Duke rezones parcels near Central Campus five years after its demolition but its future remains uncertain

Duke's central campus has been abandoned since 2019, and the university has since lacked a clear vision for its future. Today, the administration is seeking to pave the way for its redevelopment.

In April, Duke filed a zoning map change request to rezone 10 parcels of land near the central campus to the designation “University and College with a Development Plan” (UC(D)) to “allow for future uses collegial and institutional”.

The Durham Planning Board presented this proposal to the City Council on April 9 with a favorable recommendation. The proposal is expected to be heard by the City Council in the fall, according to a May 22 email to the Chronicle from Adem Gusa, the university's director of planning and design.

Before its demolition in 2019, Central Campus was used as student accommodation. It initially housed graduate students and students with families, then served as a hub for selective life groups and Greek life organizations, accommodating up to 1,100 students.

Eventually, the buildings began to suffer from mold problems, leading campus administrators to call for their demolition. Duke built Hollows Quad and purchased the 300 Swift apartments to address the new housing shortage and abandonment of the central campus.

In 2018, Duke's Board of Trustees convened a central campus task force to generate development plans for the land, but the university had other financial commitments and did not pursue any “immediate development” . The Working Group only met for one year.

Since then, the future of Central Campus has remained uncertain.

According to the City of Durham website, each parcel of land has a zoning designation that regulates surrounding matters, including how the land can be used and what type of structures are allowed.

Despite the shortcomings, the Durham Planning Commission voted favorably on the application by eight votes to one at the April 9 meeting. Neil Ghosh, a land use planning and zoning attorney who represented Duke before the council, said the majority of concerns previously expressed were about the omission in the request of the 10-foot pedestrian and bike path.

Ghosh said at the meeting that Duke would be open to suggestions to incorporate ideas similar to the Department of Transportation's proposed pedestrian and bike path, but would not revise the current application to accommodate demand.

At the same meeting, the Planning Commission also heard another zoning map change request filed by Duke regarding the rezoning of 3 parcels near East Campus to UC(D). This proposal did not receive the approval of the council, rejected by five votes to four.

Several community members made public comments expressing concerns about this proposal due to the University's inability to address wastewater disposal and increased traffic in the neighborhood. According to Gusa, the University is “considering its options” regarding this application.