CHATHAM COUNTY, N.C. — Despite being in one of the nation’s fastest-growing states, this rural county of roughly 85,000 people is still brimming with red foxes, coyotes, white-tailed deer, and wild turkeys.

But in recent months, Enbridge Gas North Carolina’s proposed plans for a natural gas pipeline have exposed how population growth, here and across the nation, is driving a divide between wealthy newcomers and longtime residents.

A nine-month fight to stop nearly 600 homes and townhomes planned for a forest filled with wetlands and streams in Chatham County heads to the Planning Board for a recommendation Tuesday.

The 365-acre Fearrington Preserve site is located south of Briar Chapel and west of U.S. 15-501 and Fearrington Village. It includes an 18,000-square-foot commercial building, green spaces and trails.

Chatham County signed a nondisclosure agreement in June with Fearrington Land Holdings LLC covering negotiations around a potential affordable housing site donation.

The Chatham County Board of Commissioners met on Monday to continue last month’s public hearing for Fearrington Preserve, a proposed mixed-use housing community located off of Andrews Store Road. While aiming to bring affordable housing north of Pittsboro, it has been met with continued scrutiny from residents and county staff alike.