On November 18th, Durham city council voted 4 to 3 to approve annexations on Doc Nichols Road and Leesville Road. Debate over the small projects in southeast Durham underlined the council’s sharp divide on suburban sprawl, environmental protection, and developer influence.
Now approved, the Doc Nichols Road annexation clears the way for construction of 25 townhomes by Steve Gillooly and Tim Sivers. The developers promised not to use mass grading, a land leveling method that has contributed to sediment pollution of waterways in southeast Durham [1]. The builders proffered $10,000 for Durham Public Schools (DPS) and $25,000 for the Dedicated Housing Fund (DHF). The city’s Planning Commission, which makes non-binding recommendations, voted against the Doc Nichols Road annexation.
Council members Nate Baker, Chelsea Cook, and DeDreana Freeman, who tend to align with the Planning Commission, criticized the Doc Nichols Road project as an example of sprawling, unsustainable development.
“I want to see growth coming from the urban center out towards the urban boundary,” said Cook. “That way we can keep up with the growth and we can have the infrastructure following. What we’re instead seeing is less expensive land… in that outer rim being purchased by developers and clearcut because that’s the profit maximization” [2, timestamp 1:59:30].
Cook continued, “It would make our lives a lot easier if [development] was moving from the dense city center out toward the residential area so that folks could actually have the amenities and affordable living they deserve and need” [2, timestamp 2:00:15].
Over the course of 2024, nine votes on development have split the city council into the same 4 to 3 coalitions [3]. The majority group, which rubber-stamps virtually all requests for annexation or rezoning, includes council members Javiera Caballero, mayor pro tempore Mark-Antony Middleton, Carl Rist, and mayor Leonardo Williams.
A smaller bloc made up of Baker, Cook, and Freeman have been willing to vote against developers if the projects lack affordable housing, community benefits, or don’t align with the council members’ views on urban planning and environmental protection.
“If you look at [the Doc Nichols site] and the development around it (in southeast Durham), we’re looking at some of the most unsustainable development on the planet,” said Baker. “That is American-style suburban planning, which is 100 percent auto-oriented. It’s thousands upon thousands of acres of climate catastrophic development” [2, timestamp 2:06:30].
More generally, Baker called for the city council to work with landowners and developers to coordinate investments and rationalize Durham's growth. He asked, “How can we work with the developers to cluster development … using the three Ds (density, diversity, design) of walkability and transit-oriented development?” [2, timestamp 2:05:45]
The Leesville Road annexation wasn’t debated as long as the Doc Nichols Road case since the two projects, and therefore the disagreements, were so similar. The Leesville Road project, which aims to build 20 townhomes, is also located in southeast Durham and associated with Tim Sivers. In this case, the developer proffered $5,000 to DPS and $20,000 to DHF. After a few technical questions from Cook, the second annexation was approved by a 4 to 3 vote.
Since January 2024, according to Bull City Public Investigators, “93% of development cases involving a zoning change or annexation were approved by City Council. The Planning Commission recommended approval in 76% of those cases” [3].
Many of the annexations, such as Doc Nichols and Leesville Road, contribute to a pattern of sprawling and unsustainable development in Durham. Developers can expect continued free reign unless Baker, Cook, and Freeman gain a fourth vote on city council.
Putting aside disagreements in Durham, it should be recognized that the housing crisis has been imposed largely by state government. For example, North Carolina laws ban the use of rent control (G.S. 42-14.1) and ban the construction of public housing that competes with the private sector (Umstead Act).
Work Cited
1. Wagner, Adam. “Environmental Group Sues Durham Developer, Alleging Ongoing Stream Pollution.” News and Observer, 13 Sept. 2023, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article279098489.html.
2. “Durham City Council, Nov 18 2024.” YouTube, 19 Nov. 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=63oBFdmfI8k.
3. “How Durham City Council Voted on Development in 2024.” BCPI’s Substack, 17 Dec. 2024, bcpi.substack.com/p/how-durham-city-council-voted-on.
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