BCR's Daily Fishwrap Report for December 3, 2008

There's plenty in the papers today to peruse. We're working on follow-up on some of these stories in the coming days, but the highlights:

• Durham's historic preservation commission blocked NCCU's request to demolish the Alex Rivera house; Central plans to appeal to the state. (H-S)
• Development downtown reached $50.7 million in the recently completed fiscal year -- a decent number for a bad economy, though that's down more than half from the $110 million in the last fiscal. On the plus side, downtown employment is up to 13,500 while the residential population has reached just under 1,500. (H-S)
• The City Council postponed until mid-December a request from Duke that the City abandon the public right-of-way on two streets that surround the Smith Warehouse complex. The subject is one of some intrigue and lobbying between neighborhood and university officials; this is a story to watch in the coming weeks. (H-S)
• A public hearing is set for tonight on the initial plans for the Hollow Rock Access Area park along the Durham-Orange line near New Hope Creek; the property was bought up in 2004 by four regional governments after an uproar over a proposed subdivision on the site. Identical presentations will be held at 6pm and 7pm at the New Hope Improvement Association Center, 4012 Whitfield Rd. (N&O)