Durham City Council Meeting - April 6, 2026: Homelessness, Historic Property, and Infinity Road Rezoning
The Durham City Council wrestles with homelessness in park encampments, budget tradeoffs, and competing visions for reusing a former police station while residents call for more shelter space and funding for unhoused neighbors. The council also debates and narrowly approves the Preserve at Infinity rezoning after intense disagreement over flooding, traffic, environmental protection, and affordable housing, alongside action on a smaller commercial rezoning near Top Golf Way. 32mins
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Original Meeting
Video Notes
Welcome to the City Council Meeting for April 6, 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.
In This Video
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Mayor Williams introduced action to authorize an option agreement for the sale and rehabilitation of the Home Security Life Insurance Building, while Council Member Cook questioned staff about whether the related rehabilitation agreement would return to the City Council for final review as implied in the latest contract draft.
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Council Member Cook sought clarification on why the rehabilitation agreement for the Home Security Life Insurance Building would now return to the council for approval after earlier guidance suggested it would not, and the city attorney explained that the current draft required council review and a vote before the sale was executed.
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A representative for the applicant supported rezoning a 2.85‑acre portion of a larger assemblage to allow broader retail uses near Page Road, outlining commitments such as no direct vehicle access to Page Road, a 10‑foot shared path, native plantings, meeting tree coverage standards, and prohibiting certain higher‑impact commercial uses and residential or educational facilities.
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Staff, through Andy Lester, presented a rezoning request for two Infinity Road parcels to change from low-density residential to planned residential and office-institutional zoning to allow up to 90 multifamily units and limited nonresidential space, noting the proposal was generally consistent with the area’s adopted place types.
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The applicant’s representative outlined support for the Infinity Road rezoning by highlighting a mixed-use, clustered site design that preserved environmentally sensitive areas and included commitments such as protecting floodplains and wetlands, using native trees, providing income‑restricted multifamily units, active open space, varied residential appearance, and a $15,000 contribution to Durham Public Schools.
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The applicant’s representative described added commitments for the Infinity Road rezoning, including a potential pedestrian crosswalk at Windermere Drive, a permanent conservation easement over floodplain and open space areas, and alignment with most Comprehensive Plan and transit‑oriented policies despite a split Planning Commission vote.
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Speaking for the Environmental Affairs Board, Astrid Cook read a letter outlining concerns that the Infinity Road proposal posed heightened erosion and sediment risks to a centrally located, environmentally sensitive stream corridor within the Eno River protected area, especially due to steep slopes in the most hydrologically sensitive parts of the site.
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Jax Epson, a Hickory Ridge resident, opposed the Infinity Road rezoning by arguing it did not meaningfully address housing affordability, strained existing infrastructure, and reflected piecemeal growth, urging the council to deny the proposal and instead invest in truly affordable housing and area improvements.
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Applicant representative Mary Farmer argued that development on the Infinity Road parcels was inevitable under the upcoming UDO, emphasized that the 90‑unit mixed‑use project would generate only about 1.5% of traffic at a key intersection based on a voluntary study, and contended that building the project would improve unfavorable existing stormwater conditions by adding treatment.
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Council Member Kopac urged a higher per‑pupil school contribution for the Infinity Road project, but applicant representative Mary Farmer declined to increase the $600 per‑student offer in order to prioritize added affordable units and environmental commitments, while Kopac also highlighted the project’s positive steps toward multiuse path connectivity to the Mountains‑to‑Sea Trail and River Forest Park.
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Mayor Pro Tem Caballero explained leaning in favor of the Infinity Road infill project despite its imperfections, noting the tradeoffs between large and small developers, the by‑right alternatives without community benefits, encouraging residents to advocate for road improvements through state channels, and lamenting declining enrollment and funding in Durham Public Schools.
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Mayor Williams explained a preference for directing school contributions through the Durham Public Schools Foundation due to budget constraints, highlighted the tension between calls for more housing and resistance to development and new taxes, and concluded by supporting the smaller‑scale housing project as a logical choice under these tradeoffs.
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Staff member Andy Lester summarized new Infinity Road commitments on stormwater limits, increasing income‑restricted units to 8%, and using 100% native trees, and applicant representative Mary Farmer agreed to raise the Durham Public Schools contribution from $600 to $1,000 per student if the council wished.
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