A skyscraper, high-rise condos and more: 6 developments changing the face of Durham

Efforts to revitalize downtown Durham are pushing ahead in 2023.

From American Tobacco Campus’ slated expansion to a glassy 27-story tower by local firm Austin Lawrence Partners, developers are dropping millions of dollars on projects to keep up with the city’s population and economic growth.

Here’s a look at some of the city’s biggest construction projects — from high-rise apartments to mixed-use complexes — now underway or in the pipeline.

One thing to note: This list is not exhaustive, and construction schedules often change.

The Novus

A 27-story skyscraper called The Novus is on the rise in Durham.

Construction began in March 2022 on the high-rise development at 400 W. Main Street in Durham’s Five Points district, one of the city’s most bustling commercial corridors. It’s expected to be finished by the end of 2024, according to its website.

Led by Durham-based Austin Lawrence Partners (ALP), plans call for 54 luxury condominiums, 188 rental units and ground-floor retail.

“The building continues to [get] taller with the seventh level amenity space topping off in early July,” Zach Prager, ALP’s spokesperson, said.

ALP developed the Unscripted Hotel Durham, revamping one of the city’s most iconic buildings — the former Jack Tar Motel. It’s also behind One City Center, its first residential high rise in downtown Durham with luxury condominiums, apartments, retail and offices.

New York City-based real estate investors Global Holdings Management Group has partnered to finance the project. Already, 30 of the 54 available condos have sold, Prager said.

Online listings show many units still available with prices starting at $899,900. The priciest is listed at over $4 million. Amenities will include putting greens and golf simulators, spaces to work remotely, a pickleball court, an outdoor movie theater and a dog park, plus pools, hot tubs and steam rooms.

Preleasing for the apartments will begin in mid-2024, Prager said.

American Tobacco Campus expansion

Crews began razing the former University Ford property at 601 Willard Street late last year, paving way for the planned expansion of the American Tobacco Campus.

Capitol Broadcasting Company, which also owns WRAL and the Durham Bulls, bought the auto dealer’s 11-acre lot in 2016 for $28.8 million. It borders the west side of the historic district.

Once an abandoned tobacco factory, CBC has been repurposing the factory buildings into mixed-use since 2004. Partnered with Texas-based development firm Hines, the expansion project’s first phase involves developing eight acres with two of the first all-timber office towers in the Triangle, alongside a 14-story high-rise with 350 units.

There will also be 90,000 square feet of retail space reserved for a possible movie theater/draft house, a grocery, other amenity shops and a restaurant.

A CBC spokesperson confirmed site work has started, and they’re actively leasing space. A timeline for the project’s completion is still unknown.

Elizabeth Street Apartments

A few blocks east of Durham’s urban center, crews recently broke ground on the affordable housing complex, The Elizabeth Street Apartments.

It’s the first of a five-phase project to redevelop the combined 519 E. Main and the former Liberty Street Public Housing Apartments, which were demolished late last year.

The Durham Housing Authority landed a $40 million federal grant to build the mixed-income community last year.

Together with developer Laurel Street Residential, they plan to build 555 housing units on 14 acres bounded by Main, Liberty, Elizabeth and Dillard streets.

The federal money will be supplemented by local dollars to cover the total cost of $186 million, the N&O previously reported.

“[It] will serve households with incomes at 30%, 60% and 80% of the area median income and below,” Anthony C. Snell, DHA’s director of real estate development, told the N&O.

Residents have been relocated during the reconstruction, some temporarily and some to other DHA properties.

The Streets of Southpoint

As malls continue to struggle amid the rise of e-commerce, The Streets of Southpoint is defying the trend — and now it’s set for a makeover.

The Durham City Council recently voted 5-2 to rezone the 132-acre property.

The mall’s owner, international developers Brookfield Properties, now has the green light to build up to 10 stories high and more than double the shopping center’s square footage.

Among its proposals: 1,382 apartments, 200-room hotel, 300,000 square feet of office space and 100,000 square feet of additional retail.

Affordable housing, however, isn’t part of the plan. Brookfield’s owners argued they couldn’t make affordable housing work financially. Instead, Southpoint is offering a $1 million donation to the city’s housing fund.

There is no firm timeline for the redevelopment.

“We are not prepared to move dirt tomorrow, but this will allow us to move forward with a multi-year plan,” Pat Anderson, its general manager, said.

GeerHouse

High-rise apartments are coming to one of Durham’s oldest neighborhoods.

Washington, D.C.-based developer Four Points and Alexandros Washburn, an urban designer who has worked in Durham and New York City, are constructing GeerHouse on the corner of Foster and West Geer streets. The redevelopment centers around a renovated and expanded Motorco Music Hall, a popular live music venue, in the historic Old North Durham neighborhood.

The first phase of GeerHouse calls for a seven-story building that will wrap around Motorco Music Hall. It includes 220 apartments and more than 13,000 square feet of commercial space intended for restaurants and retailers. A “community corridor” will feature a series of plazas fronting smaller retail spaces. Motorco will expand to 6,000 square feet with the extension of its covered patio.

The second building will rise 15 stories, adding 108 apartments and another 3,300 square feet designed for commercial use.

John Sunter, who oversees development at Four Points, said the first phase of the project will be worth $82 million dollars. The first units are expected to be available by February 2024.

Residential rents will start at around $2.85 a square foot.

“We’re also working on leases for a couple of retail areas,” he said.

Durham YMCA

A new “state-of-the-art” YMCA is coming to downtown Durham, but it’s behind schedule — by two years.

The project’s groundbreaking is now slated for 2024.

Last year, YMCA of the Triangle revealed plans to replace the gym at West Morgan and Foster streets with a brand-new YMCA supporting two towers: one 27 stories containing 299 apartments and the other 12 stories featuring offices.

They’d be connected underneath by the new YMCA, a parking garage with over 600 spaces and some shops.

Other highlights: two pools, an indoor track, a two-court gym and loads of parking.

Durham has three other YMCAs, though the only indoor pool is downtown. There are 19 YMCA locations across the Triangle.

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