Durham's Transformation Built on Redevelopment Near Future Light Rail, Freeway

Two former car dealerships have been acquired by Charlotte-based developers, CitiSculpt and Northwood Ravin, who are planning to convert the expansive site—which is now mostly surface parking—into a massive mixed use redevelopment project. The site, near the American Tobacco Campus and Durham Bulls Athletic Park, is unique because unlike many recent developments in downtown Durham, it is not an adaptive reuse project. 

"Adaptive reuse, the preservation of our historic structures, that put Durham on the map," said Geoff Durham, president of Downtown Durham Inc. "But these are car dealerships and a large majority of that is surface lots. By all accounts this next wave is going to be kind of skyline altering."

Plans currently include two office towers, retail space, a hotel, and parking deck. An initial development phase of CitiSculpt's $400M project calls for a 300-unit apartment community by Woodfield Investments. 

The location is visible from Durham Freeway, and adjacent to the planned Dillard Street light rail station. Downtown Durham sits in the middle of a 54 mile planned light system, which will connect Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. The system includes 28 stations, and would serve several major universities, hospitals, employment centers, and the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Triangle Transit's tentative completion date for light rail is 2025.