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Durham commissioners adopt UDO changes and rezone RTP properties to create a UC‑3 district after data‑center clarity requested
Summary
The Board adopted a privately initiated Unified Development Ordinance text amendment creating a University and College‑3 (UC‑3) zoning district and rezoned RTP properties into UC‑3; a data‑center operator asked the Board to ensure 'data center' is recognized as a permitted use going forward.
The Durham County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 24 adopted a Unified Development Ordinance text amendment to expand University and College district standards and create a new UC‑3 district aimed at accommodating large scientific and technical research parks. The Board also voted to rezone properties in the Research Triangle Park area into the UC‑3 district.
Robin Schultze, Principal Planner, presented the privately initiated amendment (TC2500001) and explained the change would revise Articles 4–7 of the UDO to add UC‑3 standards. Vice Chair Dr. Mike Lee opened the public hearing; no general opposition was recorded.
Patrick Byker, zoning attorney representing Csquare (which operates Compass Datacenters), spoke in support but raised a specific concern: "our concern is making clear that data centers are permitted use in the proposed UC‑3 zoning district." Byker said the term "data center" is not currently in Durham’s UDO and asked that the Board and staff ensure the use is permitted going forward. Planning staff responded that existing uses would be grandfathered under the amendment.
The Board adopted the ordinance amending the UDO and a Statement of Consistency pursuant to North Carolina General Statute §160D‑605. Commissioners voted to adopt the related rezoning ordinance for RTP (Z2500025) and the accompanying Statement of Consistency; both motions carried unanimously.
Why it matters: the amendment and rezoning formalize a new zoning category intended to accommodate large research‑oriented campus uses in RTP. Local data‑center operators requested explicit inclusion of data centers in the permitted‑use language to avoid ambiguity for existing and future operations.
Next steps: staff will implement the ordinance changes in the UDO and apply the revised zoning classifications to the affected parcels; existing operations were confirmed to be grandfathered by staff remarks during the hearing.
