Development Issues
In the last several years, the City of Durham has created new rules and codes for zoning and development. You may have heard of SCAD, UDO, small lot options, flag lots, among numerous acronyms and terms. The latest proposal is a revision to the UDO, called Land Development Code, or LDC. This is far from final and neighbors and neighborhood groups in Durham are reviewing this.
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Information from neighborhood meeting on 2/22 regarding LDC​
-To see the new LDC, go to the website found HERE
Pages relevant to WHH and OWD are 2-12 thru 2-20 and 2-28 thru 2-33, also page 4-31 and 4-35
-To see a table of permissible uses in the various zoning types, go to the LDC Iink above and see pages 3-6 thru 3-11
-To see Tom Miller's handout go HERE
-A​​n article from the News and Observer on 2/20/26 can be found HERE
-N&O article on 2/25 regarding the threatened lawsuit that caused the pause in the LDC is HERE
-To see the map that permits you to choose a property and compare current zoning and LDC zoning, go HERE
-To see overall info about how LDC has come about, go to
How do these affect our neighborhoods? The short answer is that amendments to the UDO over the past two decades already permit more density. A good example of what is NOW allowed is at the corner of Virginia Ave and Woodrow St. A house was torn down and replaced with four two-story houses with small footprints. See also the lot on Wagoner across from Westover Park, West Wilson at Hillandale, and Tampa Ave at Indian Trail. More of this is coming. The LDC will permit increased density (yes, more is possible) and also has significant changes to the size of front and side yards, tree coverage, etc. and eliminates notice requirements.
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The neighborhood board monitors changes in these rules, advocates on behalf of the neighborhood, and ensures construction adheres to the rules. Often, committees of neighbors meet with developers and builders to review plans and request changes before the plans are final. We have almost no power in these situations.
Above is an image of what will be built at 1708 Hillandale. There will be nine of these dwellings lined up east-west.