Vote looms on controversial Durham developments. What we know about them
City Hall will be bustling Monday night with residents from around Durham planning to protest developments proposed for their neighborhoods.
Three projects totaling over 1,200 apartments and townhomes are on the City Council agenda, including a big one along the boundary with Chapel Hill.
Here is what we know about the proposed developments, and why neighbors are organizing to stop them.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m.
Moriah Ridge
The largest project is Moriah Ridge, a new neighborhood proposed along Mt. Moriah Road just north of the bustling commercial district where Interstate 40 meets U.S. 15-501.
Developers are asking Durham to annex 168 acres straddling the Orange-Durham county line for a 1,000-unit project.
- It would include 350 apartments, plus a mix of for-sale townhomes and single-family houses, according to the developer. They’d also be allowed 2,500 square feet of office space.
- Fifty of the apartments would be rented at affordable prices for 30 years.
- Buildings would top out at three stories.
- Turn lanes would be added along Mt. Moriah and Erwin roads. A bike path would be built on both sides of Mt. Moriah Road.
An attorney for the developer, Ohio-based M/I Homes, said it will be a true 15-minute neighborhood because it’s a short walk from well-serviced bus lines, dozens of restaurants and New Hope Commons, where Walmart is located.
The planning commission voted 6-2 against recommending the development, noting it was outside of the urban growth boundary, where leaders hope to limit sprawl.
“If it had been inside the UGB, I would have been inclined to support it,” Commissioner Matt Kopac wrote, praising the mix of housing types and and walkability.
Residents who attended the planning commission meeting were split, with many wary of the traffic and scope.
Wanda Rodan, whose house would be surrounded on three sides, said her “safety is in question.” But Malcolm Isley argued it was was a “solid” plan, with “price points for many different individuals and families.”
The land had for decades been reserved for annexation by Chapel Hill, but officials modified the map last year since Durham’s water and sewer lines are more closer. The land will remain in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district.
Pickett Road apartments in southwest Durham
A developer wants to build a 140-unit apartment building on 6 acres at 3117 Pickett Road.
- The building would not be taller than five stories.
- A quarter of the site would remain forested.
- For the next 30 years, 14 apartments would be priced as affordable for those making below the area’s median income.
- They’d build a bike lane along Pickett Road and widen the street with turn lanes.
Baltimore-based Ascension Construction and Development touts the “serene location” and proximity to “businesses, entertainment, shopping, and restaurants.”
The planning commission recommended against it by an 8-2 vote, citing flooding and traffic concerns. Commissioner Kari Wouk said the project is “incompatible with this land.”
It’s adjacent to the 102-acre Sandy Creek Park, a low-lying wetland with a paved walking trail. The city says it’s a “birding hot spot,” where more than 100 species have been sighted.
“There is also an abundance of other wildlife, including beavers, deer, otters, coyotes, red fox, and turtles,” the city’s greenway guide states.
Those against the project include bird enthusiasts, environmental advocates and families and faculty from Durham Academy — whose upper school is across the street, as well as bikers concerned about increased road traffic.
The developer’s attorney said shrinking the project would make it economically impossible to provide affordable housing.
East Durham tonwhomes
The smallest and least controversial case is in east Durham, where a developer has asked the city to annex 18 acres for a 98-townhome community at 2613 Carpenter Road.
- The buildings would not exceed three stories.
- Five townhomes would be sold at affordable prices for those making below 80% of the area median income, a deed restriction lasting 30 years.
- They’d build a bike path along Carpenter Road.
- A quarter of the land would remain forested.
Residential developments are rapidly multiplying in the area, and activists from Preserve Rural Durham criticize them as car-dependent sprawl.
However, the planning commission recommended this townhome community by 9-1 vote.
“Seems to be a solid project with a good balance of affordable housing and some environmental protections,” wrote Vice-Chair Sarah Chagaris.
