Durham City Council Rejects Sheffield Farms

During a late-night Monday meeting that went into early Tuesday, the Durham City Council voted 5-2 against the proposed 702-home Sheffield Farms project.

Developer M/I Homes had agreed to invest millions to extend water and sewer service to the area as part of the project, but opponents worried about environmental issues and concerns about exacerbating already tangled traffic at Stagecoach Road and Farrington Mill Road.

Mayor Leonardo Williams and Mayor Pro Tempore Mark-Anthony Middleton voted in favor of Sheffield Farms, while council members Nate Baker, Javiera Caballero, Chelsea Cook, DeDreana Freeman, and Carl Rist all voted against.

During his comments, Middleton noted that he considered Sheffield Farms a great project and “if this is not a great project, then we now at least have the floor to measure ‘great.’”