If elected, will you commit to honoring the wishes of Durham communities regarding the future development of Hayti, Heritage Square, and other historic neighborhoods that are central to our city’s culture, ensuring that projects only move forward if they align with the will of the directly affected communities?

Yes. I will follow the will of the people who live, work, worship, and run small businesses in Hayti, Heritage Square, and other historic neighborhoods. No City deal or special approval will move forward unless the directly affected community says yes in a clear and documented way.

How we will do that:

• Meet people early, in the open, and with full transparency.

• Use an independently run process and post results on a public progress website.

• Require a community-written plan before major steps.

• Protect what matters: no net loss of deeply affordable homes or Black-owned storefronts; a right to return; and a first chance to lease or buy.

• Use signed community benefit agreements and long-term ground leases for public land.

• Protect sacred places and history.

If a project is allowed “by right,” the City cannot block it. The City will not add money, special approvals, fast-tracking, or extra infrastructure unless the community shows clear support. Approvals and funds will be phased. If promises are not kept, we will pause or claw back support.

The proposed UDO revisions appear to allow development decisions that may override the expressed will of impacted communities, including Heritage Square and Northgate. If elected, will you commit to protecting these communities, either by advocating for their removal from blanket ordinances or by otherwise ensuring that the community voice is not overridden by UDO provisions?

Yes. I will protect communities, including Heritage Square and Northgate from blanket rule changes that silence community voices. I will ask to remove these areas from any citywide ordinances until a community-written plan is in place and adopted. If some citywide rules must apply, I will put special protections on top of them.

Those protections will include:

• No net loss of deeply affordable homes or Black-owned commercial space.

• Right-to-return and first chance to lease or buy for residents and legacy businesses.

• Context-sensitive height and scale so new buildings fit the place.

• A short, clear impact statement on displacement and culture for any zoning change.

• Documented community support before incentives or upgrades are approved.

• Phased approvals, real milestones, and clawbacks if promises are broken.