A section of the Lower Booker Creek Trail behind Eastgate Crossing in Chapel Hill is getting a makeover, with local groups planting native trees and vegetation to improve the area and help with stormwater management.
🌿 Volunteers added native species including River Birch, Elderberry, Swamp Milkweed, Inkberry and Blue Mistflower.
🌧️ The area is especially flood-prone, and the added vegetation is intended to help absorb more stormwater during heavy rain.
🔥 The trail also sits in what volunteers described as a heat island, surrounded by apartments, asphalt and retail. More trees should help add shade and make the greenway more comfortable to use.
🏘️ The location is right behind Eastgate, where ALDI was closed for nine months after flooding from Tropical Depression Chantal, and near apartments that also experienced flooding.
It is a good example of how landscaping, stormwater planning and public space can all come together in one place, especially in areas where development and flood risk overlap.
#ChapelHill #Stormwater #CommercialRealEstate #CRE #Placemaking #GreenInfrastructure #CommunityDevelopment #NorthCarolina
