{"id":9131,"date":"2023-02-16T21:15:19","date_gmt":"2023-02-16T21:15:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=9131"},"modified":"2023-03-27T15:59:44","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:59:44","slug":"with-new-annexations-city-boundaries-push-a-little-further-into-durham-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/16\/with-new-annexations-city-boundaries-push-a-little-further-into-durham-county\/","title":{"rendered":"New annexations push city boundaries a little further into Durham County"},"content":{"rendered":"

The City of Durham\u2019s footprint grew by 111 acres on Feb. 6 when the City Council voted to annex 24 parcels of land in Southeast Durham, allowing for the construction of up to 545 townhouse units.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

First, in a 5-2 decision, with Mayor Elaine O\u2019Neal and council member DeDreana Freeman voting no, the council chose to annex Mockingbird Lane and Sherron Road. Then, in a 4-3 decision, adding council member Monique Holsey-Hyman to the no votes, the council added Mica Ridge to the fold.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These approvals come despite opposition from Preserve Rural Durham, an organization dedicated to protecting Durham\u2019s natural landscapes from overdevelopment. At the meeting, members of the local organization made a return visit, passionately advocating against the annexation in its proposed form.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGive us the opportunity to do our best,\u201d said Tina Pearson. \u201cDurham has the opportunity to be a leader in how developments are built in which we honor the people, the trees, and the land.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Opponents who spoke at the meeting said the community is already underserved with too few ambulances and EMS personnel. Local resident Rebecca Freeman referenced a January statement by Durham County EMS describing staff and mechanic shortages.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Criticism of the annexation projects did not only come from within the walls of City Hall. Citizens also weighed in about concerns about traffic, maintaining natural boundaries, and the need for infrastructure improvements via the interactive digital tool, Social PinPoint.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the seven oppositional speakers at the meeting, one central question kept recurring:<\/span> What will be the environmental impact of the construction?<\/span><\/i> For instance, one speaker said that soils in the Falls Lake watershed are highly erosive and could potentially lead to increased contamination of Raleigh\u2019s water supply.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe geology and the topography are difficult and tough to develop\u2026 You really can\u2019t just, like, mass grade everything and dynamite without having major complications,\u201d Pearson stated. \u201cIf you stop mass grading, the tree roots will actually hold the soil in place like it\u2019s supposed to. The land will filter out nitrogen and phosphorus like it does in nature.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Council member Caballero, who voted in favor of the annexation, said many of the residents\u2019 water quality concerns were being managed by the Upper Neuse River Basin Association. The UNRBA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting water quality in the Upper Neuse River Basin. \u201cI have a lot of trust and faith in our water quality specialists,\u201d Caballero said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Feb. 6 meeting was simply one of many recent public debates surrounding annexation. As residents of Durham County face the recurring question of city expansion, they can keep up with the issue on Wednesday, March 1 in a <\/span>special meeting<\/span><\/a> of the Durham City Council, the Durham County Commissioners and the City-County Planning Commission. In this meeting, which will be open to the public, the bodies will address how to manage future annexation cases.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Above: Bulldozers clear the way for a new development in Durham County. Photo by Maddie Wray \u2014 The 9th Street Journal<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The City of Durham\u2019s footprint grew by 111 acres on Feb. 6 when the City Council voted to annex 24 parcels of land in Southeast…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7579,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[58,269],"class_list":["post-9131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-government","tag-city-council","tag-the-9th-street-journal","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nNew annexations push city boundaries a little further into Durham County - 9th Street Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/16\/with-new-annexations-city-boundaries-push-a-little-further-into-durham-county\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New annexations push city boundaries a little further into Durham County - 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