Durham council adopts Walltown Small Area Plan after months of neighborhood-led work

Durham City Council on Monday voted to adopt the Walltown Small Area Plan, a neighborhood-led land-use guidance document meant to shape redevelopment of the former Northgate Mall site and broader Walltown neighborhood.

The nonbinding plan, presented by senior planner Karl Kolozna, recommends a phased transition for the Northgate site to a higher-density, mixed-use, transit-oriented grid with affordable housing, affordable retail, public/community space, and environmental protections. Kolozna told the council that “Small area plans are advisory, and they are not legally binding.”

The plan grew from a citywide comprehensive plan update and a targeted planning process requested by elected officials; staff said Walltown was prioritized because of redevelopment potential at the nearly 60-acre former Northgate Mall. Kolozna said the plan was developed through “equitable community engagement and staff analysis,” and that the plan went to the planning commission with a 12–0 recommendation.

Neighborhood advocates and residents who testified urged adoption and urged the council to protect community leverage in future development. Brandon Williams, a core member of the Walltown Community Association, said redevelopment “must include significant affordable housing, affordable retail, community and green space, and environmental sustainability,” and asked council to adopt the plan as an affirmation of resident power. Several speakers warned that changes in the city’s pending Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) could reduce neighbors’ leverage during rezoning and urged the council to preserve constraints that would allow negotiation of community benefits.

Council members praised the neighborhood-led process and the plan’s intent. Council Member Baker called small-area planning “hard work for the planning staff that conduct and manage the process” and said the Walltown effort set a model for broader use of neighborhood plans. Several council members pressed staff for clearer timelines and next steps for actions the plan recommends, including improved flood mapping, closure or formalization of “paper streets,” and potential stewardship of a small cluster of city-owned lots along Sprunt Avenue.

At the council’s request staff described Paper Street A and three adjacent city-owned parcels near Sprunt Avenue, noting streams and environmental constraints. Kolozna said the lots are “not suitable for something like affordable housing given environmental conditions” and recommended exploring park or pocket-park uses. The council also heard that about 500 pounds of trash and debris had recently been removed from Paper Street A, and staff said the Office of Performance and Innovation had preliminarily identified Walltown projects for Love Your Block funding.

Council Member Baker offered a motion during debate asking that “limitations of the current zoning at Northgate, including height limits and not allowing research and development, should remain in place until a rezoning application is submitted by a developer.” That amendment was discussed at length and later withdrawn by the mover at the dais; staff warned that as written the language would be difficult to reconcile with the UDO rewrite because district names and standards are changing.

The council voted unanimously to amend the Durham Comprehensive Plan to include the Walltown Small Area Plan. The council later approved a separate place-type map amendment reclassifying three city-owned parcels next to Sprunt Avenue from established residential or neighborhood service area to recreation and open space, and two parcels containing the Walltown Grange school to community institution; that vote passed 6–0.

The plan is advisory: it does not change zoning on property by itself, but staff and supporters said it is intended to guide future rezoning requests, capital investments, and collaborative negotiations between developers, residents and the city. Staff said additional engagement, analysis and coordination with other departments will be necessary to implement actions in the plan, and that some items may require budget requests or surveying to complete steps such as paper-street closures.

Council members and residents said they expect the plan to inform next steps at the Northgate site and urged careful coordination with the pending UDO update, transportation planning and stormwater/flood mapping work. The council adopted the Walltown Small Area Plan and the related place-type amendments that evening.