Durham City Council passed a contested rezoning proposal by one vote and approved a resolution calling for the “reopening” of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) during its Monday meeting.
Rezoning proposals
In a 4-3 vote following a two-and-a-half-hour discussion, the council passed a controversial proposal to rezone 6.12 acres on Pickett Road from residential suburban to planned development residential to allow construction of up to 140 apartments.
The proposal was initially presented to the Council Feb. 3, but a final vote was postponed to enable the developer, Ascension, to address community concerns. In response, Ascension made additional commitments for buildings with residential units, such as meeting certain energy certification requirements, installing at least one elevator in multistory buildings and providing a one-time $300,000 contribution to Durham sidewalk payment in-lieu fund.
Over 20 residents spoke against the proposal. Some shared concerns about the development’s environmental impact on bird populations in the adjacent Sandy Creek Park. Concerned locals pointed to the proposed building’s height, parking infrastructure and all-hours lighting as threats to the nearby bird habitat.
Other residents argued that the development could increase runoff and pollution in the local watershed, which connects to Jordan Lake, and increase flood risk for nearby homeowners. Some speakers also challenged the proposal’s consistency with place type requirements for public transportation and pedestrian access, arguing that such infrastructure “does not exist.”
Nil Ghosh, an attorney with Morningstar Law Group who represented the applicant, argued that the development would not impact floodplains or wetlands.
Councilmember Javiera Caballero shared that the current zoning could allow the development of 12 private homes on the land, which may not guarantee the rezoning proposal’s affordability or environmental and pedestrian protections. Other council members applauded the developer for addressing community concerns, such as efforts to increase bird-friendly design.
The council unanimously passed a proposal to rezone 24.13 acres on Chin Page Road from industrial park and residential rural to planned development residential in order to build up to 360 multifamily residential units.
According to Ghosh, the developer received a unanimous recommendation from the Planning Commission. Still, they made additional commitments in line with the city’s comprehensive plan, including increasing the portion of affordable housing units from three to six percent.
Council passes USAID resolution
The council unanimously passed a resolution calling for the “reopening” of USAID and the immediate lifting of the stop work order on foreign assistance programs, addressing the direct economic impact on Durham through funding and employment contracts.
“This is un-American, what’s happening,” Mayor Leonardo Williams said.
Brianna Clarke-Schwelm, executive director of the North Carolina Global Health Alliance, spoke about the impact of the funding cuts on North Carolinians.
“USAID-funded programs are good for the world, and they are good for us,” she said, citing programs that address counterterrorism, infectious diseases and investing in economic development across the globe.
Williams spoke about the importance of working at the local level in light of current events, suggesting that Durham look “inward rather than upward” to navigate these “interesting times.”
In other business
Council members heard community members’ perspectives on the fiscal year 2025-26 budget and FY 2026-31 Capital Improvement Plan.
Christina Riordan, director of budget and management services for the City of Durham, shared that 2025 is a “reevaluation year” in which the county tax office reassesses property values. The reassessment could change the current property tax rate of 59.62 cents per $100 of property value as a revenue-neutral rate is calculated.
Several Durham residents advocated for expanded funding for Durham’s Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Team (HEART) — an alternate crisis response program — to run 24 hours a day.
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Councilmember Carl Rist read a proclamation declaring March 23 as Crop Hunger Walk Day in honor of the 51st Durham CROP Hunger Walk, which has raised a total of $5.5 million for hunger relief since its inception — including over $1.4 million to organizations combating hunger in Durham. Activities for this year’s walk are slated to begin in front of the Duke Chapel at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, with “step off” at 2:30 p.m.
Mayor Pro Tempore Mark-Anthony Middleton shared that alongside Councilmember DeDreana Freeman and others, he attended the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference to speak with federal leaders about Durham’s identity and its needs.
Michael Austin is a Trinity junior and managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.