on the water quality, stormwater management devices are required for all developments. These devices can be wet ponds, underground filtration, large cisterns or a variety of other devices that would lessen the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus leaving the site. Developers can also buy credits that would put money toward the state\u2019s ecosystem enhancement program. Many developers do a mix of these things.<\/p>\n Lifetime Fitness won\u2019t be buying any credits and all of its stormwater management will be done on site, using the back two-thirds of the property.<\/p>\n Bill Hunt, an N.C. State researcher who is assisting with the design of the project, said the property will include a mix of devices, including ponds and wetlands and building up the tree canopy. The water captured on site will also be used for irrigation.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really confident that it\u2019s going to be better than what\u2019s currently there,\u201d said Hunt, who plans to monitor and study the property for almost two years after it is built.<\/p>\n The goal, he said, is to have enough stormwater management in place that it would result in less nitrogen and phosphorus leaving the site than what would be allowed.<\/p>\n The project would be similar to the Whole Foods in North Raleigh, which boasts a number of stormwater treatment devices, including the massive cistern that sits next to the building. Hunt studied the effects of that system for a year and concluded that the site produces a result 30 times better than that of the site next door, which only has a wet pond.<\/p>\n The system \u201cworks better than I would have even have guessed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Setting a Precedent<\/strong> \u201cIt could set a good or bad precedent depending on how you look at it,\u201d said Councilor Russ Stephenson, who has been speaking with experts on both sides of the issue. \u201cI don\u2019t have a clear answer on what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Planning Commissioner Adam Terando said his overriding consideration is if the project is \u201cstill achieving the objectives of keeping the pollution and the runoff rates at or below the acceptable levels that we\u2019ve agreed upon.\u201d<\/p>\n If the city is going to allow development in the watershed, that development has to meet certain criteria.<\/p>\n In this case, he said, the standards would bring runoff to a pre-development level.<\/p>\n Terando said the project would set a precedent for future development, but it will create a high set of standards for future projects. More developers could apply for rezoning in the watershed but, \u201cif they don\u2019t have the same standards, I\u2019m going to be right there at the forefront voting it down.\u201d<\/p>\n Terando said that the intensity of the project is still a concern and it should be thoroughly reviewed by City Councilors before making a decision.<\/p>\n The case will be discussed again at the next Planning Commission meeting on March 26.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If approved by the City Council, a new gym in the Falls Lake watershed could open the door for more development. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24029,"featured_media":4454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,15,23],"tags":[455,1195,789],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18447"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24029"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18447"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18447\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nDevelopment has an effect on water quality, which is why it is often limited in watersheds. When it rains, stormwater runs off impervious surfaces, such as roofs and parking lots, and makes its way into nearby lakes and streams, taking with it dirt, chemicals and other pollutants often found on the ground. Eventually this rainwater ends up in Raleigh\u2019s water supply, or the water supply for other cities and towns down the watershed.<\/p>\n
\nIf the project is built, it could open up the door for more rezoning that would allow commercial development in the watershed.<\/p>\n