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Durham council tables proposal to allow five‑story buildings downtown after public hearing
Summary
After more than three hours of public comment and presentations, the Durham Town Council voted 5-4 on Aug. 4 to table Ordinance #2025‑08, which would have removed the three‑story height limit for parts of the CB‑1 district and permitted five‑story buildings; supporters cited redevelopment and housing needs, opponents said taller buildings would violate the Master Plan and harm downtown character.
Durham — The Durham Town Council voted 5-4 on Aug. 4 to table Ordinance #2025‑08, a proposed change to remove the three‑story height limit for parts of the Central Business 1 (CB‑1) district and allow up to five‑story buildings. The public hearing on the proposal drew sustained comment from residents, property owners and planning officials and ended with the Council agreeing to defer final action to its next meeting.
The ordinance, advanced by the Housing Task Force and reviewed by the Planning Board, prompted sharply divided testimony. Opponents said five stories would be out of scale with the town’s human‑scale Master Plan and historic downtown fabric. “The town needs redevelopment that reflects the community’s vision,” said Beth Olshansky, who presented slides comparing nearby downtowns and urged a 3½‑story limit as a compromise. Housing Task Force Chair Sally Tobias said the task force conducted extensive outreach and identified downtown redevelopment as a route to more housing and a stronger tax base, but acknowledged trade‑offs the Council must weigh.
Supporters and property owners argued taller buildings could unlock redevelopment and introduce more one‑ and two‑bedroom market‑rate units. Pete Murphy, a downtown property owner, said his parcels are “an eyesore” that need redevelopment and predicted demand for smaller market units. Developer and analyst James Lawson presented a fiscal model at the hearing and said redeveloping every available downtown parcel with five‑story buildings would produce only a 0.4 percent increase in the town’s tax base, an argument he said counsels for caution.
The hearing also produced concerns about process, outreach and parking. Several speakers, including Diane Carroll, presented a petition signed by 252 residents opposing the zoning change; others asked for computer modeling and targeted design standards that would preserve street‑facing scale while allowing greater density behind façades.
Council debate after the hearing focused on whether to decide the matter that night or allow more time for deliberation. Councilor Sally Needell moved that the Council not adopt the ordinance immediately to permit further discussion; Councilor Curtis Register then moved to table the proposal until the Council’s next meeting. The motion to table passed on roll call, 5‑4. Ayes: Councilors Heather Grant, Robin Vogt, Chair Joseph Friedman, Curtis Register and Chair Pro Tem Eric Lund. Nays: Councilors Em Friedrichs, Sally Needell, Wayne Burton and Darrell Ford.
Chair Friedman said tabling the matter gives Councilors additional time to digest testimony and to provide targeted guidance to the Planning Board. Administrator Todd Selig thanked the Housing Task Force and Planning Board for their outreach and encouraged further refinement so that the Council and community can reach common ground.
What’s next: The ordinance remains on the Council’s docket and, because tabling was the adopted motion, the Council must resume consideration at its next meeting or the motion will lapse under Roberts’ Rules. Interested residents and property owners are likely to be invited to further hearings or subcommittee work on design standards and height transitions.
