Durham County Commissioners Approve Plan To Build Parking Deck For Downtown Redevelopment

Capitol Broadcasting Company, parent company of WRAL-TV, has proposed transforming the historic Durham landmark into an office and retail development.

Monday night, county commissioners unanimously voted to move forward with plans to build a parking deck to support the complex. Their resolution followed a public hearing with positive comments.

"The American Tobacco complex is a vital cog in the redevelopment of downtown to become our downtown southern gateway," says Durham realtor Joel Kostyu. "The parking lot additions are the lynchpins of that cog."

The $200 million American Tobacco project calls for about $40 million in taxpayer-funded parking. The city and county of Durham would split that cost.