The Planning Commission rejected a major 1,000-unit development proposal in a contentious 6-2 vote, marking a significant setback for the controversial Mariah Ridge project. Commissioners Cameron and Gregory voted no, along with Hen, Copac, Mover, and Woke. The development, spanning 168 acres mostly outside Durham's urban growth boundary in Orange County, faced overwhelming concerns about water supply, traffic congestion, environmental damage, and inadequate affordability measures.
The primary tension centered on infrastructure capacity. Durham already fell short 1.1 million gallons per day during a 2022 water shortage, and the project would require 250,000 gallons daily. Applicant OWASA cannot serve the site due to I-40 infrastructure gaps, making water supply a fundamental constraint that proffers could not address. Engineers also challenged the developer's traffic analysis, which showed contradictory vehicle counts and inadequate mitigation for roads already at capacity.
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