Durham's Affordable Housing Plan for Old Police Site

0:00It's April 6th. This is Durham News Today, driven by AI. Durham's pushing forward with big plans for the old police headquarters site, turning that four-acre vacant lot into affordable housing. The main idea is a seven-story building packed with 80 units, all in at $26 million to help families hit hard by the cities. Housing Crunch. At the March 19th City Council work session, they locked in on Scenario 2, which stacks a parking garage right under the apartments. That set up keeps extra land open for whatever comes next, dodging the flops from past redevelopment tries over the last 10 years. Mayor Leonardo Williams lit up about it, saying it's the first real direction in a decade, even if it's not flawless. Folks from Durham can, the group driving this, stressed how new arrivals are pricing out the locals who built the bull city vibe we all dig. Advocates like Rick Larson and Ketty Thelmacky see this overgrown spot flipping into a community win. Fighting till families cut ribbons and move in. No extra council vote needed now?

1:01They're straight to picking a developer, aiming for July. Meanwhile, the council's gearing up to decide if preservation North Carolina saves the original headquarters building. If it all clicks, Durham gets real housing relief without losing that prime land.