Durham Reporter

Those interested in development data and trends in Durham now have a new online resource at their fingertips.

The new Durham Planning Dashboard provides data involving development in Durham. With data updated quarterly, this interactive website is designed to let users easily explore overall trend data, population and demographic information, and an interactive map that provides tools to check the status of development cases, review past approvals, and review data and other information for parcels of land.

According to City-County Planning Director Sara Young, the new dashboard was created to be responsive to the information needs of Durham residents in a rapidly growing community. “This dashboard is a collaborative effort designed to wholistically provide data to our community, planning commissioners, elected leaders, and the news media,” Young said. “We also designed the dashboard to share what we do, why we do it, and the potential impact of development projects in our community.”

In addition to providing development trends and an interactive mapping tool, the dashboard also gives details on the different departmental work groups which covers everything from long-range planning to the review of current development proposals, floodplains, building permits, development that is voted on by the Board of County Commissioners and/or City Council, community engagement efforts, racial equity work, and a wide range of other planning functions. For each set of activities and information found on the dashboard, the department’s staff describe what it is, what it means, and why it’s important. 

According to Young, dashboard users can also subscribe to the department’s e-newsletter to get engaged and stay informed about development happening in Durham. “We send out a weekly newsletter with all upcoming Planning public hearings and other public meetings to anyone who subscribes,” Young said. “We want our community to be engaged and informed about the growth and development of their community, and our weekly newsletter is a great way to receive the latest news.”

Residents are also encouraged to tune into the monthly Durham Planning Commission meetings, which are held the second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, located at 101 City Hall Plaza. These meetings are also televised live on Durham Television Network and livestreamed to the City’s YouTube, Facebook, and X (formerly known as Twitter) channels. 

Residents can also listen to a number of podcasts on the City’s Spreaker channel to stay informed on the actions of the many boards and committees that provide input on planning and development, such as the Board of Adjustment, the Historic Preservation Commission, and the Joint City-County Planning Committee.

Original source can be found here.