The City of Durham has struggled for decades to revitalize a section downtown near the Durham Freeway. Today there is a groundbreaking to celebrate new plans for the area.
Leoneda Inge: The Durham Freeway, or NC-147, cuts right through the long-standing Hayti African American community. Many would say the area has failed to thrive since then. Reginald Johnson is Interim Director of the Durham Community Development Department. He says after seven years of planning, construction will begin soon on more than 130 rental units, including ones where residents can live and run a business.
Reginald Johnson: And this is one of the neighborhoods that is in close proximity to downtown Durham and we’ve had quite a bit of success in downtown and we want to have impact in the neighborhoods that surround the downtown in terms of revitalization.
The first homes in the 20-million dollar development should be complete by next summer. Affordable housing units are included in the project.
