The City of Durham is among 30 U.S. cities selected to participate in a new Bloomberg Philanthropies housing initiative aimed at increasing housing supply and expanding options, city officials announced. Participating cities will receive between $450,000 and $750,000 to pilot technology, hire staff or contract design work to speed construction approvals and move stalled projects forward.
How Durham plans to use the award
Durham Mayor Leonardo “Leo” Williams said the exact award amount for the city has not yet been determined. City leaders, however, said the money will be directed toward expanding Durham’s existing Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) pilot.
The ADU pilot provides low-interest loans to eligible homeowners to build self-contained units—commonly called granny flats, in-law suites or backyard cottages—that must remain affordable for 30 years. Durham has already invested $1.75 million into the pilot.
Williams acknowledged the Bloomberg award “may not be enough money to really have an impact on building units,” but said it could allow the city to hire dedicated staff to accelerate ADU permitting and implementation.
City housing leaders emphasize need for new approaches
Sarah Viñas, the city’s director of Housing & Neighborhood Services, framed the Bloomberg selection as an opportunity to test creative housing types and administrative tools to address affordability challenges.
“We’re really excited to be one of the first cities elected to participate in the Bloomberg Housing Initiative. We’re going to focus on expanding housing options across the city and testing out expansion of accessory dwelling units and other creative housing types to address our affordability challenges.”
Viñas said housing costs and construction expenses have risen significantly in recent years, complicating both homeownership and rental affordability. The Bloomberg initiative will fund pilots such as:
- Technology to shorten construction approval times
- Architects to produce permit-ready plans
- Staffing to advance stalled projects and shepherd pilot programs
What this means for Durham residents
For Durham households, the immediate outcome will depend on how large an award the city receives and how it deploys those resources. City officials are signaling a priority on operational capacity—hiring personnel to shepherd ADUs through design, permitting and financing—rather than direct large-scale construction subsidies.
That approach acknowledges a common bottleneck in local housing production: projects delayed or lost to administrative hurdles. If the Bloomberg funds are used for planning and permitting resources, the city could increase the pace at which ADUs are approved and built, potentially expanding affordable, smaller-scale housing options that sit within established neighborhoods.
However, Mayor Williams’ comment that the award “may not be enough money to really have an impact on building units” underscores a limitation: pilot funding and added personnel can streamline processes, but the cost of construction and land still shape how many units ultimately get built.
Durham’s selection places it among a cohort of 30 cities testing administrative and design tools to expand housing choice. Local officials say the Bloomberg backing will allow Durham to experiment with program expansions while continuing to invest municipal dollars already committed to the ADU pilot.
As the city determines its exact award amount and finalizes program use, residents and neighborhood stakeholders will be watching whether the effort translates into tangible increases in affordable housing and how the city balances design, equity and neighborhood impact.
