Redevelopment has stalled again for the old Durham Police Department headquarters.
The building at 505 West Chapel Hill St. in Durham is vacant. It has broken glass, graffiti, cracked pavement and rusted fixtures.
Other WRAL Top Stories
The four-acre plot is one of the last large city-owned sites in the downtown footprint.
“It's really the last great gateway to the downtown area, particularly that the city, we the people are able to brand,” Durham Mayor Pro Tempore Mark-Anthony Middleton explained.
At Monday night’s Durham City Council meeting, city leaders directed city staff to end negotiations with the developer, The Peebles Corporation. It comes after the price tag of the proposed development got too high.
According to the city documents, the cost of the project ballooned nearly $100 million from August 2024 to March 2025. The increased costs would have required the city to contribute $78 million, which was $17 million more than the initially proposed figure of $61 million. In September 2024, one of the developers estimated the total cost of the project would cost about $300 million.
“That is not to say they've done anything wrong, that they've acted in any insidious way. I want to be very clear about that,” Middleton said. "Staff is recommending that we end those negotiations now and look at some interim steps in pushing back against blight and doing some activation of this area, prior to us making an ultimate decision."
During the city council’s June 5 work session, city leaders cited disagreements with how affordable housing should be executed and economic pressures. The proposed development would have included included affordable housing, shopping and a boutique hotel. Developers previously said the first phase of the project was expected to officially start construction in 2026.
Neighbors and affordable housing advocates urged city council members during the work session to act quickly.
“We reject the recommendation to simply stop moving forward this is a pivotal moment and now is not the time to take our foot off the gas,” one man said during public comment.
"The affordable housing crisis continues to worsen, and the city and our city employees, teachers, first responders and other essential service workers deserve action, not further delay,” another woman said.
The nonprofit Preservation Durham is also involved. Preservation Durham is asking the city to declare the former headquarters as a historic building and to work with the nonprofit.
Three options are on the table at Monday night’s meeting:
- Pausing on development and demolishing the building
- Looking at a smaller-scale development
- Continuing to prepare the site and providing interim programming
Middleton said the interim programming, keeping the space from becoming blighted, is vital.
“When blight sets in, it's a cascading effect. It invites all types of other activties there,” Middleton said. “We don't want that to happen anywhere in our city, particularly in our downtown corridor.
“It could involve some pre-construction preparation of the land, some cleanup. It could involve creating some temporary or ad hoc public spaces, some seating areas."
After Monday’s meeting, the Durham City Council will go on its summer recess. However, Middleton emphasized that city staff will continue to look at ways to ensure the site does not become blighted.
The building dates back to the 1950s.
The site is one of the highest vantage points in downtown Durham. The building is considered the first Miesian skyscraper in North Carolina. In 1959, it received an award from the American Institute of Architects' North Carolina chapter. The building served as the Durham Police Department's headquarters from 1991 to 2018.
The city council members have many priorities for the site. It includes affordable housing, commercial space, a historic preservation component and outdoor public space.