DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — Dozens of apartment buildings have popped up around Durham over the last decade, which is how long William McLean III has lived in the city.

He says he’s paying an arm and a leg each month in rent.

“You go from a one-bedroom being $900, now [a] one bedroom [is] $1,300,” he said. “Like, how do you go up that quick? It’s just too much.”

McLean advocates for more affordable housing, and so does his friend Betty Harris.

“[I want] more low-income housing for single parents,” Harris said.

An updated Durham Comprehensive Land Use Plan aims to take those concerns into consideration. It’s a growth guide for what can be built and where in the city and county as the current plan is almost 18-years-old.

“Some of that change has benefitted residents, while others have been negatively impacted by that change in our community,” said Lisa Miller, Durham Planner Principal.

She believes the plan should adjust to fit the community’s needs.

CBS 17 asked Miller what the plan can do to guide the development of more affordable housing.

“We’ve seen a couple of former motels converted to housing over the last couple years, so things like that, looking at repurposing,” she responded.

There are a number of virtual and in-person meetings scheduled in an effort to get public feedback. The planning department looks to have the changes to the growth plan in place by the fall.

“All you can do right now, you pray, hope for the better and you hope somebody at the top starts caring,” McLean said. “That’s all.”