The Southern Environmental Law Center filed a "Notice of Intent to Sue" on behalf of Sound Rivers, an environmental advocacy group, against Mungo Homes, the developer of a 216-acre parcel in Durham.
Are the city council members who voted to approve this project accepting responsibility for laying Durham open to plunder and profiteering by the insatiable developers who see Durham as their bottomless treasure chest? There is never an effort by the council to follow up on the consequences of the council's actions. The planning department claims they cannot stop work on projects regardless of permit or environmental law violations. Why is that? A majority of the council simply ignore the environmental costs of the massive development they routinely approve. The responsible minority, Mayor O'Neil, and members Freeman and Holsey-Hyman, are the conscience of the council but, unless one of the developers' four are absent, they are ignored or worse. (The ongoing effort to destroy the career of Holsey-Hyman is intended to eliminate tie votes which defeat applications).
Are the city council members who voted to approve this project accepting responsibility for laying Durham open to plunder and profiteering by the insatiable developers who see Durham as their bottomless treasure chest? There is never an effort by the council to follow up on the consequences of the council's actions. The planning department claims they cannot stop work on projects regardless of permit or environmental law violations. Why is that? A majority of the council simply ignore the environmental costs of the massive development they routinely approve. The responsible minority, Mayor O'Neil, and members Freeman and Holsey-Hyman, are the conscience of the council but, unless one of the developers' four are absent, they are ignored or worse. (The ongoing effort to destroy the career of Holsey-Hyman is intended to eliminate tie votes which defeat applications).