[Durham INC] See This From Walltown Concerning SCAD

Thu Nov 16 23:12:58 EST 2023

Thanks for forwarding - though of course if people continue to vote in
pro-dev and/or pro-appeasement-to-dev folks for council and mayor - on the
endorsement of said candidates by various interest groups in Durham -
they're unlikely to get the votes they want when it comes to developers
lobbying favorable changes.

(Sadly even if we do get representatives that are truly affordable housing
and low impact development focused, being in a Dylan rules state run by a
pro-dev supermajority in Raleigh makes it hard to constantly play
whack-a-mole against all these developer initiated incursions into keeping
Durham liveable for everyone.

Recently found I still have my copy of the 2011 Indy story about developers
lawyers and 751 South. It could be tough to preserve the Durham we might
visualize against such realities. But we should simply have the right
representation and not have to lobby our own public *servants* (who are
really our employees in a real sense and we the employers) for our needs to
be the ones that get the highest priority, every time.

D

On Thu, Nov 16, 2023, 5:27 PM Mimi Kessler <mimikessler1 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I am recycling mine since nothing has changed.
>
> Mimi Kessler
> 919-599-2892
>
>
> On Thu, Nov 16, 2023 at 4:54 PM Stephen Knill <knillsj at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> This is posted on the Leesville FB page
>>
>> This coming Monday night City Council is reviewing and potentially voting
>> on the developer led SCAD amendment to change almost 60 pages of Durham
>> regulations to make building more affordable for developers. This not to
>> make housing more affordable for Durham residents. The Planning Department
>> has over 26,000 homes in some stage of approvals for development all over
>> Durham with the largest chunk by far in SE Durham. The amendment would make
>> it possible to build residential in industrial zones, eliminate parking
>> requirements and allow affordable units to be resold immediately at market
>> rate among other citizen unfriendly ideas.  Please send a note to our
>> current Mayor and CC to let them know this shouldn't happen. You can email
>> the entire council at: [council at durhamnc.gov](mailto:council at durhamnc.gov
>> )
>>
>>
>> Stephen Knill
>> Mobile +1 917 620 4941 <+1%20917%20620%204941>
>> knillsj at gmail.com
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Nov 16, 2023, at 4:40 PM, Stephen Knill <knillsj at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Of course they are. And telling them it will help make housing more
>> affordable.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Stephen Knill
>> Mobile +1 917 620 4941 <+1%20917%20620%204941>
>> knillsj at gmail.com
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Nov 16, 2023, at 4:33 PM, Mary Molina <mymolina49 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>  FYI...I'm told that SCAD proponents are flooding Council's email. I'm
>> guessing that they will also be organizing their supporters to attend
>> Monday's Council meeting....
>>
>> M.
>>
>>
>> Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
>> <https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&af_sub1=Acquisition&af_sub2=Global_YMktg&af_sub3=&af_sub4=100000604&af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_>
>>
>> On Thursday, November 16, 2023, 3:22 PM, Vannessa Evans via INC-list <
>> inc-list at lists.deltaforce.net> wrote:
>>
>> Yes we did.
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from Yahoo Mail. Get the app <https://yho.com/148vdq>
>>
>>
>> On Thursday, November 16, 2023 at 02:09:54 PM EST, Stephen Knill <
>> knillsj at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Agreed. I was thinking that if each community to can vote against SCAD
>> does a letter from that community (along with individual letters) that
>> shows how much of Durham by neighborhood is opposed when we add them all
>> together. Especially in those communities that will likely be most
>> impacted.
>>
>> I believe we had a number of these back when the INC voted to oppose it
>> including one from Hayti Reborn.
>>
>> Did you do on the last time around. That could be recycled?
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Stephen Knill
>>
>> knillsj at gmail.com
>>
>> +(917) 620-4941
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> *From: *Vannessa Evans <vevans2016 at yahoo.com>
>> *Date: *Thursday, November 16, 2023 at 2:06 PM
>> *To: *Stephen Knill <knillsj at gmail.com>
>> *Cc: *Mimi Kessler <mimikessler1 at gmail.com>, tom miller <
>> miller.tom2022 at gmail.com>, Beverly Evans <bevans108lou at yahoo.com>,
>> Bonita Green <bonitagreen4durham at gmail.com>, Katie Ross <
>> katie.lund.ross at gmail.com>, Mimi O'Brien <mimi.obrien at mdbf.org>, Nate
>> Baker <ntb29 at cornell.edu>, fayettevillestreetgroup at gmail.com <
>> fayettevillestreetgroup at gmail.com>, inc-list at lists.deltaforce.net <
>> inc-list at lists.deltaforce.net>, jwagstaf1958 at gmail.com <
>> jwagstaf1958 at gmail.com>, melvarigel at aol.com <melvarigel at aol.com>
>> *Subject: *Re: See This From Walltown Concerning SCAD
>>
>> Hi Stephen,
>>
>>
>>
>> We don't mind doing, but I feel a letter from all the Communities
>> Associations and leaders should go out to inform all of the community
>> members throughout Durham. We are all stronger together than apart so let's
>> all do our part to help make a better Durham.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from Yahoo Mail. Get the app <https://yho.com/148vdq>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thursday, November 16, 2023 at 01:14:51 PM EST, Stephen Knill <
>> knillsj at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Vanessa. Can the BCA send one as an organization too?
>>
>>
>>
>> *Stephen Knill*
>>
>> Mobile +1 917 620 4941
>> knillsj at gmail.com
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>
>>
>> On Nov 16, 2023, at 1:06 PM, Vannessa Evans <vevans2016 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>> 
>>
>> The BCA has sent out to all of our social media pages.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from Yahoo Mail. Get the app <https://yho.com/148vdq>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thursday, November 16, 2023 at 09:55:45 AM EST, Stephen Knill <
>> knillsj at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Great overview.
>>
>>
>>
>> *Stephen Knill*
>>
>> Mobile +1 917 620 4941
>> knillsj at gmail.com
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>
>>
>> On Nov 16, 2023, at 9:46 AM, Mimi Kessler <mimikessler1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> 
>>
>> 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
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> INC Website: https://sites.google.com/view/durhaminc/
>>
>> Durham INC Mailing List
>> inc-list at lists.deltaforce.net
>> https://lists.deltaforce.net/mailman/listinfo/inc-list
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> INC Website: https://sites.google.com/view/durhaminc/
>>
>> Durham INC Mailing List
>> inc-list at lists.deltaforce.net
>> https://lists.deltaforce.net/mailman/listinfo/inc-list
>>
> _______________________________________________
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>
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