The Durham Planning Commission unanimously approved two significant development projects and advanced a neighborhood improvement plan that has split Walltown residents over how to use a trash-plagued vacant lot.
The most consequential action was recommending the Walltown Small Area Plan to City Council for adoption. The plan charts a direction for the 60-acre former Northgate Mall site, proposing a minimum of 160 affordable housing units priced for households earning 30 to 80 percent of area median income, along with 4- to 6-story mixed-use development, retail spaces, and public gathering areas. During discussion, Walltown resident advocate Brandon Williams urged planners to create visual renderings and share financing examples so the community could better understand what the vision actually looks like on the ground.
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