Durham residents seek affordability from developer of Northgate Mall site

After struggling for years, the mall closed for good last year when the pandemic kept shoppers away. An auction for all of the assets inside has been going on for three weeks.

The new owner of the 55-acre site, Northwood Ravin, plans to build a mix of homes, offices and shops there, but those in nearby neighborhoods say they don't want to be priced out of the area.

"We wanted to ensure that this wouldn’t continue to push people out and make it harder to remain," said Brandon Williams, a resident of the Walltown community, which historically has been a Black, working-class neighborhood in Durham.

Williams is part of the Northgate Mall Neighborhood Council, which plans to hold a news conference at 10 a.m. Saturday in Walltown Park to discuss its goals.

The group wants the developer to commit to including affordable housing in the project, as well as making sure that shops remain within the price range of nearby residents.

"[We're] concerned about the acceleration of gentrification in the neighborhood and the impact of that, particularly on longtime homeowners," he said. "Affordability for a neighborhood like Walltown is different than affordability in Durham, more generally."

Northwood Ravin didn't respond to WRAL News' requests for comment Friday.

Williams said the neighborhood council has met with the developer several times, but there's been no commitment to affordability.

Longtime Northgate Mall shoppers say they support the calls for affordability.

"I know we need change – it can bring other stores – but at the same time, other people don’t have the resources," Durham resident Christopher Daugherty said. "The people who are less fortunate, I think it’s going to be a disservice to them."

"It should be affordable, you know, because everybody doesn’t make $100,000 a year. It should be for everybody not just for certain people," Roxboro resident John Perry said.

The mall served as a de facto public square for the area, Williams said, and neighbors want the new development to remain "connected to the community."

"We want a sense that it belongs to the community. That means people can live there, they can shop there, they can access the green and open space there," he said. "We know that things are changing and shifting, in terms of the city and the economy, and we want to make sure that is done with the most impacted and most vulnerable residents in mind."