It may have taken some extra prodding from Sen. Marc Basnight, but plans for an eco-park in northern Camden County appear to be taking shape.

Officials from the University of North Carolina will present design plans on the park to county officials on Aug. 28.

The presentation follows a period of lagging progress as Basnight, D-Dare, and UNC researchers clashed over design ideas.

In a meeting two months ago, Basnight told UNC officials he was dissatisfied with the progress of the park and requested a feasibility study be done.

"When UNC first met with me, I didn't think they were well prepared to attract people of like concern," Basnight said. "They should have come to the table with better ideas."

David Selvesen, deputy director of the UNC's Center for Sustainable Community Design, says designing the park has been challenging because his department has had very little to work with.

Eco-parks continue to be sparse throughout the country, and are often unsuccessful, Selvesen said.

Of the 38 eco-parks across the country that Salvesen's department researched, only one or two utilized some type of green design.

Since last November, researchers from UNC have visited the proposed site in northern Camden County multiple times, studying the feasibility of the location, environmental design model and financing possibilities.

County officials believe the park is advancing through research and development.

County Manager Randall Woodruff remains optimistic about the project, knowing the park will increase tax revenues and create jobs for residents.

"(The park) is still moving along, and it's exciting for Camden for this type of project to be considered here," Woodruff said Friday.

Basnight pitched the eco-park idea to Camden officials and UNC environmental researchers last year in lieu of the Black Bear Landfill project proposed for the same location.

Basnight's vision of a green park would not only promote Earth-friendly industry in Camden, but it would also create a template for implementation of green parks nationwide, he said.

At present, North Carolina State University School of Design is working on a conceptual design for the park.

"We've been meeting one or two times a week going over designs." Selvesen said.

Included in the research and design phase is identifying what types of business have previously been attracted to eco-parks and why.

According to Selvesen, many businesses were attracted to the green parks because their company has a vested interest in the environment. Others were attracted merely for the location, he said.

"We would not want an environmentally hazardous business coming to Camden," Woodruff said.

If plans progress, the park would likely be built in three phases. Phase one would include developing on a 360-acre parcel of government-owned land and eventually expanding that over time.

"It's a project that is very innovative, and if it's successful it could be regionally beneficial," Woodruff said.

The presentation by UNC officials on Aug. 28 will be held at 4 p.m. in the Camden Middle School auditorium.