RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. [Nov 25, 2025] — The Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina, steward of Research Triangle Park (RTP), today announced that the Durham County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to amend RTP’s zoning district within the county’s Unified Development Ordinance, enabling new development and campus modernization opportunities across the Park’s 7,000 acres. The decision represents a pivotal milestone in advancing RTP 3.0, a 50-year vision to guide smart, equitable and sustainable growth, and strengthens RTP’s ability to attract top talent, innovative companies and global investment in the decades ahead.
The vote took place Nov. 24 during a scheduled meeting of the Durham County Board of Commissioners. With Durham County’s approval, the zoning updates now move forward in alignment with Wake County’s ordinances, which the Wake County Board of Commissioners approved in June 2025 and structured to take effect once Durham County enacted its corresponding amendments. Durham County has designated Jan. 1, 2026, as the effective date for its rezoning changes, meaning both counties have now authorized the updated zoning framework to take effect on that date.
“RTP 3.0 began as a 50-year vision for what the Park could become,” said Scott Levitan, president and CEO, Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina. “Thanks to the engagement, backing and confidence of local leadership and officials, that vision is now taking shape and turning years of planning into action. These zoning updates give landowners in RTP the flexibility to modernize campuses, adapt to evolving workforce needs and strengthen R&D capabilities, creating lasting growth and opportunity for the entire Triangle region.”
During the meeting, commissioners noted the significance of the multiyear RTP 3.0 process and the broad collaboration behind it.
“This is a transformational decision on the part of our board for the next vision and future of RTP. It’s just really exciting, I think, for our board to be a part of this moment in time,” said Durham County Commissioner Wendy Jacobs. “This plan will be implementing our comprehensive land use plan. [It] really embodies the values and the desires that our community wants … to have a work, live, play environment, and housing, and having walkable communities, [and] a multimodal vision. We’re going to be resilient, we’re going to be innovative, we’re going to pivot toward a new future in RTP.”
Commissioner Michelle Burton commented, “This is transformational in the history of RTP. It was founded over 65 years ago, and now it’s going through this historical transformation. This is just a great thing for Durham County, I’m glad we were able to come together and vote for it.”
Since its establishment in 1959, RTP has been guided by a single place type—the Traditional Corporate Campus, characterized by very low-density development, large landscape buffers and predominantly single-use research and office facilities. Under RTP 3.0, this long-standing model is expanded with the introduction of three new complementary place types: Enhanced Corporate Campus, Residential Neighborhood Development and Mixed-Use Density Node.
“Together, these additional place types create a more flexible, connected and diverse physical framework for the Park,” said Travis Crayton, vice president of planning and public policy, Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina. “They empower organizations to reimagine their campuses, allow for public-facing amenities and multimodal transportation access, and create opportunities for employees to live closer to where they work, while still supporting RTP’s core mission of research and innovation.”
Since late 2021, the Research Triangle Foundation has worked closely with RTP companies, landowners, local governments and university partners to shape the RTP 3.0 framework. In January 2025, members of the RTP Owners and Tenants Association approved the first major update to RTP’s land covenants in 65 years, with a 96% majority vote.
Now, with zoning approval from Wake and Durham counties, Foundation staff will continue to work closely with its Research Triangle Foundation Board of Directors and RTP Owners and Tenants Association members to record new RTP land covenants, adopt enhanced development standards and approve revised design guidelines. Once these steps are complete, applications for RTP 3.0 development may begin, likely starting mid-2026.
To learn more about the RTP 3.0 vision and milestones, visit https://rtp.org/rtp3-0.
About Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina
Since 1959, the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina has served Research Triangle Park (RTP) in its mission to facilitate collaboration among our region’s industries, universities, and workforce, and create economic impact for the residents of North Carolina by attracting the world’s most innovative companies and top-tier talent. Comprised of 7,000 acres, its boundaries are centrally located among Duke University, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Contributing $25.1 billion in annual economic impact to North Carolina, RTP is home to 55,000 employees and more than 385 companies and national labs, including Apple, BASF, Biogen, Cisco Systems, EPA, Fidelity Investments, IBM, Labcorp, Lenovo, Lilly, NetApp, NIEHS, RTI International and United Therapeutics. For more information, visit https://rtp.org.
Media contact
Kelly Propst
VP of Marketing & Communications
Research Triangle Foundation of N.C.
propst@rtp.org