Chicken Hut Becomes Landmark, City Manager Spending Authority Boosted

The council celebrated proclamations—from MedWeek to water awareness and arts—then unanimously set new contract approval thresholds, landing at $250k for services and $500k for goods, construction, and electric utility purchases. Public hearings crowned the Chicken Hut a local historic landmark and closed with a 4–3 annexation vote for Heartland Park townhomes, after debate on affordability and environmental protections. 44mins

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Original Meeting

Monday, October 6th, 2025
16762.0
Full Meeting on YouTube
Video Notes

Welcome to the Durham City Council meeting for October 6, 2025.

To view the meeting agenda, visit http://DurhamNC.gov/AgendaCenter

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To contact City Council members directly, visit https://www.durhamnc.gov/1323

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Alex Rosen
Durham, North Carolina
As the Executive Director of See Gov, I focus on how to best achieve our mission of expanding thoughtful and consistent participation in democracy. I develop See Gov's technology, work to grow our impact, and find ways to sustain our nonprofit. I live in Durham, NC and make highlight reels for Durham and other See Gov pilot communities.
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In This Video
  • Durham's Deputy CFO accepted a proclamation for Minority Enterprise Development Week and outlined Durham’s MedWeek events, including a keynote by Curtis Ray Hill and sessions on commercial lending and the city-backed Durham Opportunity Loan Program.
  • The Council received a proclamation for Imagine a Day Without Water, and staff announced a mural unveiling on the South Ellerbe Creek Greenway to raise awareness about the value of water and local infrastructure.
  • Laura Fogle highlighted Digital Durham’s recognition by a national alliance, thanked City leadership for partnership, described the coalition’s vision, reported significant reductions in households without internet or devices since the pandemic, and invited the public to learn more and join via the Digital Durham website.
  • Katie Wyatt, the new executive director of the Durham Arts Council, thanked the Council for proclaiming October as National Arts and Humanities Month and affirmed the arts’ central role in Durham’s identity, economy, and community life.
  • Maria Nella McColl accepted the City’s Hispanic Heritage Month proclamation and emphasized its symbolic importance in recognizing and valuing Durham’s Hispanic and Latino residents.
  • Council Member Baker announced progress on the Unified Development Ordinance rewrite and shared details for an upcoming technical code presentation with a Zoom link available on EngageDurham.
  • Council Member Rist highlighted a local news story about a parent-and-child bike bus traveling along the American Tobacco Trail to Southwest Elementary and encouraged viewers to watch it.
  • Mayor Pro Tem Middleton offered condolences to the family of Dewarren Langley and reflected on Langley’s impact on the community, celebrating a legacy of advocacy that would continue.
  • Madeleine Jones urged the Council to reject or revise the proposed wildlife feeding ban, warning that its vague language could criminalize feeding community and feral cats and undermine trap‑neuter‑return efforts.
  • Council Member Cook clarified that the wildlife feeding ordinance language would be discussed at the Thursday work session, invited public comment in person or online, and noted a subsequent vote scheduled for Monday the 20th.
  • Mayor Williams introduced a general business agenda item to rewrite the resolution setting the City Manager’s contract approval thresholds.
  • Council Member Cook opposed a proposed tenfold increase to the City Manager’s service contract approval threshold, citing transparency concerns and recent leadership changes, and instead advocated raising the limit to $100,000.
  • Council Member Baker supported raising contract thresholds for goods, construction and repair, and electric utility purchases but opposed increasing the services contract threshold to $500,000, favoring a more limited increase aligned with inflation and peer cities.
  • Council Member Caballero proposed setting the services contract approval threshold at $250,000 to reach consensus for a unanimous vote, noting agreement on other categories.
  • Mayor Williams emphasized transparency around contract approvals by confirming frequent reporting access for council and the public, inviting residents to request information through their representatives or the mayor’s office.
  • The Council unanimously adopted a resolution updating the City Manager’s delegated contract authority, raising thresholds to $500,000 for goods, construction and repair, and electric utility purchases, and to $250,000 for services.
  • Mayor Williams opened the public hearings by introducing a local historic landmark designation item for the Chicken Hut.
  • Karla Rosenberg of Planning and Development reported that the Historic Preservation Commission unanimously recommended designating both the building and land as a local historic landmark, noted supporting comments and a state recommendation, and stated staff’s recommendation for approval.
  • Julianne Patterson detailed the Chicken Hut’s civil rights-era significance, continuous Black-owned operation, modernist architectural pedigree, and longstanding community role to support its local historic landmark nomination.
  • Council Member Cook shared a personal endorsement of Chicken Hut’s Friday oxtails while humorously lamenting the difficulty of choosing between oxtails and chicken.
  • Mayor Williams praised the Chicken Hut’s enduring community impact and invited its representatives to share remarks, highlighting the restaurant’s role as a trusted gathering place and symbol of Durham’s civic fabric.
  • Tre Tapp accepted the landmark recognition with an emotional thanks to the mayor, council, family, and community, honoring parents’ legacy of service, describing years of hard work and giving back, and celebrating becoming a lasting landmark in Durham.
  • The Council unanimously approved the motion, as confirmed by the vote and the mayor’s announcement.
  • Aaron Cain summarized a request for utility extensions, voluntary annexation, and initial zoning to enable up to 117 townhouses on 12.999 acres along Doc Nichols Road, noting consistency with the place type and proposed PDR 9.001 zoning.
  • Attorney Patrick Byker, representing the Heartland Park applicant, outlined a 117‑townhome project on about 13 acres without sensitive environmental constraints, highlighted native landscaping, a shared path and pedestrian‑friendly sidewalks, committed 5% affordable for‑sale units at 80% AMI for 30 years, and described strengthened stormwater commitments covering both temporary construction measures and permanent infrastructure.
  • Pamela Andrews urged stronger environmental protections for the Heartland Park project, citing a recent sediment‑pollution lawsuit settlement and calling for reduced impervious surfaces, increased tree preservation, stricter erosion controls, and adherence to added monitoring and wildlife safeguards.
  • Council Member Cook asked about expanding affordable housing, and the applicant committed to increase the proffer from 5% to 7% of for‑sale townhomes at 80% AMI for 30 years.
  • Council Member Cook pressed the applicant on increasing tree preservation and reducing impervious surface, and the applicant responded that further changes were not feasible without cutting townhomes, framing it as a trade‑off between housing units and environmental measures; Cook also challenged the claim that the project had changed since the Planning Commission vote aside from the newly increased affordable housing proffer.
  • Council Member Baker lamented the city’s broader pattern of low‑density sprawl since 2017 and urged growth that is mixed‑use, walkable, transit‑friendly, and preserves public open space.
  • Mayor Pro Tem Middleton questioned characterizing development inside Durham’s urban growth boundary as sprawl, arguing that the boundary was the city’s policy response to sprawl and should guide where building was focused.
  • Council Member Caballero thanked the community and developer, noted strengthened stormwater commitments including construction measures and 100‑year stormwater, and framed rezoning as incremental progress toward improvements.
  • Council Member Baker responded by defining sprawl as a car‑dependent built form lacking walkability and mixed uses, and recounted conversations with developers who said they would build more pedestrian‑ and transit‑oriented projects if required by city policy.
  • The Council approved annexation of Heartland Park and authorized a utility extension agreement by a 4–3 vote, with Council Members Freeman, Baker, and Cook voting no.
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