When we received the letter in 1996, we were not surprised by its contents.  We had heard rumors about the pending sale of the 18-hole public golf course located behind our property.

 

The letter advised of an upcoming meeting at the golf course clubhouse.  The letter was from the Presbyterian Home in High Point, NC; a retirement facility affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. 

 

We discussed whether or not to attend the meeting.  We were concerned for what might happen to nature and the surrounding trees when the new facility was built, so we decided it may be best to hear what was being said, and to express our concerns. 

 

Noise and light issues were not on our radar.  In fact, we never gave noise a thought that evening in 1996.

 

The Presbyterian Home had been in High Point for many, many years.  It was, still is, a nonprofit retirement facility.  In North Carolina, a nonprofit home for the sick, aged or infirm, operates tax free as long as the requirements under the state statutes are met.  Tax free includes real estate and property tax.

 

North Carolina Department of Transportation entered into negotiations to purchase a few acres of the retirement community land for a new highway bypass.  This was in the early 1990s. 

 

Apparently, the Presbyterian Home wanted more money than NCDOT was willing to voluntarily pay and the case ended up in the courts.  Eventually, the case was settled and the Home received a nice tidy sum for its efforts.  Was this where the Home learned its way around the courts, I wonder?  And was this where the Presbyterian Home got the money to buy the Sandy Ridge Golf Course?

 

In any case, after the settlement with NCDOT, the Home began looking for a place to relocate.  They set their sights on the golf course and the vision of a lavish, upscale retirement community began to develop.

 

By 1996, we had lived in our house for almost 18 years.  The house, situated on almost 15 acres of land, was surrounded by the public golf course on one side and wooded areas all around.

 

The setting was bucolic – rural – and that suited us just fine.  The sounds we heard were sounds of nature: pure, definite and familiar from childhood.

 

At the meeting, we mostly listened, viewed their marketing maps and heard just how wonderful the facility would be.  It was also emphasized over and over what a good neighbor the Home would be.  “We want to be good neighbors; we will be good neighbors.”  We had no reason at that time to disbelieve them.

 

When it was time for questions or expressions of concern, we told the group of our love of nature, our concern for the trees, and concern for the loss of our privacy. 

 

We need not worry, we were told.  The Presbyterian Home (now being called River Landing at Sandy Ridge) loves nature and trees just as much as we do, and they want their privacy, too.

 

“River Landing will be a small village…you won’t even know we’re there.” 

 

We were to eventually find out just how deceitful this remark would turn out to be; and River Landing's representative there that night knew or should have known that this remark was far from the truth.  Their architect had designed the plan and location for the maintenance building to be out of sight of the residents of River Landing with, apparently, no thought of us.  The building would end up facing our property, along with a cooling tower and a 7500 kW generator.  And lights, all those bright, glaring, obnoxious lights that we see from our home all winter long. 

 

Unbeknown to us or to the public at large in 1996, wetlands were to be filled in for a parking lot for one of their huge buildings.  Although the necessary federal and state permits were obtained, why wasn't this made known to the public; especially to neighbors of the facility?

 

At trial, a witness from the architectural firm testified that the cooling tower and generator were placed at their current locations to be out of sight of the residents of River Landing.  I guess the implication was that these machines are unsightly.  We would agree.  Unfortunately, they are in our sight and earshot year-round. 

 

We left the meeting not knowing any more than before we arrived.

 

To be continued….