In split vote, Durham green lights hundreds of new homes on Wake Forest Highway
A development that will bring hundreds of new homes to eastern Durham received approval from the City Council in a sharply divided vote late Monday night.
Known as the Howard Property project, the development is planned for 86.4 acres along N.C. 98, east of Kemp Road.
Durham-based developer Thomas and Hutton asked that the site be annexed into the city and rezoned to allow 50 single-family homes, 225 town homes, 225 apartments, and 12,000 square feet of retail space.
It will be one of the largest developments along N.C. 98, also known as Wake Forest Highway, a primarily two-lane road that stretches from northeast Raleigh into eastern Durham along Lick Creek.
City Council members voted 4-3 to approve the project, with Mayor Leo Williams, Javiera Caballero, Mark-Anthony Middleton and Carl Rist voting in favor and Nate Baker, Chelsea Cook and DeDreana Freeman voting in opposition.
Residents concerned about traffic, emergency response
During the nearly 4-hour-long meeting, dozens of residents spoke against the project, raising concerns about increased traffic in an already congested area, inadequate infrastructure, and slow emergency response times.
Residents who live along the highway said they already have trouble getting in and out of their driveways at peak hours and have witnessed bad car accidents. Environmentalists said the Lick Creek watershed, which flows into Falls Lake and the Neuse River, has already suffered from development pressure and pollution from sediment.
Dan Jewel, a spokesperson for the developer, said after months of neighborhood meetings, the developer is committed to affordable housing units in each housing type, new traffic signals on Kemp Road, environmental protections, funding for Durham Public Schools and the construction of two playgrounds and an open field.
“We think that our proposal provides the right balance between the need for more housing, much more in keeping with what we think will be palatable to the neighbors,” Jewel said. The construction of the project is projected to take eight years.
Other commitments in the project include
- 6% of the units will be designated affordable (it isn’t clear at what area median income level or for how long)
- A 30-foot wide buffer along the northern property line
- a 30-foot no-build and no parking setback along Wake Forest Highway
- Construction of a public greenway and dedicated easement
- No apartments or parking within 200 feet of homes to the north and east
- No development in the floodplain
Residents push back, council responds
Many speakers who live near the Howard Property project belong to Preserve Rural Durham, which presented a 45-slide presentation highlighting why they believe a large development will exacerbate existing concerns.
Southeast Durham is in “crisis,” resident Pamela Andrews said.
“We have rural gentrification, we have environmental issues, we have traffic issues, we have infrastructure issues,” she said.
Donna Steinbeck, another group member, said residents along the highway and in Durham County are seeing spikes in property taxes due to other developments in the watershed.
“[We] are retired, fixed income and we’ve seen many of our friends leave Durham,” she said. “The major driver for the land [value] increase we discussed is the new development.”
Tammy Sawaya, another resident, said she is concerned about slow response times from the fire and police departments. The nearest police station is about seven miles from the project and often, emergency vehicles can get stuck in the traffic on the highway.
Later this year, Durham Charter School is opening a new campus along N.C. 98 at Kemp Road, further adding to traffic concerns.
“You’re going to put people’s lives in danger because of the location,” Sawaya said. “We’ve got to do something about infrastructure.”
Robin Barefoot told the council members that Durham “doesn’t have to be like every other place.”
“Who do you work for?” Barefoot said. “Durham was cool before any of you were sworn in and God willing, there will be a Durham worth preserving when we vote you out of your seats.”
Rist thanked the residents for researching the project and presenting their concerns, saying he works “for all of you.”
“I feel like this is a case that, for me has cut across the threshold and meets what we want to do,” he said.
Williams directed his remarks at residents who were critical of his support for the Howard Property project and others like it. He said he would be voting for the project because it was a “stronger project than not.”
“If this isn’t good enough to get us in the right direction, I don’t know what is,” he said. “Durham is Dope; that means we’re innovative, it means we’re cool. We are trying our best to be the best city that we can be.”
Baker said that there is an environmental crisis in southeast Durham and that he couldn’t support the project.
“I’m too worried about infrastructure, I’m too worried about public facilities and services, I’m too worried about public parks,” he said. “I can’t with conscience vote for this case.”
Caballero said she understood her vote would upset some people.
“For folks who really want to preserve land, you have to buy it,” she said. “That’s how our economic underpinning on land works in the United States. We can argue about it, we can say it’s unfair, we can gnash our teeth. … This case offers a lot of good.”
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 10:06 AM with the headline "In split vote, Durham green lights hundreds of new homes on Wake Forest Highway."