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Council approves rezoning for 10 townhomes on East Cornwallis Road with small proffers
Summary
The council unanimously approved a rezoning for 1606 and 1608 East Cornwallis Road to allow up to 10 townhomes. The applicant proffered $1,000 to Durham Public Schools, $5,000 to the Dedicated Housing Fund, native plantings, and a commitment to upgrade a bus stop to GoDurham standards if the stop remains adjacent to the site.
The Durham City Council unanimously approved a rezoning on June 24 to allow up to 10 townhome units at 1606 and 1608 East Cornwallis Road. The request rezoned the parcels from Residential Suburban 20 to Planned Development Residential 10.205 (PDR 10.205). Planning staff noted that the proposal is currently inconsistent with the place type map and recommended changing the place type to apartment and townhouse neighborhood if the rezoning is approved.
Applicant commitments and community engagement Pam Porter of TMTLA, representing the applicant, told council the owner chose to change course after a prior 2022 proposal for commercial zoning drew neighborhood opposition. Porter said the owner held two neighborhood meetings and that an adjacent resident told the applicant he supported residential zoning rather than commercial.
Proffered commitments announced in the hearing included: - Donation of $1,000 to Durham Public Schools. - Donation of $5,000 to the city—s Dedicated Housing Fund. - Use of native plantings consistent with the Durham landscape manual. - If a transit stop remains along the site frontage, the applicant committed to upgrade the stop to GoDurham/GoTriangle standards with a bus pullout, concrete pad and a shelter if required.
Councilors and staff said the traffic impact from 10 units would be minimal and noted the owner is a local resident, which the applicant argued demonstrated a vested interest in positive outcomes for the neighborhood.
Formal action - Motion: Adopt ordinance to rezone residential suburban 20 to Planned Development Residential 10.205 to allow up to 10 townhome units. - Outcome: Approved unanimously.
Next steps: The applicant will proceed to site design and permitting, and councilors said they expect to see the transit and landscaping commitments reflected in subsequent plans or recorded covenants where appropriate.
