[Durham INC] See This From Walltown Concerning SCAD

[Mimi Kessler]

Nice!

Mimi Kessler
919-599-2892


On Thu, Nov 16, 2023 at 9:39 AM tom miller <miller.tom2022 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear Walltown neighbors and Durham residents,
>
>
>
> *The Walltown Community Association is calling on Durham residents to tell
> City Council to vote down the controversial and undemocratic zoning
> amendment called SCAD.*
>
>
>
> SCAD is a major rewrite of Durham’s zoning laws that was written by a
> small group of developers, who refused to incorporate most suggestions from
> Durham’s residents. Walltown is likely to be a target location for many new
> SCAD developments. For Walltown residents, some of the main concerns with
> SCAD are:
>
>
>
> · *False affordability. *New affordable rental units would only have to
> be affordable for 5 years, and affordable for-sale units only have to be
> affordable for the first sale. But developers would still get affordable
> housing incentives from the city! *This means your tax dollars will be
> subsidizing market-rate housing in Durham. *
>
> · *Removal of buffers protecting homes from new developments.* Buffers
> reduce the impacts if a large apartment building or a bar is built next to
> your house by requiring the buildings be set back from the property line. *SCAD
> removes all buffers for large residential buildings,* so something like a
> 5-story apartment building could be built just a few feet from the property
> line, and* lets many commercial developments, including bars, be built
> without the larger buffers* *currently required when next to a house*.
>
> · *SCAD will accelerate gentrification and displacement in Black and
> working-class neighborhoods. *As members of the Fayetteville Street
> Corridor Planning Group have highlighted: “while the SCAD amendment would
> create more density, this density will not be evenly distributed throughout
> the city/county.” Read more on their opinion here
> <https://www.facebook.com/groups/386326459461258/posts/818955449531688/>.
>
> · *SCAD was written behind closed doors. *The public was not allowed to
> give input until after they had written SCAD and discussed it with the
> City’s Planning Department.* They even **used Habitat for Humanity’s name
> on the proposal without their approval*
> <https://www.durhamhabitat.org/news-events/board-of-directors-ceo-and-staff-response-to-scad>
> *!* And *they have made no changes to the affordability requirements*–despite
> the community demanding this over and over for more than a year. (Read more
> about this in the summary
> <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iNLUtNX-Lx4eEj03IYHwNmgTlUmrAXzs/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=116109384109426231711&rtpof=true&sd=true>
> from a SCAD Task Force member ) Durham is almost finished with its new Comprehensive
> Plan <https://www.durhamnc.gov/346/Comprehensive-Plan>, which has engaged
> thousands of Durham residents. *The Comprehensive Plan should be the
> document we use to guide changes to the UDO (Unified Development
> Ordinance), not SCAD. *
>
>
>
> SCAD is so long and complex, City Planning has spent days and days of
> staff time evaluating it, much more than the $4,396 application fee the
> developers paid to submit SCAD. This means *Durham taxpayers have
> subsidized the review of a plan we don’t want*, *and they won’t listen to
> our input on.*
>
>
>
> This is not how democracy should work, and we need to tell City Council to
> Say No to SCAD! *We are calling on the City Council to reject SCAD during
> their Monday, November 20th public hearing*. It currently looks like a
> close vote, so *Walltown is asking Durham residents to do 2 things*:
>
>
>
> *1.*     *Fill up City Council chambers for the public hearing on Monday,
> November 20th at 7 pm. You can register to speak here
> <https://nc-durham.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/City-Council-4> (in person or
> remote). *Whether or not you attend in person, you can also provide
> written comments to the City Council.
>
> *2.*     *Contact the Mayor and other Councilmembers to let them know you
> disapprove of SCAD. *You can email the entire council at *council at durhamnc.gov
> <council at durhamnc.gov>* or using the individual contact information below
> (see also *City directory
> <https://www.durhamnc.gov/Directory.aspx?DID=131>*).
>
> ·        *Elaine O’Neal (Mayor):* 919-560-4333, ext. 10269;
> elaine.oneal at durhamnc.gov
>
> ·        *Javiera Caballero:* 919-560-4396, ext. 10272;
> Javiera.Caballero at durhamnc.gov
>
> ·        *DeDreana Freeman:* 919-560-4396, ext. 10276;
> DeDreana.Freeman at durhamnc.gov
>
> ·        *Jillian Johnson:* 919-560-4396, ext. 10278;
> jillian.johnson at durhamnc.gov
>
> ·        *Mark-Anthony Middleton:* 919-560-4396, ext. 10277;
> mark-anthony.middleton at durhamnc.gov
>
> ·        *Monique Holsey-Hyman:* 919-560-4396, ext. 10274;
> Monique.Hyman at durhamnc.gov
>
> ·        *Leonardo Williams:* 919-560-4396, ext. 10273;
> Leonardo.Williams at durhamnc.gov
>
>
>
> Thank you for your time and support. Please let us know if you want to
> learn more or help the Walltown Community Association make our voices heard.
>
>
>
> On behalf of the Walltown Community Association,
>
>
>
> Rafe Mazer
>
>
>
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