The new Comprehensive Plan is nearing completion! Read updates on the adoption process and what's coming next!
Planning Commission vote and recommendations
On June 13, 2023, the Planning Commission voted 12-0 to recommend approval of the Place Type Map and 12-0 to recommend approval of the Growth Management Strategy, Policies and Actions, and Implementation, both with minor changes. The Comprehensive Plan will now go before the City Council and Board of County Commissioners for public hearing and adoption.
The final Comprehensive Plan Public Hearing will be August 31st.
A special joint City Council and Board of County Commissioners hearing will be held on Thursday, August 31st at 7 pm. The hearing will be held in the City Council Chambers located in City Hall at 101 City Hall Plaza, Durham NC 27701. Participation will be possible in person or virtually through Zoom. The agenda and details on how to join these meetings are added to the following site as they are available: https://engagedurham.com/201/Adoption-Process. ;
What’s coming next?
As the adoption process for the new Comprehensive Plan is coming to a close, this work is beginning to transition towards what’s next, implementing the new plan!
One specific way we implement the Actions in the Comprehensive Plan is by recommending changes to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). The UDO is a legally binding set of rules that regulates how physical development of land is allowed to occur in both the City and County. It is called a “unified” development ordinance because it includes regulations for a variety of things including zoning and subdivision of land. This is important because when an idea in the plan is adopted into the Unified Development Ordinance, it becomes law that developers and property owners must follow. The plan includes nearly 30 different actions to review and revise different regulations in the UDO.
Planning staff has anticipated this work and has begun the contracting process to get support for this massive task, both for community engagement around this effort and for the technical work of creating new regulations. A technical consultant, Code Studio, is now under contract to assist with this work. It is anticipated that the UDO rewrite process will occur over approximately a year and a half before it would begin the public hearings and adoption process. Much of the initial work by Code Studio will be a review and audit of the existing UDO. While the technical consultant begins this background work, staff is in the process of selecting a community consultant to work along staff and Code Studio, with their particular focus on equitable engagement and engaging historically underrepresented communities. Further updates on this work will be forthcoming as the transition from Comprehensive Plan adoption to implementation progresses. In the meantime, questions on the UDO Rewrite effort can be directed to UDOrewrite@DurhamNC.gov.