Durham Joins Bloomberg Affordable Housing Program

Durham, North Carolina, has been selected for a Bloomberg Philanthropies pilot program designed to expand affordable housing through construction and permitting reforms. The initiative will provide funding and technical assistance to 30 cities as they explore new approaches to addressing housing shortages, drawing on lessons from Austin, Atlanta, and San Diego.

Each participating city will receive between $450,000 and $750,000, according to the program details in the report by WUNC. Durham plans to use the resources to expand accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and explore other housing options.

Sarah Viñas, Durham's Housing and Neighborhood Services Director, said the program will give the city access to expertise and financial support to develop additional housing types.

"We will be accessing expertise from experts from across the country, as well as receive funding to expand accessory dwelling units and other creative housing types across our city," said Sarah Viñas, Housing and Neighborhood Services Director.

Viñas said Durham is particularly interested in learning from Austin's experience with ADUs, which are small residential units built on the same property as an existing home. Common examples include backyard cottages, garage apartments, and so-called granny flats.

Durham recently introduced a pilot program offering low-interest financing to 20 homeowners who want to build ADUs on their properties. The city is testing the approach as part of its broader effort to increase housing options.

"We actually haven't seen anyone else doing a program of this kind, so we're testing out this idea," said Viñas.

Austin provides an example of how zoning changes can support ADU construction. The city relaxed its zoning rules for these units in 2015 and issued more than 2,800 ADU permits between 2015 and 2024, according to the Pew source cited in the WUNC report.

Raleigh has also taken steps to encourage ADU construction. Its City Council voted to allow the units in 2020, and the city later launched a gallery of pre-approved architectural plans intended to help homeowners move forward with construction.

Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams said the Bloomberg initiative would support the city's efforts to examine housing construction challenges and develop additional strategies. In a statement, he welcomed the city's selection and emphasized the importance of exploring different ways to address residents' housing needs.

"As we tackle the technicalities of how we build, exploring every option to meet our residents where they are will be my top priority as mayor," said Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams.

Williams also credited the philanthropic organization with recognizing Durham's approach to housing policy and said participation in the initiative affirmed the city's ongoing efforts to develop new strategies.

"I'm so grateful that Bloomberg Philanthropies saw value in the innovative leadership of our city as we forge new strategies, and joining this initiative affirms that effort," said Williams.

Other cities selected for the Bloomberg Philanthropies program include Charleston, Miami, Nashville, and Chattanooga. The initiative builds on housing construction and permitting experience in Austin, Atlanta, and San Diego to help participating communities test approaches to expanding housing supply.