Durham Housing Authority facing backlash over public housing project

New development plans were announced for the historic Hayti community, but backlash is growing from many people who have called it home for decades.

A group is protesting the Durham Housing Authority’s decision to build public housing on vacant land known as Fayette Place.

Fayette Place has been an eyesore for over a decade. It’s about 20- acres of land fenced off for far too long.

With the new changes on the horizon, community members are asking the housing authority to consider different plans to help advance the area.

It was a once vibrant area now filled with overgrown weeds and crumbling concrete slabs.

“Hayti means a lot to me because I grew up basically on the corner of Fayetteville where my father ran his business,” said Melvin Speight who grew up in the Hayti neighborhood.

Speight remembers when the historic community was on the upswing.

“It was a good self-contained community. We had pretty much everything that we needed without going outside of the community. I saw the growth in the community, the Entrepreneurs, the wealth,” he added.

But new businesses and wealth aren't much of the community now. So when the opportunity to rebuild Fayette Place came, many were excited, initially.

Speight now serves as a board member for Hayti Reborn. An organization focused on promoting equitable, tangible change.

“The direction that they’re going in now is not pleasant in my eyesight. Simply because it looks like there will be more of the same,” said Hilda Smith.

Smith had lived in the Fayette Place community between 1956 until 1988.

She said the proposal DHA has selected is something the city has already tried before.

“Many, many people bunched together in an apartment complex versus being given the opportunity to own something. To have a legacy. To leave future generations for their families. To be able to own a business. To own an apartment that they live in,” she said.

DHA approved a $470 million redevelopment plan which a portion of that includes building hundreds of affordable apartments at Fayette Place.

The group, Hayti Reborn, sent a written protest - calling out a lack of community input, equity consideration, land use, and lack of due process.

“There were no surveys. No flyers. Just nothing. I don’t think the process was equitable. In fact it was not equitable. It only seems that a few had the power to make a decision,” said Smiths

“I would like to see businesses. Not just housing. Banks. Grocery stores. A little mini shopping mall. Green space. Barber shops,” she added.

“Housing we know is important, but the warehousing of people has never served its purpose, added Speight.

Dr. Henry McKoy, a NCCU Professor who leads Hayti Reborn, submitted a different plan that included less housing and more mixed-use opportunities.

It reimagined Fayette Place as a future hub for Black business and equity research.

“The highest and best use of this land is to be able to use it as a key for upward mobility for future change for economic development without gentrification,” said McKoy.

“Hayti Reborn had over 50 organizations and leaders from private sectors to public sectors. All those kind of different folks at the table. So clearly it has shown that there is a desire from the boarder community to see something like this,” he said describing his proposal which was not selected by DHA.

They’re asking the housing authority to reconsider its proposal, and allow the community to weigh-in on how this site gets developed and who does it.

“Our protest is basically to take another look. Re-plan and do it right,” added Speight.

DHA sent WRAL News a statement:

"The selection process was based on the criteria outlined in the Request for Proposal and the policies of HUD and DHA. DHA will respond to the bid protest accordingly and has no further comments at this time.

Proposals were reviewed by an 11-person committee consisting of six DHA staff members, three city and county representatives, one community representative, and one DHA resident.

The winner was a proposal by Durham Development Partners, a partnership of F7 International Development, Greystone Affordable Development, and Gilbane Development Company, companies that are based out of Raleigh and Rhode Island."