Original article published in The Daily Tarheel City Section, 9/11/06
By: Eric Shepherd Martin, Assistant City Editor
On Sunday members of Carrboro Greenspace, a local organization to help preserve and secure natural land for public use, held a festival to raise awareness of the threat of development to the property on 116 Old Pittsboro Rd.
The property, which stretches 10.5 acres and holds one residential house, an abandoned in-ground swimming pool, and acts as the operating space for the Recyclery bicycle organization, was recently put on the market by its California-based landowners, said members of Carrboro Greenspace.
The festival, called "Usufruct" after the Latin term referring to the right to enjoy the use of property, was held to educated the community about the area and promote the idea the land as a community-owned, rather than industrialized, area.
Michal Osterweil, member of Carrboro Greenspace and resident of the property, said that she felt the patch of land would promote a distinct feel for Carrboro which could potentially be lost through commercialization.
"I think one of the best ways to change the world today is to create pockets of the world you'd like to see," Osterweil said.
The gathering began at 3 p.m. and included homemade dishes, displays of paintings from local artists, discussions on the issue of greenspace, and a kung fu workshop, with music blaring from large speakers attached to one resident's laptop computer.
Chris Richmond, executive director of the Recyclery, said that he thought the cause was admirable.
"They're trying to introduce this space into the community and trying to be all inclusive," Richmond said.
An introductory tour was given by Osterweil and Carrboro local Peter Brayshaw, who said that the land , currently rented by Osterweil and her roommates and worth relatively $1.4 million, had recently been put up for sale by the land owners who reside in California.
Brayshaw said that Carrboro Greenspace, comprised of residents of the land, members of the Recyclery and other locals, hoped to raise enough money to pay the owners a deposit of $15,000 in the near future to keep the land from commercial development.
In a phone interview, Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton said that he agreed to pledge $5,000 of his own money to the deposit, assuming that the organization raises the other $10,000 first.
Osterweil said that Carrboro Greenspace members had not made any agreements with town government, but that officials seemed generally supportive of the group.
Continuing the tour, Osterweil and Brayshaw gave plans for the land. Osterweil said the swimming pool, called the "Old Sparrow" pool, would be turned into an outdoor movie theater and discussion area.
Brayshaw said Carrboro Greenspace would donate the house for public use. "We basically just want the house to be a meeting space for the community."
