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Durham commissioners adopt new UC‑3 zoning and rezone most of Research Triangle Park
Summary
The board unanimously adopted a UDO text amendment to create a University and College 3 (UC‑3) district and rezoned most of Research Triangle Park (RTP) to UC‑3, a move county officials called 'transformational.' Staff said existing data centers are grandfathered and future data centers will face limited-use standards.
Durham County commissioners on Nov. 24 voted unanimously to amend the county's Unified Development Ordinance to create a new University and College 3 (UC‑3) zoning district and to rezone most of Research Triangle Park to that district.
Planning staff described the UDO amendment as a privately initiated change intended to expand university-and-college standards and to accommodate large scientific and technical research parks within the UC zoning framework. Aaron Cain of the Planning and Development Department told commissioners the rezoning would cover just over 5,000 acres of RTP, excluding one parcel that houses the Durham County Wildlife Club.
Patrick Biker, an attorney representing C Square (which owns a data center at 99 TW Alexander Drive in RTP), urged the board to make clear that data centers are permitted going forward. "Data centers are foundational to AI, telecommunications, the financial sector, pharmaceutical research, our health care providers, and our outstanding universities," Biker said, asking that the category be explicit in the UDO.
Planning staff replied that existing data centers will be grandfathered and currently operate under an industrial/light-industrial interpretation. Robin Schultz said the new UDO will add a dedicated line item for data centers with limited use standards, and that any new facilities would be required to meet conditions such as minimum distances from residences and noise studies.
Commissioners framed the pair of votes (the text amendment and the accompanying statutory consistency statement) as a deliberate step to implement the county's comprehensive plan and to support a long-term vision for RTP. The board also unanimously adopted the rezoning ordinance for RTP (case Z2500025) and its consistency statement, citing alignment with place-type maps and most comprehensive-plan policies.
The county did not attach parcel-level commitments in the rezoning because the request was for a general rezoning; staff noted two neighborhood meetings were held and that two public comments opposing the rezoning were filed online. Commissioners and developers present described the votes as a major shift toward a mixed-use, work‑live‑play vision for RTP.
Next steps: county staff said they will include data-center specific standards in the revised UDO and will work with the Joint City‑County Planning Committee on use standards and operational limits for new data centers.
