Durham Y scraps plan to rebuild at its current site. Where is it going?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- YMCA of the Triangle cancels downtown Durham redevelopment, pivots to ATC site
- New $46M facility includes rooftop terraces, pool, track and fitness studios
- Construction begins in 2027 with gym opening expected in early 2029
After years of delays and shifting timelines, the redevelopment of downtown Durham’s aging YMCA — including a proposed 27-story skyscraper — has officially been scrapped.
Instead, the YMCA of the Triangle will relocate adjacent to the American Tobacco Campus and start over with new developers, CBC Real Estate.
On Thursday, the branch announced an agreement to purchase a .79-acre property from the Durham-based firm at the corner of Blackwell and W. Pettigrew streets where a parking lot now stands.
The Y plans to build a new 65,000-square-foot facility with multiple rooftop terraces, outdoor fitness areas, indoor pool, basketball court, indoor track and fitness studios, along with 80 onsite parking spaces.
CBC, the real estate division of Capitol Broadcasting Co., will develop the site on the YMCA’s behalf. Since 2004, it has been repurposing ATC, a one-time tobacco factory, into a mixed-use campus with offices, retail and entertainment spaces. CBC also owns WRAL and the Durham Bulls.
The estimated price tag: $46 million, including $8 million for the purchase of the property. The deal is expected to close in 15 months.
“Our mission to serve all compels us to adapt,” said Bruce Ham, the branch’s president and chief executive officer, in a press release. “This new, convenient location will allow us to partner with even more children, teens, adults and seniors throughout Durham County.”
In early 2022, the branch revealed plans to replace the existing gym at West Morgan and Foster streets with two towers and a “state-of-the-art” YMCA.
Approved site plans showed a taller building with 300 apartments, while the shorter one — a 12-story tower — would have offered offer 120,000 square feet of office space, above a new gym.
However, due to “market shifts” and a tightening lending market, the project’s original developers, Chapel Hill’s East West Partners, hit pause multiple times.
The YMCA’s agreement with the company expired in 2024. In December, it signed a letter of intent with CBC for its new location.
ATC currently has a YMCA on its campus at 410 Blackwell St. It first opened in 2005 as part of ATC’s first phase to renovate the campus.
This wellness center, a smaller YMCA concept, has operated since then, including the creation of The Cage, an outdoor multipurpose recreation facility that opened in 2012.
“The YMCA has been a part of the American Tobacco Campus since the very beginning,” said Michael Goodmon, CBC’s executive vice president.
“This project builds on that foundation.”
Efforts are underway to partner with a health care provider to operate an onsite primary care clinic, he added.
The YMCA anticipates that construction will begin in 2027 with plans to open the facility in early 2029.
The Downtown Durham YMCA and YMCA at American Tobacco will remain open during the construction of the new facility.
This story was originally published September 4, 2025 at 9:27 AM with the headline "Durham Y scraps plan to rebuild at its current site. Where is it going?."
