RDU chooses a developer to build on former Lake Crabtree mountain biking trails
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- RDU selected Pacific Elm Properties to redevelop 136 acres near Lake Crabtree.
- Project aims to blend recreation, retail and hospitality with existing greenways.
- Public input sessions are scheduled before finalizing the development plan.
Raleigh-Durham International Airport has found a company to develop 136 wooded acres that were once part of Lake Crabtree County Park.
Pacific Elm Properties will draft plans for what the airport calls a “recreation and wellness destination” adjacent to what remains of the county park just off Interstate 40. The RDU Airport Authority board approved a non-binding agreement with the company on Thursday.
Exactly what the village will contain hasn’t been decided yet. Airport officials have said for months that they’d like the new development to be compatible with the adjacent park and with nearby off-road cycling trails, possibly including restaurants, outdoor-related retail and a boutique hotel.
Dallas-based Pacific Elm Properties has also teamed up with the Carolina Hurricanes to develop 81 acres around the Lenovo Center a few miles from RDU. That project aims to create a sports and entertainment district with retail, a concert venue, offices and apartments in buildings as high as 40 stories.
The Lake Crabtree project will be much less intense. Aaron Locke, the company’s vice president of development, told the airport board Thursday that the company has in mind recreational activities such as climbing, skating, zip-lining and mountain biking.
“We understand that this land’s dearly loved. It’s a place of peace and adventure and connection,” Locke said. “And that won’t change.”
Airport officials say they will give the public opportunities to weigh in before any development plan is approved. The airport will hold workshops for people to learn about the project and provide feedback on Aug. 19, Sept. 23 and Oct. 21.
The development agreement was a surprise to people who have been following the evolving uses of airport property near William B. Umstead State Park. Jean Spooner, head of the Umstead Coalition and a regular at RDU board meetings, noted that the agenda referred only a “memorandum of understanding,” with no mention of Pacific Elm Properties or the former park land.
“You’ve blindsided us today,“ Spooner told board members. “You should get more public input before you sign such an agreement.”
But Ellis Hankins, who represents Wake County on the board, said Pacific Elm’s early ideas reflect what RDU wants on the property and that the public will have a chance to shape the final outcome.
“This is not the beginning of the end of the process,” Hankins said. “It’s much closer to the beginning of the process.”
Cyclists begged RDU to preserve the existing trails
The village will be built on land that had been part of Lake Crabtree County Park since 1994, when Wake County’s lease for the park land was expanded to create mountain biking trails. The trails helped make the park the most popular in the Wake County system, and cyclists and others pleaded with airport officials not to destroy them.
But RDU says the Federal Aviation Administration now requires that it receive fair market value for any lease of airport property. In addition, the airport has nearly $2.5 billion in construction projects planned or underway, including a new main runway and expanded terminals, and says it needs to generate more income.
Wake County had paid a nominal $1 a year for the park property since 1985. Last month, the county agreed to a new 20-year lease for 70 acres of the park closest to the lake, including the parking lots, playgrounds, picnic areas and boat and fishing piers. The county will pay $214,488 the first year, and 3% more each additional year.
RDU began seeking interest in developing the 136 acres nearest I-40 last summer. Pacific Elm Properties was the only developer to make a proposal.
Nina Szlosberg-Landis, who represents Raleigh on the board, said people love the Lake Crabtree park land and feel a sense of loss about it. Szlosberg-Landis said those feelings may be tempered by what Pacific Elm and RDU come up with.
“People who love to bike and be outside, they thought they were going to lose this by this development,” she said. “I think what you’re demonstrating is that they’re going to get something.”
A key to the development’s success will be its proximity to Cary’s Black Creek Greenway and off-road cycling trails near and potentially in Umstead State Park, said Sig Hutchinson, a former county commissioner and longtime advocate for trails. The new development will address what Hutchinson describes as the only downside of Lake Crabtree County Park: cyclists needed to drive somewhere to eat or drink after a ride.
“There will be possibilities for new brew pubs, bike shops, restaurants and bars to only enhance the experience and create the best mountain biking experience in all of Wake County,” Hutchinson told board members Thursday. “These new improvements will truly create the epicenter of recreation and greenways for the entire Triangle.”
This story was originally published July 17, 2025 at 4:56 PM with the headline "RDU chooses a developer to build on former Lake Crabtree mountain biking trails."
