Members of Carrboro Greenspace on the porch of Casa Grande. Photo by Kirk Ross
By Taylor Sisk
Staff Writer
Granted, even in a community as substantially liberal in spirit as Carrboro, “usufruct†is hardly a word around which the general citizenry will likely clamor to rally.
“Usufruct†(according to Webster): “the legal right of using and enjoying the fruits or profits of something belonging to anotherâ€; from the Latin usus et fructus, “to use and enjoy.â€
Building community, both physical and conceptual, has been the modus operandi at Carrboro Greenspace, a little piece of paradise at 116 Old Pittsboro Road, which now may soon be sold. And as unaccommodating in enunciation and obscure in definition as this word, “usufruct,†may be, the Carrboro Greenspace Collective finds it perfectly appropriate in describing the nature of their work to date. (Back to etymology in a moment.)
Anchored by “Casa Grande†– home for the past year and a half to several members of the Carrboro Greenspace Collective – Carrboro Greenspace is 10.5 acres of mostly densely wooded, dramatically sloped refuge, just a five-minute walk from downtown Carrboro. Casa Grande, says denizen and organizer Sammy Slade, was envisioned as functioning like the Horace Williams House with green sensibilities. Carrboro Greenspace has been host to weddings, art exhibits and a puppeteers’ convention. The property is also home to the ReCYCLEry, a nonprofit community bike workshop (see last week’s Carrboro Citizen), and the Walk-in Tributary Theater, where movies are screened in a swimming pool.
Trouble is, the owners of this property have determined that a change in plans is in order. And so while planning what may be the last event at Carrboro Greenspace, on August 4, the residents of Casa Grande are today packing boxes. They’ve been asked to vacate by the owners, Carolann Stoney and April Morris of Pomona, California.
According to Slade, the owners have said they want to make renovations to the house, which has been on the market now for about a year. The ReCYLCLEry remains for now in operation. But sale of the property seems imminent.
Blame it on usufruct, and its absence of readily apparent commercial viability: There’s no way the Carrboro Greenspace Collective could have raised the funds to purchase the property – not on their own, not with what’s collected via free bike-repair classes and donation-only flicks. Or just blame it on commercial viability: Ten and a half acres pretty much smack in the middle of downtown Carrboro is, obviously, a prime piece of property.
“Localizing†forces
But this property, says Slade, is most particularly prime as a community resource.
That was the inspiration when he and some like-minded folks moved in.
“We’d had a friend who lived in the house,†Slade says, seated on the edge of Sparrow Pool’s, a community swimming pool last used (aside from as a walk-in theater) in the early ‘60s. “We had come to a few parties here, and felt that it was just such a special, amazing place, and we were amazed at how few people know about it.â€
Interested in preserving the space, and with a concern for global warming, peak oil and global social justice, Slade says the group set its collective mind on “recognizing the need to deal with these issues on a local scale, because all these other scales have been failing us.â€
Greenspace, says Slade, seemed perfect for “reacquainting ourselves with knowledges and practices we’re not so in touch with anymore†– thus the screening of movies (on Thursday nights through the summer) that document community-based, “localizing†movements from around the world – meanwhile “preserving a magical, special space, very close to town.â€
“We’re trying to engage the community,†Slade continues; “we want to share our vision for the space.†The concept is two-fold, he explains: to provide a service to the community through the programs it hosts and the events it sponsors, while also attempting to energize the community around the effort to preserve the space and to make optimal use of it.
Local government has been supportive. When Slade and his colleagues attempted to gather earnest money in order to be considered as legitimate potential buyers, Mayor Mark Chilton offered to contribute $5,000 of his own money. (The owners, says Slade, ultimately indicated no interest in the effort.) Purchasing the property – which has been on the market for $1.4 million – was never a viable option for the town.
Board of Alderman Dan Coleman has advised the Greenspace organizers in their endeavor to save the space – an endeavor he acknowledges as “a pretty daunting task for young people without access to capital.†Coleman calls Greenspace a “fantastic property – so close to downtown, with historic significance.†He praises the organizers for their vision and says: “The longer it remains unsold, the more word is spread, the greater the possibility a connection might be made with someone, or some parties,†with a similar vision and the finances to back it.
The Carrboro Greenspace Collective is urging the community to show its support by signing a petition demanding that the property be kept publicly accessible, by helping identify potential buyers who would want to keep it as such and by attending a Save the Greenspace gathering this Saturday, August 4, that begins with a local-foods potluck at Casa Grande, continues with a carnival parade to downtown and reconvenes at the house with a fashion show and performances.
Connections
The creek that runs through these 10.5 acres has a 60-foot stream buffer and is a tributary to Morgan Creek. There’s a natural spring. Hardwoods cover much of the land. The land is home to deer and owls and to the white-breasted nuthatch, the hairy woodpecker and the towhee. And a plant was recently discovered on the property that hadn’t been seen in Orange County in at least 20 years – the Scentless Mock Orange (Philadelphus inodorus).
The property also is positioned to potentially interconnect the town’s greenways for unbroken biking and hiking. Primary constraints over 80 percent of the property would limit the number of homes that could be built on it.
Each of these are arguments made for preserving the Carrboro Greenspace – and, in the minds of the Carrboro Greenspace Collective, constitute a legitimate basis for a usufruct privilege.
Collective member Michal Osterweil says that the term has been used by similar movements “to suggest that other people’s land can be used for benefit or profit – in this case, benefit to the community in both ecological and social terms – as long as it’s not damaged,†and that such use adds value to the land.
In general terms, what the Carrboro Greenspace Collective is suggesting, says Osterweil, is that in certain cases the value of private property, “as allotted by a ‘real estate’ market, does not sufficiently consider other forms of value – such as green, social and cultural.
Bottom line: “We believe that in cases such as this, and considering the importance and value of this space in non-monetary terms, it would be fair to allot a certain privileging of our efforts over those of another buyer.â€
I’ve been involved in Greenspace and tomorrow’s event and I want to thank you for this thorough, inclusive, and extremely well-written article. It not only “says it all”, but captures both the spirit and the significance of this project, locally and beyond.
I hope this article travels far and wide. I’ve given it a start by posting an excerpt and link on my blog, Taoofchange.com.
Much gratitude,
Tracey Oliveto
I gather from this article that the members of Carrboro Greenspace believe that because they are unable, or too inept, to raise the funds for this space themselves, that someone must buy it for them. They believe that it is fair that they should own the property solely because they do not have money enough to purchase it themselves, but they do not think it fair to allow their financial backer any say in the future of the land. They are begging for someone to deliver more than a million dollars into their out-stretched hands and then back away from the investment. I think this is ludicrous. There are many people with visions and many people who succeed, but do so on their own, without begging and without the assumption that those with more owe their profits to those with less. Too many people believe that their own weaknesses should be compensated through the strengths of another. This is unjust. No one owes the Greenspace anything and if they choose to speak of fairness, then they must accept the fact that they do not the means to fulfill their vision and they must not ask anyone else to make up for their failings. To be truly democratic, one must be allowed to produce and acquire profits without the fear that it will be taken away by those who can not compete.
I am a member of Triangle Greens, the local chapter of the N.C. Green Party (www.ncgreenparty.org)and a resident of Chatham County. I am also a volunteer at the Internationalist Bookstore on Sunday afternoon shifts. I have supported Carrboro Greenspace, not only because it is such a unique, worthy green project for unique green Carrboro, but also because of its precedent example to Chatham County and the rest of the “fast-developing Triangle.” We need a usufruct greenspace project in Chatham County, Durham, and Raleigh, too, before it is too late. Thanks for leading out in the Triangle, Carrboro Greenspace, and please know that the knowledge, experience, and spirit of your efforts will always be alive in the Triangle, no matter what happens to this beautiful greenspace you have built your vision on at 116 Old Pittsboro Road.
Ed King, 919/933-4254
“To be truly democratic, one must be allowed to produce and acquire profits without the fear that it will be taken away by those who can not compete.”
Good grief….I hope that’s not the definition of democracy many people in this community adhere to. Democracy is about representation not the acquisition of profits.
Just a note:
I can’t imagine this property being sold for 1.4 million dollars. It has been on the market for over a year and there hasn’t been a buyer. It may have 10.5 acres and that may seem impressive on paper, but with with a 60 foot stream buffer subdividing the land, rolling hills and a very narrow access road, I am wondering how much of that property can really be developed.