Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: November 11, 2025 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 2 <br /> SUBJECT: Options for Sale of Property at 6823 Millhouse Road <br /> DEPARTMENT: County Manager, County <br /> Attorney, Asset Management <br /> Services (AMS), Environment, <br /> Agriculture, Parks & Recreation <br /> (DEAPR) <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> Aerial Photo of Property Travis Myren, 245-2300 <br /> Map of Possible Property Division John Roberts, 245-2318 <br /> David Stancil, 245-2522 <br /> Alan Dorman, 245-2627 <br /> PURPOSE: To consider options for the sale of all or a portion of 79.05 acres of County-owned <br /> land at 6823 Millhouse Road for the purpose of a future soccer-oriented active recreation facility. <br /> BACKGROUND: In November 2004, Orange County acquired 69 acres of land at 6823 Millhouse <br /> Road, located north of Chapel Hill, from the late Mrs. Julia Blackwood for a future park site, <br /> planned to be a soccer center for southern Orange County. The County subsequently purchased <br /> an adjoining 10 acres in 2007 for a total of 79.05 acres. This land is located just north of the old <br /> County landfill (north), and is across the North Carolina Railroad "J Line" spur from the Town of <br /> Chapel Hill Operations Center. The property is in the Rural Buffer land use and zoning district — <br /> adjoining the Orange Water& Sewer Authority (OWASA) urban services boundary on its southern <br /> and eastern borders. <br /> The concept for a future soccer-oriented park at this location has been listed in previous County <br /> Capital Investment Plans (CIPs) dating back to the 2000's, known as the "Millhouse Road Park" <br /> project. The planned focus for park is for a soccer field complex, with low-impact recreation on <br /> the western portion of the property adjacent to Duke Forest. The northwest corner of the site <br /> contains a portion of a State-listed Natural Heritage site, and is in proximity to Blackwood <br /> Mountain, located within Duke Forest. The property contains two (2) access easements on the <br /> northern and southern boundary lines, the latter of which was the subject of a future realignment <br /> plan as part of a 2024 rezoning of an adjacent property owned by Acer, LLC (The Treeist). The <br /> Blackwood Division of Duke Forest is located to the west and southwest of the property, and a <br /> portion of the original Julia Blackwood property was acquired by Duke in 2004 as part of the <br /> negotiations for the County's acquisition. This land is now a part of Duke Forest. <br /> Preliminary design work was undertaken around 2008 for a six-field soccer complex and <br /> approximately 25-30 acre wooded preserve adjacent to Duke Forest, but the project was deferred <br />