Current Situation

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The Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh is closing. Will the hillside open space of the Dorothea Dix property overlooking Raleigh be sold to the highest bidder or will the public retain control and use? The State of North Carolina acquired the beginnings of what became 2300 acres to establish a mental hospital in Raleigh in 1848. Highways, dams, landfills, warehouses, expansion of NC State University, and other uses have reduced the Dorothea Dix Campus to a mere 335 acres. Only about 100 acres – less than 5% of the original Dix campus – outside the floodplain remains open, green, and accessible to the public.

The future of the state-owned Dorothea Dix Hospital Campus is now up for grabs. The future of this property is up to you. “Some people – including some legislators – want to sell the property to developers for a quick buck.”

April 1, 2005, is the deadline for a new Master Plan from the DOROTHEA DIX MASTER PLAN OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, a subcommittee of the Dorothea Dix Property Study Commission. This committee is charged with enhancing communication and feedback as it oversees the development of a new Master Plan by the Charlotte firm LandDesign. Representatives from LandDesign will be gathering input from “stakeholders” through meetings and public forums during December and January. Following review of the new Master Plan, the Property Study Commission will make recommendations to the 2005 General Assembly. Will it be the quick buck?

The FRIENDS OF DOROTHEA DIX PARK  has a better idea. “We support permanently protecting the remaining open space and creating a new Dorothea Dix Park for all the citizens of North Carolina to enjoy. We need your help to protect this beautiful, sacred and threatened place.” Personal visits, phone calls, letters and emails are the most effective.

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