The town of Durham is divided over the fate of the historic Mill Pond Dam, as residents and environmental organizations pushing for its removal have met with resistance from a group intent on its preservation.
DURHAM From a 10-acre field known as Osgood Farm in the early 1960s to a proposed large-scale Mill Plaza redevelopment project today, commerce and concern have collided at the corner of Mill Road and Main Street for years.
Mill Plaza’s unfinished story – played out in Town Council, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Planning Board meetings, and even in court – involves elements that normally influence proposed commercial developments everywhere: Its effect on nearby residential neighborhoods, on traffic, on parking, on the environment, and on the general character of the community.
For the residents who have followed this saga – Joshua Meyrowitz, Andrew Kun, Nell Neal and many others – the plaza over the years represents an opportunity unfulfilled, a promise unkept.