More Details Available for Morgan Farm Proposal

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Tonight, developers are holding a virtual neighborhood meeting about Morgan Farm – a follow-up proposal for the 218-acre site along Farrington Mill Road that was set to become Sheffield Farms before rejection by the Durham City Council earlier this year.

The new proposal reduces density from 702 to 561 units (mix of single-family and townhouses), keeps 5% income-restricted units, provides a $65,000 donation to Durham Public Schools, offers to convey 2.5 acres for preservation of a historic structure area, adds two wildlife corridors, includes no impact to steep slopes, with a 300-foot natural buffer.

The application was submitted to Durham planners in July. The proposal is expected to go before the Planning Commission and City Council in 2026.

The first neighborhood meeting, hosted by Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, is set for 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom at this link.

Does it help to change the name and resubmit within months of rejection? Comments on the Durham Rezoning Explorer indicate: No. One neighbor calls it “Sheffield Farms with a new haircut.”

“Traffic on Farrington Mill Road is already at capacity and the addition of this many units on a rural road such as this will create even more congestion than is currently the case,” wrote one neighbor on July 17.

“They’ve made a few changes and addressed a few concerns in a manner deemed ‘significant enough’ to waive the 12-month waiting period for subsequent applications on this site,” wrote another on July 21. “The changes they propose do little to address the major underlying infrastructure concerns and the vast majority of community residents.”

How do you feel about the Morgan Farm proposal? Send letters to the editor to wes.platt@southpointaccess.news.

Spread the word by sharing this Southpoint Access newsletter with friends and neighbors. Got a tip for your neighborhood news guy? Send email to ⁠⁠wes.platt@southpointaccess.news⁠⁠.