Legion Property

Later this summer, we’ll begin work to transform our Legion Road property into a future home for an affordable housing community, a constructed wetland, and a new public park.

This initial phase of work will create some of the stormwater control measures needed for the future affordable housing community.

• We’ll put a fence around the pond area and restrict parking for safety. The dance studio and the trails that connect to Ephesus Park will remain open.
• We’ll remove the dam, pond, and surrounding trees. An engineering study classified the dam as high hazard, which means it has a very high possibility of failure.
• We’ll install a new outlet pipe where the dam is currently located. This will be the primary stormwater control device both during construction and for the future affordable housing community.
• We expect this phase to be completed in Spring/Summer 2027 and expect the fence to remain in place. Construction of the affordable housing community could begin as early as 2028. The constructed wetland will be completed after completion of the affordable housing community.

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about the removal of the dam and pond, and the constructed wetland that will eventually replace them.

The State is reviewing our permit applications for removing the pond, dam, and trees that are along the pond. We expect this construction to begin this summer. This current phase of the project includes a wildlife assessment.

Representative Valerie Foushee (D-NC-04) recently announced $2,000,000 in funding for the affordable housing development planned for the Legion Road property. The developer still expects to apply for Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funding in 2027.

Town staff is working on final designs and permits to remove the pond, dam, and trees on the site (including an assessment of any wildlife living in or immediately around the pond). We anticipate removal to begin in early 2026. An application for Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funding is expected to be submitted for consideration in 2027.

A Town subcontractor, Summit, will be boring holes at the Legion Property starting May 5. This will look like some heavy equipment on the property and may include tree branch trimming or small tree removal.

Plans to build affordable housing, a wetland, and a park on the Town’s property at 1714 Legion Road are moving forward in the coming months – starting with the removal of the dam and pond. The dam is hazardous, so it and the pond need to be removed to protect downstream properties and make way for the rest of the project.

The Timeline

The section of the property along Legion Road will start to look different this fall, when we begin to remove the dam and pond. When that’s complete, the area will store sediment, stormwater, and equipment during the construction of affordable housing.

The affordable housing construction is expected to begin sometime in late 2027 or early 2028 and should be complete by 2029. Once it’s finished, we will build the wetland in the area where the pond once was. The remaining 24 acres of the property will become a new public park.

Visiting the Property

We expect the existing driveway to remain open until late 2026, to allow community members to access the dance studio and enjoy open space on the property, outside of the construction area. Throughout the entire project, the dance studio and open space will remain accessible from Ephesus Park and nearby trails.