Durham Council Splits on Hayti Funds, Sprawl
The Durham City Council wrestles with who should control the $10 million Hayti investment, removes Saint Joseph’s as fiscal agent while sending broader funding questions back to staff, and debates community trust on the dais. The council also approves smaller infill projects but rejects the large Brittmore annexation after a heated clash over traffic, the environment, and suburban sprawl. 28mins
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Original Meeting
Video Notes
Welcome to the City Council Meeting for January 20, 2026.
Agenda: https://www.durhamnc.gov/AgendaCenter/City-Council-4
How to participate: https://www.durhamnc.gov/1345
Contact the City Council: https://www.durhamnc.gov/1323
NOTE: Comments left on this livestream will not be read or entered into the meeting record.
Wes Platt
Durham, NC
In This Video
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A speaker from the Hayti community challenged the legitimacy of the Hayti Promise CDC’s formation, alleged that project credit had been improperly reassigned, and urged city leaders to pause decisions and conduct an independent investigation before moving authority away from the Saint Joseph's Historic Foundation.
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City staff and Mayor Williams clarified that Item 12 simply amended the contract to release Saint Joseph's Historic Foundation from its fiscal agent role, was separate from broader funding questions in Item 13, and that staff stood ready to provide a fuller presentation on the city's work with the CDC if requested.
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A developer representative summarized an annexation request for five RS20-zoned parcels on Trenton Road—about 17 acres with three existing homes—explaining that no rezoning was proposed, annexation would enable city water and sewer connections, and the current plan was to expand to 11 single-family homes despite a higher number of units being technically possible under zoning and deed restrictions.
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A project representative highlighted that the Brittmore rezoning request aligned with most applicable comprehensive plan policies, committed to capping impervious surface at 50% to preserve green space, and proposed a mix of single-family, townhouse, and affordable units expected to generate significant tax revenue and expand homeownership opportunities for younger residents.
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A project representative explained that transportation staff found adequate capacity on Farrington Mill Road, offered to reinstate a four-way stop sign text commitment to slow cut-through traffic if council wished, and pledged that all construction traffic would access the Brittmore site from Farrington Mill Road away from the Montclair neighborhood.
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A project representative described the Brittmore rezoning site as an ideal location to address Durham’s for-sale housing shortfall and highlighted a mix of townhomes and single-family homes including affordable units, age- and mobility-inclusive first-floor layouts, and sustainability commitments such as solar-ready conduit and EV charging circuits in all single-family garages.
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A speaker from the Montclair area argued that the Brittmore development would add only a small number of affordable and accessible homes, sit too far from transit without safe walking or biking access, accelerate wear on local roads and a nearby bridge, harm natural areas and drinking water, and therefore urged council to vote against the project.
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A speaker opposing the Brittmore rezoning argued that the applicant’s limited development plan left key details unclear, warned that inadequate road capacity and transit constraints in a rural, watershed-protected area made the project unsuitable, and urged council to deny the zoning change and provide a more manageable framework for future growth.
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A speaker opposing the Brittmore project warned that a short, disconnected path along Farrington Mill Road ending near Kepley Road would endanger pedestrians, cyclists, and skaters and argued that Kepley Road as the sole access for the Downs community would force car dependency and add traffic to already crowded rural roads.
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Council Member Nate Baker condemned recent patterns of auto-oriented annexation and sprawl since 2017, urging Durham to use its planning tools to pursue dense, walkable, inclusive growth and declaring an unwillingness to support further unsustainable development that would burden future generations.
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