Durham County Balances Growth, Transit, and Small Business
The Durham County Board of Commissioners weighs downtown visitor and retail strategies, life‑science incentives, data centers, RTP 3.0, and a strained transit funding picture while pressing for more equitable, high‑wage jobs. Commissioners also spotlight park accessibility, emergency preparedness investments, and new partnerships and tools to better support small businesses and connect local vendors to major employers. 80mins
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Original Meeting
Monday, November 2nd, 2026
15884.484625
Board of County Commissioners on 2026-11-02 9:00 AM - Work Session - Nov 02, 2026
In This Video
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County leaders approved a contract with Duke University Cancer Center to develop substance use training and awareness materials for cancer patients and providers, and Commissioner Jacobs praised the partnership for addressing elevated substance use disorder risks among people undergoing cancer treatment and survivors.
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County leaders approved a capital project and budget amendment to shift open space and farmland preservation funds into acquiring and protecting forest land through conservation easements, while Commissioner Jacobs highlighted partnerships with the City of Raleigh, Triangle Land Conservancy, and regional governments to safeguard the Falls Lake watershed and advance related land projects.
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Manager Claudia Hager presented approvals and amendments to acquire and protect land at South View Preserve through conservation easements, expand the design contract for the Durham County Emergency Operations Center, and recognize a Juvenile Crime Prevention grant for gang prevention and intervention.
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Commissioner Jacobs questioned the status and timeline for spending a grant tied to a county-funded program, and a speaker explained that the grant would need to be fully expended by June and noted that Durham County’s full funding of the program since 2020 had made it challenging to use the additional grant funds as originally intended.
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Manager Claudia Hager presented and county leaders approved a major capital project amendment for the Chin Page Road lift station and force main, accepted an impervious surface conservation easement to preserve open space, and executed a contract for materials testing and special inspections for the new Durham County Emergency Operations Center.
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Nicole Thompson from Downtown Durham Incorporated provided an update on downtown activity, reporting high office occupancy, thousands of residential units, roughly 12 million annual visits, and a strong pipeline of storefront merchants opening, relocating, closing, and preparing to launch new businesses.
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Nicole described finalizing a downtown retail study for release, noted midweek office worker patterns, and explained that rising operating costs, economic pressures, and tight margins—especially for small restaurants trying to pay livable wages—had contributed to long‑time businesses deciding to close.
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Commissioner Jacobs asked how empty storefronts and public commercial spaces could be creatively used for pop‑ups and short‑term leases, and Nicole Thompson explained that a new retail study had inventoried available spaces and was developing recommendations for the county, city, property owners, and brokers to encourage more active, walkable retail nodes.
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Commissioner Michelle Burton asked about family‑friendly businesses and activities for kids in downtown Durham, and Nicole Thompson explained that while Durham Central Park served as the main all‑ages destination and was being reimagined through the green print, no specific kid‑focused business proposals had been brought forward yet, and also clarified that the 12 million downtown visits measured were repeat visits and exceeded 2019 levels.
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CJ Broderick Jr., President and CEO of the Greater Durham Black Chamber of Commerce, outlined the Chamber’s partnership with the county since 2021 to help local businesses overcome barriers, access funding, and strengthen operations, and predicted that tightening economic conditions and reduced broader support would increase the number of entrepreneurs needing their assistance this fiscal year.
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Matt Gladdek from the Durham Chamber of Commerce outlined the Chamber’s role in driving economic development for Durham County, detailed major job and economic losses from federal grant cuts, and highlighted a $1.4 billion project bringing 730 high‑paying, low‑education‑requirement jobs tied to local workforce pipelines.
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Matt Gladdek from the Durham Chamber of Commerce reported that life science incentives had generated an estimated 800% return on investment with strict job-hiring requirements, highlighted Durham’s rise to #5 globally for foreign investment, and outlined a billion‑dollar pipeline of over 2,500 high‑salary jobs that matched Durham County’s leading average wage.
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Matt Gladdek from the Durham Chamber of Commerce praised county staff support that helped secure Novartis, described how shifting daytime office patterns had hurt downtown lunch business, and warned that recent major economic wins and neighborhood challenges would require future investment in utility infrastructure.
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Commissioner Jacobs credited Durham County’s long-term, intentional economic development work with helping build a premier life science ecosystem, emphasized prioritizing good-paying jobs across all education and skill levels to reduce poverty and racial disparities, and requested data on job quality and the amount of state JDIG investment the county had received over roughly the past 15 years.
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Executive Director Marcus Manning introduced the Durham Sports Commission, outlining its decade-long work partnering with local sports organizations, recruiting and retaining events and professional teams, generating over $132 million in economic impact through more than 330 events, and intentionally pursuing social impact by expanding sports access and opportunities for Durham adults and youth.
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Executive Director Marcus Manning highlighted a free youth basketball clinic held with USA Basketball and the downtown YMCA, noted its wide media reach and $2.1 million economic impact, and framed major sports events as a highly visible way to welcome people to Durham during a transformative period for the community.
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Executive Director Tara Kenchen explained that Durham Next was created from the Destination Master Plan to advance community-aligned visitor projects, noted that major attractions skewed older and visitor spending had softened, and described launching feasibility studies for Memorial Stadium and a potential music and events venue connected to DPAC.
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Executive Director Kenchen compared Durham’s festival economic impact to peer cities, emphasized the opportunity to grow and create signature festivals, and outlined Durham Next’s focus on flexible funding tools, public‑private partnerships, and visitor‑driven events that also honor the community’s character.
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Executive Director Marcus Manning described how major sports events were made tangible for Durham residents through free youth clinics, partnerships with local businesses and the county library, and emphasized treating new or reimagined facilities as community assets while collectively communicating that value to the public.
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Commission Chair Mike Lee emphasized that visitor venues like an event space, stadium, and a potential convention center, backed by strong public‑private partnerships and signature festivals, would help retain people in Durham and leverage its central location in North Carolina for accessible statewide events.
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Vice Chair Allam asked county liaison Marcus Manning how Memorial Stadium concessions could be improved and opened to local small restaurant owners, and Manning responded that the ongoing feasibility study was examining the full stadium experience, including food and beverage options and small business opportunities.
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Deborah Craig-Ray, the county's chief communications officer, discussed supporting state legislation to authorize counties to charge fees for public electric vehicle charging and amend existing laws to expand county authority for revenue generation and financing partnerships with municipalities, noting the proposal’s ties to the RISE program and ongoing county priorities.
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Commissioners discussed pursuing special legislation to expand county authority for affordable and teacher housing on public lots, while Commissioner Jacobs clarified a separate, narrowly targeted proposal to remove the county referendum requirement so it could join city and regional bank partners in a self-help loan fund for housing.
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Transit staff outlined Q2 Durham County Transit Plan amendments, including a cost‑neutral reallocation to fund an NC 54 bus lanes alternatives analysis, a GO Durham two‑year service plan that increased the FY 2027 budget by $175,000, and the Staff Working Group’s recommendation and approval timeline with the County Commissioners and GoTriangle Board.
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Commissioner Burton asked for clarification about the GoDurham two‑year service plan’s $175,000 net impact on the transit work program, and a speaker explained that this was the only amendment requiring use of fund balance and actually increasing the budget, while the other three amendments were cost neutral reallocations.
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Commissioner Jacobs questioned why the GoDurham two‑year service plan required $175,000 and where deferred Q3 funds would come from, while staff explained that, amid a challenging budget year, the city might delay service expansions and instead use the planning effort to deploy existing transit resources more efficiently, stressing the need for close coordination with city staff.
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Commissioner Jacobs criticized the city’s communication and collaboration around transit plan amendments, urged the county manager to propose a path forward, and called for a broader conversation with the City Council to ensure Durham County transit dollars prioritize improving bus service rather than being repeatedly shifted to capital projects.
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Manager Claudia Hager responded to transit funding concerns by outlining how governance complexity, cost overruns, and project reprioritizations had strained the three‑year‑old transit plan, warning that the FY 27–28 budget and potential revenue shifts could further pressure the transit fund, and committing to formally communicate these challenges and the long‑term impact of prior one‑time bridge dollars to the City.
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Commissioner Jacobs advocated pursuing legislative authority for an additional one‑cent transit funding source, voiced concern that the staff working group had not followed city and county attorney guidance, and praised amendments that aligned with BRT corridors and NCDOT projects as a forward‑thinking, cost‑effective way to advance transit improvements.
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Deputy County Manager Maurice Jones, joined by Director Tammie Hall-Roberts, provided an update on efforts to support Durham County small businesses facing heightened economic pressures, noting that most one‑time relief funds had been spent and that staff were seeking new strategies to help businesses thrive.
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Tammie Hall-Roberts reported that Durham County had been proactively partnering with business support organizations, shared survey feedback that small businesses needed help accessing contracts and grants, and noted that with most one‑time funds gone, the county was exploring guidance on low‑interest loans and other ways to support them.
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Tammie Hall-Roberts described how the county and its partners had been preparing small contractors with business education and bid support, emphasizing that investing in small businesses as community backbones should build trust, expand contract opportunities, and help them grow and scale through measurable progress.
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Commissioner Jacobs explained that federal workforce development funds for small business support were directed to the city rather than retained by the county, described breaking contract packages into smaller pieces to help very small firms become first‑tier contractors, and Commissioner Burton responded by urging the county to explore how it could better support small businesses and review where the workforce development money was going.
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Commissioner Jacobs discussed strengthening collaboration between the county, the Chamber, and the Greater Durham Black Chamber of Commerce on small business support, emphasized that owners ultimately sought contract access rather than labels amid shifting policy landscapes, and noted that staff and Chamber leaders already met monthly to refine strategies and better communicate the positive work underway.
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