Help fight against sprawl, for sustainable development in Durham

Developers are proposing hundreds of acres of sprawl each month. This month, they're proposing more than we've ever seen. Here is information to learn more and actions you can take to push back.

In June, 2022, multiple real estate developers are requesting to annex and rezone multiple large properties totaling 484 acres of land. This is an unprecedented amount of developer-initiated rezonings: It is the most Durham has ever seen in the City’s history.

Instead of creating complete, walkable, equitable neighborhoods with walkable design, services, civic space, and housing variety, every request includes only a single land use (single family / townhome) over their entire area. With just one land use, and lacking design elements that would realistically allow transportation options, thousands of new residents will be entirely dependent upon just one mode of climate-destroying transportation: the automobile.

Here are the main cases below (action items are provided below the cases):

June 14, 5:30pm (agenda) - Durham Planning Commission (Digital)

Holder Branch Residential | 61.1 acres | Current land use: agriculture, forest

Needs annexation? YES | Request: PDR 4.2, 229 single family attached or detached

Walkable design and land use pattern? NO

Affordable housing? NO

Wilkinson Estates | 48.4 acres | Current land use: agriculture

Needs annexation? YES | Request: PDR 4.2, 185 single family attached

Walkable design and land use pattern? NO

Affordable housing? NO

June 23, 5:30pm (agenda) - Durham Planning Commission (Digital)

Kemp Road Subdivision | 280 acres | Current land use: agriculture

Needs annexation? YES | Request: PDR 3.2, 666 single family attached or detached

Walkable design and land use pattern? NO

Affordable housing? NO

Notes: Proposing 51% open space with wildlife corridors, which is significant

Stella View | 63 acres | Current land use: agriculture, some residential

Needs annexation? YES | Request: PDR 4.5, 230 single family attached or detached

Walkable design and land use pattern? NO

Affordable housing? NO

5202 Leesville Road | 22 acres | Current land use: agriculture, some residential

Needs annexation? YES | Request: PDR 5.4, 230 single family attached

Walkable design and land use pattern? NO

Affordable housing? NO

After these cases are voted on at the Planning Commission meetings, staff will move them forward to the City Council for final votes.

What is sprawl and why should we stop it?

What can you do?

Write to the Durham Planning Commission (DurhamPlanningCommission@durhamnc.gov) and tell us we as a city cannot afford to approve another 400+ acres of unsustainable residential sprawl. You can speak generally or do more research on the cases above and develop more detailed comments as you please. Shoot me a text if you have questions: (919) 308-0482

Write to Durham decision-makers: Durham County Commission (Commissioners@dconc.gov) and the Durham City Council (council@durhamnc.gov)

I suggest the following (but speak to what you most believe in):

• You are aware there is more unsustainable sprawl on the Planning Commission June agendas than Durham has ever seen in a single month (over 400 acres)

• Residents, climate and equity activists need to be listened to and Durham needs to change the way that the city grows, from solely auto-oriented to walkable, green, and transit-oriented.

• The Planning Commission voted unanimously to initiate the text amendment process nearly a year ago and the amendments have not yet moved forward, preventing our work on many other urgent amendments that advance walkable and sustainable growth. Ask the City to move the amendments forward and continue working on updating and modernizing our zoning ordinance.

• Planning Commissioners have been requesting a UDO rewrite for years - to incorporate sustainable development standards and clearer procedures - and now residents are demanding it too.

Finally, please sign up (“subscribe”) so that we can start organizing collectively to build a more walkable and equitable Durham.

If you have thoughts, suggestions, concerns or anything else, please reach out. I’m a Durham resident and professional community planner. I could use help with organizing, communicating, etc. Thank you for caring about building a dense, walkable, green, equitable, and sustainable city!