Shannon at Old Chapel Hill

Rezoning

Center Studio Architecture leads a team that asked the City Council for a rezoning of the vacant land at the corner of Shannon and Old Chapel Hill Roads. The rezoning was approved 6-1 by City Council on September 18th, 2023. This decision allows for townhomes, and a small commercial building with ground floor retail and studio apartment flats on the upper floors.

Prior to the City Council vote, the Planning Commission recommended approval on July 11th by a vote of 12-0. Their written comments can be found here.

Our Latest Community Response

Throughout our community engagement, the three most consistent concerns have been stormwater, traffic, and affordable housing. Here are the text commitments we worked on with neighbors and the City to respond to these concerns, and which were approved 12-0 by the Planning Commission.

Make Comment

Click here to email our project team and send comments or questions. If you’d prefer to use the City’s Social Pinpoint engagement system, see below under “Stay Informed”.

Request a Private Meeting

Click here to email our project team and request a private meeting for your neighborhood association, organization, or business.

Stay Informed


Register here for community and project updates. Choose whether you want to be notified by SMS/txt, email, or US Postal mail. Let us know how best to reach you.


Click here if you prefer to use the the City’s Social Pinpoint engagement system. The City of Durham now uses an online service, called "Social Pinpoint" to give information and gather feedback about projects. Any feedback you post there will also get to the project team.

Community Engagement and Project Diary


September 18, 2023 - City Council Hearing - The City Council approved the rezoning case by a vote of 6-1.


July 11, 2023 - Second Planning Commission Hearing - The Planning Commission recommended approval on July 11th by a vote of 12-0. Their written comments can be found here.


June, 2023 - Durham Planning Department accepts applicant's final text commitments in preparation for the upcoming Planning Commission meeting on July 11, 2023.


June, 2023 - Meeting with The Valley and the Durham Director of Stormwater to finalize our stormwater text commitment.


June 13, 2023 - First Planning Commission Hearing - our case was presented before Planning Commission. We received positive feedback. However, due to a technical hurdle with our stormwater commitment, we decided to ask for a continuance (delay) until the next Planning Commission meeting. We made promises to our neighbors and we want to make sure that all of our proposed text commitments are cleared before moving forward.


June 1, 2023 - At the May, 25th in-person meeting, a community member asked us to look into any potential conflict with the nearby school bus stop and our plan. We contacted the DPS Transportation Department, who reviewed the location of the bus stop in relation to our site as well as the proposal to add an all-way stop (pending NCDOT approval) at the corner of Shannon and Old Chapel Hill. They had no concerns with the project.


May 25, 2023 - In-Person Community Meeting. Met with members of the community about the project at Markham Chapel Baptist Church. Dinner, child care services, and translation services were offered. 32 community members attended. We shared our responses to concerns on affordability, stormwater, and traffic and answered additional questions.


May 23, 2023 - Representatives from The Valley neighborhood reviewed our stormwater response and asked us to turn it into an official commitment. We proposed initial language, which they edited and we accepted: "All stormwater from concentrated/piped sources and from impervious surfaces that are treated/detained will be directed to the existing outfall under Shannon Rd. There will be no increase in peak flow rate at the downstream analysis point of Cheswick Place as a result of this project."


May 23, 2023 - Virtual Community Meeting hosted on Zoom. Notice was sent to households within 1,000 ft of the site. 30 community members attended. We shared our responses to concerns on affordability, stormwater, and traffic and answered additional questions.


May 15, 2023 - This website is launched.


May 13, 2023 - Community response published regarding traffic, stormwater, and affordability.


May 13, 2023 - Private meeting with a representative from Markham Chapel to talk about how best to engage their congregation.


May 12, 2023 - Postcard mailers sent to all property owners and renters/tenants within 1,000 ft of the project.


May 6, 2023 - Private meeting with the Pastor and leaders of Markham Chapel Baptist Church to discuss hosting our in-person community meeting.


March 2023 - Fourth and final submittal.


February 2023 - Submittal for third review cycle.


December 2022 - Submittal for second review cycle.


July 2022 - Application submitted for first review cycle.


March 2022 - First community-wide meeting hosted on Zoom. Notice was sent to households within 600 ft of the site. 35 community members attended. The most pressing concerns brought up were around stormwater, traffic, and affordability.