Comprehensive Plan means nothing.
The city electeds have started their summer break (all of July) and the county electeds are off July 9 to August 5. In this summer break from our civic leaders’ mischief we have time for thought about the future of Durham County’s growth, especially our dwindling rural and forested areas.
In October, 2023, the city and county adopted the long awaited Durham Comprehensive Plan. The city’s website announced,
“THE NEW DURHAM COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS ADOPTED!
After four years of detailed collaboration among community members, Planning staff, and elected officials, with the common goal of producing an equitable final product, the 2023 Comprehensive Plan has been adopted. This plan will be used by elected officials to guide important decisions around zoning and other planning issues for the next 15 to 20 years.”
All city and county electeds voted to adopt the comprehensive plan. However, half a year later we know that a majority of the city council had their fingers crossed when voting. An egregious example occurred on May 20th when four members, Williams, Middleton, Caballero, and Rist, approved Virgil Road Assemblage, a 200 acre, over 500 unit, residential complex in southeast Durham. As the dissenters pointed out, the project violates the Comprehensive Plan in several ways and was unanimously rejected by the Planning Commission. 160 acres of forest will be mass graded and there will be extensive blasting because the terrain is very uneven. Two streams on the property will be crossed and degraded. Animal habitat above and below the ground will be destroyed.
Of great concern to us in the north county, a large portion of the Virgil Road project sits within the future growth area which is not supposed to be annexed and rezoned under the Comprehensive Plan. Since developers are literally running out of open land to exploit in southeast Durham, they are licking their lips over north county. The main safeguards for semi-rural north Durham are the Urban Growth Boundary and future growth areas. The city council majority has proven they will disregard those provisions of the Comprehensive Plan and annex and rezone as they please. It usually pleases them to please developers.
A member of the Planning Commission, Tony Sease, was so appalled by the City Council’s approval of Virgil Road and general disregard for the planning commission and the environment, he resigned.
What to do? Stay informed. Write to electeds. Go to City Council Meetings and County Commissioner meetings (at least participate by zoom). Implore people who can vote in Durham city elections to a) change mayors in 2025 and b) elect council members who will honor the comprehensive plan and keep Durham from annexing north of the Urban Growth Boundary.
For more information:
Save Durham 