Commercial Considerations by Phillip Smallwood The influence of RTP goes beyond the amount of housing and the change in the transportation system in the area surrounding it. Commercial growth has also seen a drastic increase since the creation of RTP. An example of this is Southpoint mall in Durham. The site is 5 minutes from Research Triangle Park, 10 minutes from Chapel Hill and 20 minutes from Raleigh, Cary and Raleigh/Durham International Airport. Economically the mall has created more than 3,500 permanent jobs. And $297 million in sales in its first year, which brought in more than $5 million in taxes to the county and city combined. This is a great deal of money, which goes towards Durham schools and to the creation of better infrastructure for the county. Of course there is also a negative view of large department stores taking over an area. For example, these new massive department stores can drive smaller "Mom and Pop" stores out of business that will not be able to compete with them. This in turn will limit the choice of the consumer when it comes to purchasing certain products. Socially there are many problems arising from this new mall. For instance there is internal strife going on about the rezoning of certain land areas around the mall itself. Many community members in certain areas would like to see their land be designated as a commercial area, instead of a residential one. This would drive the price of the land up, so that residents could sell it and make a profit. Other community members want their land to stay as a residential one so that commercial construction cannot be carried out, which would destroy the characteristic of the land. An example of this can be found with the controversy over Kentington Heights community across the street from Southpoint, where neighbors with opposing views have formed different groups that constantly argue with one another regarding the rezoning of the land. Environmentally many problems accompany the spreading of commercial lands. Not only is there the destruction of the natural habitat, but there is the complete alteration of the soil itself. This new land requires larger roads, due to increased traffic in the area (which in turn degrades the quality of the air in the area) and large parking lots for these automobiles. These are large impervious areas, where water that would naturally be absorbed into the soil is instead washed away into rivers and lakes. This increased peak runoff is a hazard in itself, because it causes increased erosion of the land that is not covered, but it is also a danger to the people in the are due to the increased flooding that it can cause. "Runoff from roads, bridges, parking lots and other impervious surfaces can also pollute drinking water and lead to changes in water chemistry that degrade habitat quality." This significant non-point pollution source deposits road salt, dirt and dust, fertilizers, pesticides, antifreeze, engine oil, rubber and metal deposits and other pollutants into aquifers, lakes, rivers, streams and oceans. A recent report from the Pew Oceans Commission finds that "when more than ten percent of the acreage of a watershed is covered in roads, parking lots, rooftops, and other impervious surfaces, the rivers and streams within the watershed become seriously degraded." Impervious surfaces will only increases as land designations change from residential to commercial. Right now The Mayor, the Chief of the city's water supply, and now the Public Works people all agree that "if Durham does not get a new source of water soon, at the current rate of development the supply will be less than the demand in just 10 years." According to the surface transportation Policy project Durham is asking the state Environmental Management Commission for the right to divert 25 million gallons of water daily from Jordan Lake to accommodate future growth. Durham is competing with other cities in the region for the 100 million gallons available. If the request is not granted, Lake Michael, the city's current water source, will have to be re-dammed at a projected cost of $70 million. There are benefits and there are downfalls to the growth of commercial entities in any given area. One thing that has to be addressed though is the idea of "smart growth", which includes thoughts such as demographic shifts, a strong environmental ethic, increased fiscal concerns, and more toned views of growth.
