A new beginning? Apartments planned for vacant Fayette Place site in Durham
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Durham plans 252-unit Villages at Hayti on 20 vacant acres; construction begins 2025
- Project will serve households at 30–80% AMI with 30 voucher-designated units
- $90M redevelopment funded by bonds, LIHTC equity and a city loan; completion 2027
Twenty abandoned acres in Durham’s Hayti community will be redeveloped for a new, affordable housing complex.
The former Fayette Place at 1103 Merrick St., which was part of the Fayetteville Street public housing complex owned by the Durham Housing Authority, will become the Villages at Hayti, according to the organization.
The property has sat vacant with crumbling foundations and weeds behind a chain-link fence since 2009. Now the housing authority says construction on a planned 252-unit rental community could begin by the end of the year.
It will have one- to three-bedroom units, serving households earning between 30% and 80% of the area median income (AMI). Vouchers will be able to be used for 30 designated units in the project under the rental assistance program.
In Durham, 30% AMI is $23,850 for a one-person household or $33,950 for a household of four. On the opposite end, 80% AMI is $64,800 for a one-person household and $92,480 for a household of four.
The project comes as many Durham renters are paying more for apartments. On average, Durham residents are paying about $1,367 in rent for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,888 for a three-bedroom. The N.C. Housing Coalition estimates that 47% of renters in Durham County are spending 30% or more of their paychecks on rent and utilities.
The Durham City Council will discuss the project at its Nov. 3 meeting.
What developers want
The council didn’t discuss the project at a meeting on Thursday, but Anthony Snell, the interim CEO of the housing authority, clarified that the project’s name is The Villages at Hayti, not “Fayette Place Phase 1,” as city documents say.
Snell said that was only for planning purposes and documents will be changed to reflect the actual name.
The Hayti community, once home to thousands of Black-owned business and homes, was largely destroyed by urban renewal and the construction of Durham Freeway. Before being abandoned, Fayette Place housed many Black families displaced by the highway’s construction.
The 252 planned apartments are the first phase of redevelopment for the property. The project is jointly sponsored by Development Ventures Inc., Harmony Housing Affordable Development, Gilbane Development Co., and F7 International Development.
Brazoban Reality Group, based in the Triangle, said the apartments will be spread across nine buildings. There will be 81 one-bedroom apartments, 113 two-bedrooms and 58 three-bedrooms.
The new community will also have three plazas, a playground, playing fields, and a grilling pavilion with picnic tables. A resident community center will feature a gym, laundry room, computer room and multipurpose space.
The redevelopment project will cost $90 million, which includes a city loan of up to $17 million.
Construction on the Villages at Hayti is expected to be completed by 2027.
This story was originally published October 24, 2025 at 4:48 PM with the headline "A new beginning? Apartments planned for vacant Fayette Place site in Durham."