Durham City Council addressed a deer overpopulation crisis in Treyburn, moved toward finalizing a major downtown development deal, and confirmed nearly all federal pandemic relief funds are being deployed, but significant questions remain about affordable housing and environmental standards for one of the city's most important projects.
Quincy Hut, president of the Treyburn Homeowners Association, told council that an estimated 70 deer per square mile are destroying vegetation and spreading tick-borne diseases in the neighborhood—roughly five times the normal population. Hut presented surveys showing 76 percent resident support for deer culling and photos of yards overrun with the animals. The city's current hunting ordinance requires 5 acres and 250-foot setbacks from homes, impossible to meet on 1-acre lots. Deputy City Manager Keith Chadwell committed to exploring whether a variance or ordinance change is legally possible within two to three weeks.
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