Durham City Council voted 4-3 Monday to approve rezoning for the Preserve at Infinity, a 15.8-acre mixed-use development at 301 and 401 Infinity Road that will allow up to 90 multi-family homes and 5,000 square feet of commercial space in the Eno Valley area.
Mayor Leo Williams and council members Javiera Caballero, Matt Kopac, and Carl Rist voted yes. Council members Nate Baker, Shanetta Burris, and Chelsea Cook voted no. The approval came despite a 6-5 Planning Commission recommendation against the project in January.
Neighbors who packed the meeting cited flooding and traffic as their primary concerns. Samantha Boyd, who lives in the River Forest neighborhood, pointed to Tropical Storm Chantal last summer, when children in the area were rescued by boat. Mary Ann Canton Barker said more than 1,000 new housing units are already underway nearby and that NCDOT has repeatedly delayed improvements to the intersection of North Roxboro Road and Infinity Road.
The developer, represented by Raleigh law firm Parker Poe, committed to several conditions as part of the rezoning:
- 8% of units designated as affordable housing
- A FEMA floodplain area dedicated to a land trust or government entity for permanent conservation
- A utility extension agreement with SunHausRealty LLC to connect city water and sewer
- 100% native tree plantings
No construction timeline has been announced. The intersection improvements neighbors said the project requires have no scheduled date from NCDOT.