The Weatherford property as seen in Raleigh iMAPS, 2012-09-12.
I should’ve known it was too good to last. Word is that the Weatherford property, the 10 acre property across the street from my home, is under contract. I also learned yesterday that the wooded lot behind my home was sold last week.
As for the Weatherford property, the surveyors left marking tape on Monday and Kelly and I talked with executives with the buyer (presumably KB Homes) Tuesday. Their plans include single-family homes around 2500-3000 square feet. They’re said to include “environmental features” that sounded intriguing but weren’t elaborated upon. The lot sizes will be smaller than the 1/3 acre lots that my neighborhood, Bennett Woods, enjoys. This was due to the rising cost of land.
The rep who we spoke with said that our street, Tonsler Drive, made the property “especially appealing.” That means our days of being the last home on the street are probably numbered, though I assume we’ll be the last home on Tonsler proper (due to the existing street numbering) and a new street will begin at the end of Tonsler.
As for the lot behind me, it sold for the crazy price (crazy as of this writing) of $97,500. This is for a .28 acre lot that’s only 45 feet wide! I didn’t think there was enough room for a home but I guess I was wrong. This will knock out almost all of the trees behind my neighbor Miss Ruth’s home. This skinny lot also stretches behind our lot which could result in the loss of many of the screening trees we’ve enjoyed. On the bright side, though, having more sky in the backyard will be better for our eventual solar panel installation as well as the satellite reception I enjoy.
The urban wildlife is in trouble, though. As Travis and I inspected the property markings behind our home this evening, we startled a deer in Miss Ruth’s backyard. A number of deer split their time between the Weatherford property, the woods on the back side of St. Augustines campus, and the endangered woods behind Miss Ruth’s yard. All three will be only a memory next year. The deer, foxes, red-shouldered hawks, barred owls, groundhogs, and (yes) feral cats are going to feel the squeeze like never before.
The good news is that my fears of the neighborhood becoming a cut-through for traffic between Raleigh Boulevard and Capital Boulevard seem to be unfounded. Travis and I checked the other potential entrance to the property at Plainview Avenue and didn’t see any sign of surveying done there. It seems for now that the only entrance will be via my street, Tonsler Drive. I don’t know if a “phase two” type of expansion will change that in the future but for now it doesn’t look like we can expect to see cars speeding through our neighborhood.