From the gravel road that circles West Point on the Eno Park, at the point it makes its sharp turn to the east and runs between a picnic shelter to the left and an open space to the right, you can see Black Meadow Ridge.

At some time in the future, you could be seeing the rear ends of townhouses -- there, where the woods now come right down to a creek.

Alternately, the view could stay pretty much the same, allowing for natural processes such as wind, air, water and age. Which it is remains to be determined, but the next step in determination is, right now, up to City Manager Tom Bonfield.

This week, the City Council gave Bonfield the go-ahead to begin talks on transferring management of West Point on the Eno Park to the State Parks System.

The intent is to tap the state's resources to buy and conserve in perpetuity 60 wooded slopes on the present border of what environmental educator Wayne Poole called "the jewel of the park system in the city of Durham."

The council also voted to suspend its touchy rezoning request on the property, to avoid further complicating negotiations. The land's owner, former Durham resident Mildred Ray, and its prospective developer, Keith Brown of Chapel Hill, agreed to hold off on their plans for a 235-unit subdivision in return for the city's holding off on rezoning.

More than a generation ago, the Ray property was expected to lie along a thoroughfare called "Eno Drive," and to be built up with apartments or condominiums. The Eno Drive plan was abandoned long ago, and the property has remained a haven for deer, foxes, birds and the occasional nature-appreciating human -- and a sylvan buffer between the park and the Argonne Hills and Horton Hills neighborhoods.

A ridgeline runs roughly east-west through Black Meadow Ridge, with steep slopes on either side, and creeks feeding into the Eno River -- itself a tributary of the Falls Lake reservoir -- run along either end. The ridgetop is grown up in open woods, with outcrops of rock and stones collected into conical piles at some time in the past for purposes unknown.

The prospect of another subdivision on the Ray land brought neighborhoods and conservationists together in opposition. They feared worsened traffic congestion, depressed property values and visual and chemical pollution in West Point Park.

The first idea advanced, more than a year ago, was for the city to buy the land and add it to West Point. Two appraisals estimated its value around $3 million. Meanwhile, some members of the Friends of West Point support group were pushing the notion of state purchase for addition to the Eno River State Park, and while they were at it, assuming control of city-owned West Point as well.

"The bottom line," said Argonne Hills homeowner Beverly Rush, "[is] we don't care who owns it. ... It's the people's park. We would like to see the transfer take place."

No official contacts between the city and state have been made yet. Ray's representative and Brown have said they are not opposed to selling the land for conservation. The state park system, according to spokesman Charlie Peek, is "very intrigued" -- but waiting to hear from Durham City Hall. Where the $3 million would come from, Poole said, would "take some study."

Besides money, Poole and several other speakers at this week's council meeting raised worries about access to West Point if it goes under state management: whether the present educational programs and events such as Festival for the Eno could continue. Proponents don't see that as a concern.

"I'm in favor of moving forward," Mayor Bill Bell said.

Robin Jacobs, director of the Eno River Association, said she is "very pleased" at the council's action.

"It seems like action will be taken one way or another," she said. "The association has not taken a position on whether state management would be preferable to city management. We are happy if the property is protected and is going to stay that way."