Durham Council Adopts New Urban Design Standards, Approves New Parking Policies

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Welcome to the weekend, readers.

The Durham City Council made two significant changes to city policy during Monday night’s council meeting.

In an effort to modernize the city’s urban design standards, the council voted unanimously to adopt new guidelines created by the National Association of City Transportation Officials and the Institute of Transportation Engineers.

Council member Nate Baker says he’s been working with city staff and other stakeholders for months to vet the guidelines and understand how they fit into Durham’s larger planning goals. Staff and residents praised the new standards, believing they will create a strong foundation for the city’s public works projects, like the ones planned for the upcoming bond referendums, and better align private developments with city planning.

For downtown Durham employees, the city council slipped in a supercharged discount for the city’s parking voucher program when it passed the consent agenda at the beginning of the meeting. Starting in November, eligible downtown employees who make at or below the 80 percent area median income threshold can buy a monthly parking pass for a mere $35 compared to the previous $140 rate.

Both initiatives inspired outside-the-box ideas from residents and local officials about how to build a more dynamic Bull City. In an interview with the INDY, Councilmember Javiera Caballero proposed eliminating curbside parking altogether. She also resurfaced a personal decades-long crusade of mine: closing the inside of the downtown loop to cars.

You can read about the new NACTO standards and the revised parking voucher program here and here.

Have a good weekend.

—Justin

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