Rob Seaber said he wants his Durham neighborhood to stay the way it is. He is against a proposed apartment building on Cole Mill Road.
"It offers a nice atmosphere for people that want to live in Durham and enjoy the access to the city," he said.
Seaber lives in the middle of a 2-mile stretch of single-family homes, but that may soon change. Developer Robert Haywood wants to build an 11-unit apartment building near Seaber's subdivision. Seaber and his neighbors have written petitions and letters to Mayor Bill Bell to voice their disapproval.
"The apartment vacancy rate in this town is very high at this time, and we don't need another apartment building in Durham," Seaber said.
"The driveway would be coming out about 50 feet to 60 feet from Cole Mill Road. This would be too much congestion," homeowner L.C. Meachum said.
Right now, a empty home sits on the future site of the apartment building. Haywood told WRAL in a phone conversation that he was not violating any zoning codes and the people closest to his property do not object to his plans, but Seaber and more than 300 of his neighbors disagree.
"We all support development, but we support wise development in this town, and this apartment building is not a wise choice for this part of town," Seaber said.
Seaber said city council members will vote Monday on the site plan of the apartment building. Durham neighbors say they will be at the meeting to voice their concerns.
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
