The Durham Planning Commission approved two major affordable housing projects on March 11, but they passed along partisan lines that exposed tension between housing goals and environmental protections.
The most contentious action involved a 160-unit apartment complex called Page Corners on Page Road. The commission voted 6-3 to recommend approval, with Commissioners Wouk and Kopek voting against. The project requires significant exceptions to city rules: tree coverage drops from the required 20 percent to just 7 percent, open space shrinks from 20 percent to 15 percent, and a protective buffer between the development and residents disappears entirely. Commissioner Wouk warned the decision "will set precedent for small area affordable housing projects where they will not have the same requirement for tree coverage as others," raising concerns about urban heat islands in the neighborhood.
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