Preview: Apartment Buildings
As downtown Durham adds restaurants, entertainment, and resources, it is becoming a more appealing place to live. As a result we have seen an absolute boom in development projects for both rental and condo apartment buildings. Many of these are luxury buildings, with prices well above the average for the area. Regardless of how you feel about these new projects, they are coming and changing the face of downtown Durham.
Today, we are taking a brief look at a few of the major apartment and mixed use buildings coming soon to Durham:
Broadstone - 600 Willard St
Neighborhood:
Downtown/American Tobacco
Size:
5 stories, 342 luxury apartments
Approximate Development Cost:
Unknown, property purchased for $10.5 million
Expected Completion Date:
Unknown
Amenities:
Parking deck, multiple courtyards, pool
Developers:
Alliance Residential
This property used to be the Crown Park Hotel of Durham. However, it has sat vacant for years, despite it's location. Perhaps the car dealership between 600 Willard and American Tobacco Campus prevented developers from moving forward in the past, but recently, the auto dealership land was sold to Capitol Broadcasting Co. They plan on expanding the American Tobacco campus. Now, 600 Willard looks even more appealing as it will be right across from the future American Tobacco Campus expansion.
Bullhouse Apartments
Neighborhood:
Southeast Downtown
Size:
3 stories, 305 luxury apartments
Approximate Development Cost:
$400 million
Expected Completion Date:
Now Leasing
Amenities:
Swimming pool, game room, rooftop terrace, spa, parking garage, fitness center
Developer:
Woodfield Investments
Ok, so Bullhouse isn't "coming soon". It is already leasing. However it is brand new and some of the units are still being finalized. The project has had a couple of name changes including Gateway and The Mark at Durham One. The design of this building feels very cookie-cutter, similar to Liberty Warehouse and some of the other "luxury" buildings in Durham (and in other cities across the country). This part of downtown is very interesting though. Bullhouse is within walking distance to Bull City Ciderworks, Ponysaurus, and a new wine store. However, there are a lot of empty spaces in the area as well that could be renovated and grow into a thriving part of downtown. There is room for growth here.
Mangum Flats
Neighborhood:
Cleveland Holloway
Size:
5 stories, 22 condos
Approximate Development Cost:
Unknown
Expected Completion Date:
Spring 2018
Amenities:
Roof deck, bicycle parking, choice of interior finishes
Developer:
White Oak
White Oak is a Raleigh-based developer and the architect was local as well. This building has a smaller footprint than some of the bigger projects and there is certainly a demand for being part of a smaller community. Most of these condos have sold already and the remaining units range from just over $350k to a whopping $780k! The building is in the OLD five points neighborhood, a part of town that I am keeping my eye on for a future retail renaissance.
Five Points Center
Neighborhood:
Downtown/Five Points
Size:
12 Stories
Approximate Development Cost:
$80 million
Expected Completion Date:
TBD / Breaking Ground Q1 2020
Amenities:
Likely mixed use with apartments, retail, parking garage, and possibly office space
Developer:
Austin Lawrence Partners
Details on Five Points Center are sparse at this point as it is early. Austin Lawrence Partners is the developer that brought us the Unscripted Hotel. Personally, I have mixed feelings about the Unscripted project. I love that Austin Lawrence seems committed to creating interesting spaces that incorporate classic Durham architecture and aesthetic. However, I don't think the Unscripted Hotel was executed particularly well. It doesn't look awful, but it could have been a lot nicer, in my opinion. Five Points Center will be a monumentally important project. It's at a very important crossroads in downtown and will absolutely shape the Durham landscape. This building will likely show up in articles about Durham, postcards, and general branding of the Bull City. Not to mention that it should bring more places to work, play, and live to the area. I am cautiously excited to see how this development unfolds.
411 S. Roxboro St.
Neighborhood:
Downtown/American Tobacco/Southeast Downtown
Size:
TBD, 4-acre lost purchased
Approximate Development Cost:
TBD, lot purchased for $13.5 million
Expected Completion Date:
TBD
Amenities:
Mostly apartments with some retail at the ground level
Developer:
Lennar Multifamily Communities
Lennar bought this property late in 2017 and are currently working on specific plans for approval. However, they seem set on building an apartment building with some retail and possibly office space. The property is located between the future site of the Van Allen building and the current Bullhouse Apartments building. The future of that area looks to be densely populated residential with retail at the ground floor. With so many people living in this area, creating better walkability to Main Street, Brightleaf, and Central Park seems even more crucial.
Neighborhood:
Foster on the Park
Neighborhood:
Central Park
Size:
7 stories, 160 apartments
Approximate Development Cost:
TBD
Expected Completion Date:
TBD - construction to begin in 2018
Amenities:
Mostly apartments with some retail at the ground level, parking garage
Developer:
Blue Heron
Blue Heron has had a few false starts with this property. Most recently, they were planning on building condos here, but that fell apart due to financing troubles. They have come back with a plan for an apartment building right next to Central Park, and right across the street from Liberty Warehouse. With new retail recently announced at Liberty Warehouse (Dame's, a coffee shop, and the upcoming Durham Food Hall) as well as Boxcar Bar + Arcade soon to open on Foster St, there is a lot of momentum in this area. Durham officials hope that Blue Heron will contribute to updating and enhancing the public spaces of Central Park as well.
Neighborhood:
614 Rigsbee Ave
Neighborhood:
Central Park
Size:
TBD, 1-acre lost purchased
Approximate Development Cost:
TBD, lot purchased for $2.5 million
Expected Completion Date:
TBD
Amenities:
"Creative" Mixed Use Development
Developer:
Paul Smith (ALP East) & Scott Harmon (Center Studio Architecture)
Just announced (thanks Steven, from the comments below), this project has a long way to go, but would replace an old used car lot. Given the size of the lot, this may be a building with fewer units, which is a departure from many of these huge apartment buildings we are seeing developed. "Creative" mixed use sounds intriguing as well.
Neighborhood:
Solis Brightleaf
Neighborhood:
Brightleaf
Size:
194 apartments
Approximate Development Cost:
Unknown - Site purchased for $4.1 million
Expected Completion Date:
End of 2018
Amenities:
Outdoor beer garden, clubroom, fitness center with a yoga room, heated swimming pool, veranda. Near Duke's East Campus.
Developer:
Terwilliger Pappas
This is one of two residential buildings going up on Main St in the Brightleaf area (closer to Duke's East Campus). Solis Brightleaf is scheduled to be a rental building and I will imagine will cater to Duke students and faculty. Could it blur the "town and gown" lines a bit? It's a possibility, especially with a new condo building being built just down Main St.
Neighborhood:
The Bartlett
Neighborhood:
Brightleaf
Size:
7 stories, 34 condos, 6,000 sq ft of retail
Approximate Development Cost:
$25 million
Expected Completion Date:
Summer 2019
Amenities:
Common spaces, in-building storage, pet washing room
Developer:
East West Partners
This is potentially the more interesting of the two buildings being built in the Brightleaf area as there is a plan for 6,000 sq ft of retail space. This section of Main Street could solidify itself even more as a walkable retail destination, that truly expands beyond Brightleaf Square. In just a few years, the true, built up downtown area of Durham looks to extend as far west as East Campus, as far north as Geer St, as far south as the Durham Freeway, and possibly as far East as the Golden Belt (tbd on how that develops).
