Approval of apartments near RTP offers window into Durham council’s views on development
More apartments could soon be built on the U.S. 70 corridor between downtown Durham and Research Triangle Park.
Late Monday night, the Durham City Council approved a rezoning that allows a 320-unit apartment complex to be built by a developer headquartered in New York.
“It’s kind of amazed me how the Triangle region has kept expanding to further-out areas of Wake County, like Holly Springs and Zebulon, while the 4 or 5 miles that separate downtown Durham from RTP remain essentially underdeveloped,” said Nil Ghosh, the developer’s attorney.
The project, currently named Fox Crossing II, is just south of where U.S. 70 meets Interstate 885. It is designed as mixed-use, meaning it will include businesses below the apartments.
Several neighbors were concerned about traffic on the side roads that hem in the new development. Lynn Road is two lanes and Spring Street is narrow and unlined.
“This small community would be absolutely overwhelmed by this great number of vehicles,” Lynn Road resident John Currie said.
How the Durham City Council voted on development
The vote was split 4-3, in what has emerged as a familiar pattern in the newly elected and appointed council:
Mayor Leonardo Williams: Yes. “I’m glad to see that there’s going to be some commercial there,” he said. “It’s very residential over there and we’re now primed for truly building community.”
Mayor Pro Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton: Yes. “We are a city. There are people moving here at an incredible clip. We need housing everywhere,” he said.
Javiera Caballero: Yes. “We don’t want our city to sprawl,” she said. “You have to build up or your house prices go up even worse than they are right now.”
Carl Rist: Yes. “We need to keep building to address the need for housing,” he said, adding that it is close to transit stops even though it isn’t especially walkable.
DeDreana Freeman: No. “I don’t see a community benefit,” she said, adding that residents felt mistreated through the community engagement process.
Nate Baker: No. “We are growing. We are changing. We are urbanizing,” he said, explaining he thought the developer could provide more good for the neighborhood, such as a park or better street connectivity.
Chelsea Cook: No. “We are actually on track with developing enough housing to meet the population growth that’s been projected,” she said, expressing concerns about the project’s lack of walkability and added traffic.
Building housing around RTP
The first Fox Crossing is nearly complete and has 168 units.Here’s what is planned in the second phase, which is just north:
Address: 734 S. Miami Blvd.
Units: 320 apartments
Mixed-use: Another 2,000 to 7,000 square feet of commercial or civic space will be built. No gas station, drive-thru or club is allowed.
Income restrictions: 16 units will be rented at prices that are meant to be affordable to those making 80% of the area’s median income for 30 years.
Road improvements: A public turnaround at the end of Spring Street and a left turn lane on Lynn Road.
Height: No more than six stories.
Developer: KDM Development, which has completed several projects in North Carolina
Expected completion: 2027
Meanwhile, the planning department, a joint city-county agency, has taken the reins of a proposal to rezone a portion of Research Triangle Park.
That proposal seeks to craft a transit-oriented “15-minute-city,” an urban planning concept in which residents can access their everyday essentials — work, school, grocery stores, parks, restaurants, health care — within a 15-minute walk, bike ride or public transit trip.
The department is seeking feedback this month:
Tuesday, May 7: In-person open house held between 5:30 and 7 p.m. at 12 Davis Dr.
Tuesday, May 21: Virtual meeting at 6 p.m. on Zoom.
