Davidson took the action a day after a group of landowners and developers sued the town to overturn a two-month-old building moratorium on more than 4,000 rurar acres east of town. The moratorium had been designed to give Davidson time to orchestrate its rapid growth, but the suit claims that local leaders have deliberately stalled development for years by not approving projects, depriving landowners of the right to sell and develop their land.

In a published report, Mayor Randy Kincaid says he felt it was time to take a stand and hopes the town's commitment will convince landowners the town is willing to put up the money to protect its land. The Davidson area contains some of the last-remaining undeveloped land in Mecklenburg County and has been under intense pressure from developers anxious to start residential projects.

Town planner Warren Burgess, hired last summer, has urged the town to spend money to preserve the acreage it considers most important, according to a published report. The amount of money involved is a huge commitment for a small town, he says in the report, but it was time to do something radical.

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