"In northern Durham, 30 acres of undeveloped land will soon become home to over 175 townhomes and up to 55,000 square feet of commercial space.
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Five years ago, the Durham City Council rejected a mixed-use development proposed for the same site.

Despite the previous development’s rejection, Crosland Southeast secured rezoning approval from the city to bring retail and townhomes near the intersection of Guess and Latta roads – the project is called Latta Park. The developer purchased the 14 parcels of land that make up the planned development’s 30 acres on April 29 from various owners for over $3 million, deed records show. Crosland, with offices in Raleigh and Charlotte, then sold about two-thirds of the land to an LLC in partnership with California-based Tri Pointe Homes (NYSE: TPH0) for just under $6 million. The companies will be working together to complete the retail portion and the residential portion of the project, respectively.
Construction is expected to begin on the residences by early 2024. The property’s rezoning, approved in September, allows for up to 207 townhomes and 55,000 square feet of retail space. Approximately 10 acres of land is allowed for “commercial general” development with the remaining 20 acres as “planned development residential.”

Tri Pointe is expecting to deliver over 175 2- and 3-story townhomes priced from the high $300,000s. The residences will range from 1,650 square feet to over 2,300 square feet. As required by the site’s zoning conditions, at least five percent of the total units will be reserved as “affordable dwelling units” for those making 60 percent of the area median income. The Nevada-based builder has chosen an outside partner with experience in managing and leasing affordable units to determine qualifying tenants.

The property previously stirred controversy in the community with a mixed-use project planned for the site. Plans for the North River Village development, by Florida-based Halvorsen Development Corp., came to an end when the Durham City Council denied the project’s rezoning application. The development called for 67,000-90,000 square feet of commercial space along with about 60 single-family homes. Publix had been announced as the retail portion’s anchor.

The city’s Planning Commission denied the rezoning in February 2017, citing issues with traffic congestion, inconsistency with neighboring land uses, concerns with environmental impact and opposition from the community. The City Council heard the case in June and also denied the project.
At the time, Durham Mayor Bill Bell voted against the rezoning but said that the city supported bringing Publix to a different location in the city. The Florida grocer has now signed a lease to open in the Marketplace at Ellis Crossing shopping center in Durham near Research Triangle Park.
Two of Tri Pointe’s recent townhome communities – Townes at North Salem in Apex and Waterside in Raleigh – are now completely sold.

“We were very excited when we were chosen by Crosland Southeast to join them in this new community development,” Amanda Hoyle, land acquisition director for Tri Pointe, said in an email. “We are very proud of the housing product we’re planning for Latta Park and the opportunity to bring new homeownership opportunities to Durham.”

Proposed Site Development | Triangle Business Journal

Publix Grocery Store Coming to Durham!

Photo Credit | Richmond Times-Dispatch