Maybe this is a done deal. However, my thinking is that if enough of us show up we may be able to reduce the harm. We may be able to save some of Durham, some of north county. It’s like the lottery – the odds are against us but if we don’t play we absolutely won’t win. Also, unlike the lottery, we don’t have to buy a ticket so there’s no downside to letting the people we elected know what we think.
The development community is behind a complete rewrite of the Uniform Development Ordinance which will be voted on by the City Council and the County Commissioners over the next few months. Among other gifts to developers the new UDO would upzone all of Durham up to the Urban Growth Boundary to allow 200,000 new housing units. Keep in mind that the State Office of Budget and Management and Durham’s Planning Department have projected that Durham, needs 60,000 new housing units between the years 2020 and 2050. In fact, the entire projected need of 60,000 new units has already been met, counting new units already built, those under construction, and those already approved. DURHAM IS BEING OVERBUILT NOW.
A recent state law bars any reduction in allowed density without a landowner’s permission. That means that if the upzone is passed, the upzone can never be undone no matter who our city and county electeds are. Density can be increased by local government but it cannot be decreased.
Upzoning most of the county to allow 200,000 additional units starting now means that almost all residential development in Durham would be “by right,” eliminating the need for public hearings or any approval from our elected officials. Almost all applications would be administratively processed within the planning department without the knowledge of the public. Single family developments are disfavored so large apartment complexes and townhomes will blanket all space up to the UGB. Because they never have enough, developers will push to redraw the boundary or eliminate it.
Under the pending new UDO, only annexations beyond the city limit will require public hearings. Those hearings will be mere formalities. With the upzone, all applicants will emphasize that their projects comply with the UDO and the new dense zoning standards. Approval, at least from a majority of the council, will be near automatic.
A couple of years ago the council was cautious about approving developments between the city limit and the UGB, aka, the Future Growth Area. The comprehensive plan anticipated that substantial development in the FGA would follow the building of necessary infrastructure. To gain approval to build in the FGA, developers had to make a strong case for annexation and rezoning. More recently, despite the lack of adequate emergency services and adequate traffic control, the city council majority has routinely approved dense development within the FGA. If the council passes the universal upzone, don’t expect them to impose any restraints on rabid, dense, development beyond the city limit up to the Urban Growth Boundary. When the developers fill up the future growth area, it won’t be long until the UGB is broken and then eliminated.
If you don’t want north Durham to become the next southeast Durham, plan to be present at hearings and make your voice heard. Details on how to do that will be published as the hearing schedule is set.
Meanwhile, if you want to ask the planning department questions about the new UDO you can meet with planners at our public libraries:
- Where: Durham County Main Library, 300 N Roxboro Street, Durham, NC 27701, Main Entrance/2nd-floor lobby
- When:
- First Thursdays 3PM-6PM*
- Third Thursdays 10AM-1PM
Note: Planning & Development staff will not have Office Hours on January 1, 2026 due to the holiday.
Newly added office hours:
- Tuesday, January 27 12:30PM-3PM, North Regional Library (221 Milton Road, Durham, NC 27712) Meeting Room
- Thursday, January 29 3PM-5:30PM, South Regional Library (4505 South Alston Avenue, Durham, NC 27713) Meeting Room
- Tuesday, February 3 3PM-5:30PM, East Regional Library (211 Lick Creek Lane, Durham, NC 27703) Meeting Room