Ground broken for Villages of Hayti affordable housing in Durham
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- City leaders and community partners broke ground Wednesday on a major affordable housing development planned for Durham's historic Hayti neighborhood, marking the start of construction on a long-vacant site along Merrick Street.
The Villages of Hayti is planned for the former Fayette Place site and will bring 252 affordable housing units to the area.
Developers say the community will include one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments for households earning between 30% and 80% of the area median income. Plans for the site also include a community building, playground, walking paths and a picnic pavilion.
Project leaders say the development is part of a broader effort to reinvest in Hayti, once known as Durham's Black Wall Street, while addressing the city's growing affordable housing crisis.
For nearby residents, the groundbreaking represents a long-awaited turning point.
"Praise the Lord," said Gail Jones, who lives across the street from the site.
Jones said she has watched the property sit unused for years, taking on many different roles but bringing few benefits to the neighborhood.
"It's been, it's been a maze. It's been a dog park. It's been an encampment, been a playground, is being lost and littering, looting, trespass and murders, drugs," she said.
Jones said the project is personal as well as practical.
"It's important to our community because this was a part of my upbringing, and I hope my parents talk about it now, actually get to see some of the things coming to fruition," she said.
The Durham Housing Authority and Durham Community Partners -- a group that includes Harmony Housing Affordable Development, Gilbane Development, and F7 Development International -- announced the groundbreaking for the first phase of the multiphase project.
Developers say construction is expected to continue through the end of 2027, with residents potentially beginning to see new neighbors and neighborhood benefits before then. The development is structured as a 100% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit project
According to project details, 26 units will be designated as mobility-impaired units for people with disabilities or individuals experiencing homelessness, in accordance with requirements from the N.C. Housing Finance Agency.
The first phase will include 81 one-bedroom, 113 two-bedroom and 58 three-bedroom apartments spread across nine garden-style, walk-up buildings. A 4,000-square-foot community building is planned to include a multipurpose room, computer and office center, and fitness center.
Outdoor amenities are expected to include a 1,700-square-foot playground, shaded seating areas, and a centrally located covered picnic pavilion.
Project leaders say the site is less than 1.5 miles from downtown Durham and about a quarter mile from a GoDurham bus stop, providing residents access to transit, employment, education and cultural amenities.
At Wednesday's groundbreaking ceremony, organizers highlighted the role of the project's Community Advisory Committee, which includes representatives from Durham CAN, the Hayti Reborn Community Advisory Council, the W.G. Pearson Center, North Carolina Central University, Grant Street Ladies and the Hayti Heritage Center.
Upon completion, The Villages of Hayti is expected to provide long-term, affordable housing aimed at supporting the economic and social health of the surrounding neighborhood. More information about the project is available here.
