RDU picks Texas developer to transform Lake Crabtree Park into massive recreation campus

July 21, 2025

Axios Raleigh | July 18th, 2025

A conceptual rendering of an outdoor recreational area with zip lines, climbing structures, people walking, biking, and kids playing on rocks near modern buildings with patios and trees under a clear blue sky.
A conceptual rendering of Pacific Elm’s proposed outdoors-oriented entertainment complex. Photo: Courtesy of RDU International

Raleigh-Durham International Airport is in the early stages of working with the Texas developer Pacific Elm Properties to build an outdoor recreation complex on the former Lake Crabtree County Park.

Why it matters: The future of the Lake Crabtree County Park at 1400 Aviation Pkwy. in Morrisville has been particularly controversial after the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority decided to redevelop land that had once been leased to the county and was especially popular with mountain bikers.

  • The airport says new rules from the Federal Aviation Administration mean that airports must lease land at fair market value if they receive federal grants.

Driving the news: In turn, the RDU Airport Authority sought proposals from developers for an entertainment complex built on 136 acres of land.

  • On Thursday, the Airport Authority said it had begun working with Pacific Elm Properties on a proposal that could potentially add an outdoor recreation facility.

What’s happening: Pacific Elm is not new to the region. It’s currently partnering with the Carolina Hurricanes on a massive redevelopment of Lenovo Center’s parking lots.

  • In its proposal to the airport, which has been obtained by Axios, Pacific Elm pitched the idea of bringing an expansion of the U.S. National Whitewater Center, a major tourism destination in Charlotte.
  • Earlier this year, the Whitewater Center said it had been approached about an opportunity in Raleigh, Axios previously reported.
  • A spokesperson for the Whitewater Center told Axios in an email that it’s “excited to be exploring the possibility of collaborating on the project in Wake County.” Pacific Elm has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Zoom in: Pacific Elm’s proposal to the airport said it believes a Whitewater Center in Raleigh would attract 1.1 million visitors annually, compared to 1.3 million in Charlotte.

  • The proposal to the airport has been redacted heavily, leaving many of the details obscured.
  • But Pacific Elm pitched it as a potential premier destination in the Raleigh market, attracting both families and lovers of outdoor recreation. “Whitewater Raleigh will inspire millions to connect and engage outside,” the proposal states.
  • At Thursday’s Airport Authority meeting, Aaron Locke, a representative of Pacific Elm Properties, told the board that no plans have been finalized with the Whitewater Center, the Triangle Business Journal reported.

What’s next: The Airport Authority and Pacific Elm will collect input from the public on the potential development of the property at three workshops — Aug. 19, Sept. 23 and Oct. 21. Details about each are TBD.