For 52 years, 78-year-old Sandra Carpenter Ellixson has lived in her home in southeast Durham. She lives there with her husband, Eugene. When she moved out of the city and into the county, it was for peace and privacy. The house was one of three at the end of the road, with a backyard once filled entirely with trees.

“We had just all trees in the backyard. Just all natural everything in the backyard,” said Ellixson, “And then they started building.”

In 2022, their secluded road changed. New housing developments sprang up behind their property. Nine developments in under two miles, according to Ellixson. Townhomes now overlook their backyard, visible beyond a thin layer of trees. Along with the construction came dynamite blasting and a loss of privacy.

Pamala Andrews, a leader of Preserve Rural Durham, an organization dedicated to conservation and sustainability in Durham County, said the Ellixsons, like many in the county, wanted to be in nature. “We moved out to the county because we want to be in the county. We want to see the deer. We want to enjoy the hummingbirds. We want to enjoy nature,” said Andrews. 

Ellixson said the dynamite blasts widened existing cracks in the home’s bricks. “I even tried to get them to pay for some of this stuff, and they said no,” she said.

According to Andrews, the company behind the development obtained a blasting permit with a $1 million insurance rider. “But we have yet to see one time, even one time, for them to take responsibility for the damage done.”

The Ellixsons have experienced three separate blasting incidents, each requiring an inspection. “I feel like they’re sort of invading my privacy in a way,” said Ellixson.

“We expect progress,” Ellixson said. “We don’t expect an explosion.”

Beyond concerns over damage and privacy, they say there is nowhere else for them to go.

“Where are we going to go? If we sold out today and went, where are you going to go?” Andrews asked. “Because housing prices are outrageous, you know, you sell this one, well, I can’t afford to buy anything else in Durham.” Even then, there is concern that developers will build wherever they go.

The growing number of developments in southeast Durham has raised concerns beyond privacy and blasting damage. It is also affecting the environment. 

Samantha Krop, a riverkeeper on the Neuse River and director of advocacy at Sound Rivers, said the impact of development in southeast Durham poses a serious threat to local water quality. 

Sound Rivers monitors and protects the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico River watersheds. Krop collects water samples and works with elected officials to advocate for protective land-use policies. These policies can include reducing clear-cutting near rivers and creeks, as well as considering the location of development growth, such as preventing sprawling developments in forested areas.

She adds that without proper protections in place, these developments can lead to “hundreds of acres of forest getting clear-cut,” which results in runoff that harms aquatic ecosystems.

Sediment is one of the most harmful pollutants to waterways in North Carolina, according to Krop. “It basically just suffocates the foundations of aquatic life,” She said.

Krop said this runoff is easy to spot in the community’s streams and creeks, citing the “tomato soup” color of creeks each time it rains.

“These are people who live in the area, locals who, you know, whose grandparents and great grandparents lived in the area, and who, in front of their eyes, are seeing the creeks that they grew up playing in turn this inhospitable color, and I think it’s viscerally alarming,” Krop says.

Krop said that she isn’t against development, just irresponsible development. “We support building more houses in a responsible way,” she said.

The Durham City Council is responsible for determining zoning matters, while the Planning Commission provides formal recommendations and guidance.

Kimberly Cameron, chair of the Durham Planning Commission, stated that commissioners can ask developers about their plans for native tree planting and other environmental measures. Proposals for new developments typically include a write-up about environmental impact, according to Cameron.

“Durham is, to me, a city full of very smart people,” Cameron said. “And we deserve smart developments.” 

Krop urges community members to pay attention. “I think people should go and see the creeks,” She said. “And go to the City Council and listen to the votes that are being made.”