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4C.2 General Office and Institutional District (O&I-2) (O&I-2 CN)

4C.2.1 Purpose

The General Office and Institutional District (O&I-2) is established for employment and community service activities. Some support facilities and residential uses are also allowed when compatible with surrounding uses. The zoning district is designed for use on sites near major or minor thoroughfares, since development of moderate to high intensity is allowed.

Higher intensity development with an emphasis on a coordinated mixture of transit-supportive uses is encouraged near major transit facilities within areas designated in the 2020 Plan as Compact Neighborhood Areas. Such areas are often similar in nature to the development in the Downtown area and should have similar development requirements. Section 4C.2.10 establishes guidelines and regulations for this more intensive development in OI-2 districts within designated Compact Neighborhoods. These regulations are only applicable within these designated Compact Neighborhoods.

4C.2.2 Permitted Uses

1. Accessory buildings
2. Accessory uses
3. Amateur Wireless Facility
4. Artists galleries
5. Artists studios
6. Banks and financial institutions, with drive up windows
7. Bed and breakfast inns
8. Business services
9. Cemeteries, mausoleums, columbariums, and memorial gardens
10. Clubs, lodges, and recreation facilities, for use by non-profit organizations
11. Colleges and universities
12. Convalescent centers
13. Day care facilities
14. Detached single family dwellings. Subject to the standards of Section 4C.2.7
15. Diet houses
16. Duplexes, triplexes, and multifamily dwellings. Subject to the standards of Section 4C.2.7 and Section 4C.2.10
17. Funeral homes
18. Government facilities, not to include correctional facilities and jails
19. Hospitals
20. Hotels and motels
21. Laboratories without outside operations or storage
22. Medical clinics
23. Multifamily. Subject to the standards of Section 4C.2.7 and Section 4C.2.10
24. Museums operated by non-profit groups
25. Offices
26. Parking as an independent use
27. Places of worship
28. Public parks and playgrounds
29. Public utility facilities without outdoor storage
30. Radio and television broadcasting studios
31. Retirement centers and life care communities Subject to the standards of Section 4C.2.7
32. Satellite Dish Antennae
33. Schools - technical, trade, vocational and business schools
34. Veterinary clinics
35. Wireless Communication Facilities, concealed, concealed attached, co-located or combining on an existing, non-concealed attached, mitigating an existing

4C.2.3 Minor Special Uses Subject to Approval by the Board of Adjustment

1. Boarding houses
2. Commercial dorms
3. Conference centers and retreat centers
4. Private schools
5. Wireless Communication Facilities, non-concealed

4C.2.4 Major Special Uses Subject to Approval by the Governing Body

1. Helistops
2. Public schools

4C.2.5 Dimensional Requirements

1. Minimum lot area: 20,000 square feet
2. Minimum lot width: 60 feet

4C.2.6 Setback Requirements

1. Minimum front setback: 35 feet
2. Minimum side setback: 20 feet each side
3. Minimum rear setback: 25 feet

4C.2.7 Maximum Density for Residential Development and Retirement Centers

1. The maximum density shall be 8 units per acre.
2. Residential developments shall conform to the standards of the RM District; Section 4A.8

4C.2.8 Height Requirements

Maximum height:

Building heights up to 35 feet with 20 foot side yards

Building heights up to 50 feet with 25 foot side yards

Building heights up to 90 feet with 50 foot side yards

Building heights over 90 feet up to a maximum of 145 feet with 75 foot side yards and approval by the Board of Adjustment

4C.2.9 Additional Requirements

1. A site plan shall be required for all new development.
2. A traffic impact study shall be required when development meets the criteria of Section 13.
3. Hospitals, convalescent centers, and retirement centers may provide service facilities such as banks, florists, gift shops, snack bars, and personal service shops if the facilities are completely enclosed within the building and designed to serve patrons of the hospital, convalescent center, or retirement center.
4. Office buildings are permitted to contain the following uses as long as 51% of the gross square footage of the building is devoted to office uses:
   1. Health clubs and fitness centers
   2. Restaurants however, drive up windows are not allowed. Restaurant square footage may not exceed 25% of the gross floor area of the building.
   3. Retail uses, convenience stores, and personal service establishments. Drive up windows are not allowed. The size of each establishment may not exceed 20% of the gross floor area of the building and the majority of the building must remain devoted to office uses.
5. Supplementary requirements of Section 7 may apply depending on the type of development.

4C.2.10 Development within Designated Compact Neighborhood Areas

The general location of Compact Neighborhoods was established by the Durham 2020 Comprehensive Plan based on regional transit. The compact neighborhood areas extend approximately 1/2 mile from the stations for fixed guideway regional transit which are identified by the agencies responsible for the station designation.

1. General Requirements: Because of the potential added impacts from the higher residential densities in this district, the following requirements apply to all O&I-2 development within Compact Neighborhood areas:
   1. Single Family Transition: If a portion(s) of a multi-family building taller than 35 feet is located within 100 feet of a single family dwelling in a residential district, a buffer obscuring 75% of the view (within 3-5 years) of that portion of the multi-family structure (as viewed from the ground level of the single-family structure) shall be provided. This buffer shall meet the requirements of Section 10.3.1 of the Ordinance. This is intended to encourage 'stepping-down' building height as residential areas are approached. In addition, Class 3 buffer requirements for a 30 foot wide landscaped buffer, as per Section 10.2.4, apply to multi-family developments directly adjoining developed residentially zoned properties. The approving authority may modify these requirements if the applicant demonstrates that changes improve the project's compatibility with adjacent areas and overall design.
   2. Development Plan Required: A Development Plan is required for all developments being rezoned OI-2 within Compact Neighborhood areas to utilize the high-density residential regulations. Particular attention shall be given to exterior facades and perimeter site design features to ensure they are compatible with surrounding development. The building heights, location and orientation; parking, pedestrian, bicycle and transit use enhancement features; and open space provisions shall be specified in the Development Plan. A traffic impact study shall be required when development meets the criteria of Section 13.
   3. Additional Requirements
      1. Maximum Density: 80 dwelling units per acre.
      2. Maximum Setbacks: Front, Side and Rear - 20 ft. Setbacks may be eliminated by the approving body if the applicant demonstrates that landscaping, utilities, trash handling/ loading areas, sidewalk and parking requirements are met with high quality design and functionality.
      3. Maximum Height: 145 feet.
      4. Revised Permitted Uses: When multi-family residential is combined with retail in the same building and when the street level retail uses cover more than 50% of the floor space fronting on the street level, then a minimum of 5% of total floor space in the overall development is required for office use.
      5. Open Space Requirements: Each development must provide a street-level pedestrian walkway system - including seating and other pedestrian amenities - that shall connect the development with public transit systems, other uses in the development, other public and private pedestrian ways, and with nearby public and private parks, plazas, and open space. No minimum open space provision is established
      6. City Only: Site Plan Requirement: Site plan review approval shall be required in accordance with Section 17. A traffic impact study shall be required when development meets the criteria of Section 13.
      7. City Only Parking Requirements: Given the limitation on application of these districts to within Compact Neighborhoods based on regional transit station locations, limitations on parking to encourage the use of available transit are appropriate. The parking standards cited in Section 9.4 are maximum, rather than minimum, standards in these districts. Reductions by up to 40% of the applicable standard can be granted by the approving authority once transit service is available if adjacent areas are protected from over-flow parking due to the reduced on-site provision of spaces. Enhanced bicycle, pedestrian and transit use facilities shall be primary among the considerations for such a reduction.
      8. City Only: Tree Coverage: See 10.11.4 for applicable Tree Coverage requirements.

The following subsection is City Only:

2. Existing OI-2 Zoned Properties: Existing OI-2 zoned properties within Compact Neighborhood Areas may make use of these regulations through the site plan approval process.

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