Durham leaders reject 1,000 new housing units near 15-501 Walmart. Here’s why.
In a vote five minutes before midnight Monday, Durham city leaders rejected a large development proposed along U.S. 15-501 near Chapel Hill.
Ohio-based M/I Homes had asked Durham to annex 168 acres straddling the Orange-Durham county line for the project, but 37 residents united in opposition helped persuade the City Council to unanimously reject the proposal.
The project, named Moriah Ridge for its location on Mount Moriah Road, would have brought 1,000 apartments, townhomes and single-family homes.
Nil Ghosh, the attorney for the developer, said it would make for a true 15-minute neighborhood, since it’s a short walk from well-serviced bus lines, dozens of restaurants and New Hope Commons, where a Walmart is located.
“To not put housing here would be negligent,” Ghosh said.
But the glare from the strip malls quickly fades when driving north on Mt. Moriah, and residents said they don’t want new construction.
“The neighborhood being invaded is in rural Orange County,” Wanda Rhoden said. “We don’t want it developed.”
Council members noted that the acreage is outside Durham’s urban growth boundary, where leaders hope to limit sprawl, the same reason the planning commission cited when voting 6-2 against it.
“We have a delineation. This is pretty simple. It’s outside of that delineation,” Council member Nate Baker said.
The land has for decades been reserved for annexation by Chapel Hill, but officials in both places agreed over the past two years to modify the map, since Durham’s water and sewer lines are closer.
Residents were skeptical of those decisions. Kelly McGregor, whose land would have been boxed in by the new neighborhood, said her family opposed “plans pushed through on legislative technicalities and developments that are contrary to Durham’s well-researched and comprehensive growth plan.”
Mayor Pro Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton said he still expects development to come to this corridor someday. He recalled when state legislators forced Durham to annex the controversial 751 South development in 2013.
“Don’t think this is over,” he cautioned. “Even if this council says no, there are forces bigger than this council that are at work.”
How the Durham City Council vote on other developments
Another development considered Monday night has been delayed.
The proposed 140-unit apartment complex that Baltimore-based Ascension Construction and Development wants to build on Pickett Road is being pushed to March 17.
Leaders hope that will give them time to work out bird-friendly design features and bike path connections that could satisfy their neighbors, 30 of whom spoke in opposition.
Richard Grusin called it a “cookie-cutter project.” Durham Academy students and staff questioned where it would be safe to add so much traffic to their street.
Others worried about the impact on 102-acre Sandy Creek Park, a low-lying wetland that is a birding hot spot.
Brooks Emanuel, who coleads the local Feminist Bird Club chapter, said 185 species have been recorded in the park.
“That’s over one-third of all the bird species in the state of North Carolina. We’re talking about a biodiversity gem,” Emanuel said.
Ghosh, also the attorney for this developer, said they recognized the park would be an extraordinary amenity.
“Adding apartments here will help round out this community and make it a more complete neighborhood,” he said.
New townhomes coming to Durham
Meanwhile a third project was unanimously approved.
A developer had asked the city to annex 18 acres for a 98-townhome community at 2613 Carpenter Road.
- The buildings will not exceed three stories.
- Five townhomes will be sold at affordable prices for those making below 80% of the area median income, a deed restriction lasting 30 years.
- A bike path will be built along Carpenter Road.
- A quarter of the land will remain forested.
Residential developments are rapidly multiplying in the area, and activists from Preserve Rural Durham criticize them as car-dependent sprawl.
“You guys are killing downtown because you’re not forcing the residential development into the inner city, where you could make it vibrant again,” said Katie Ross.
“Yes, the amenities are not there yet, but at some point, they will come,” responded Tom Johnson, an attorney representing the developer.
This story was originally published February 4, 2025 at 9:34 AM.
