(Watch Video) Meet The Fayette Place Development Team: Respecting the Spirit of Hayti

DURHAM, NC – The vision for Fayette Place is one that respects and honors the spirit of the historic Hayti District: a vibrant, mixed-use community with affordable and accessible townhomes and apartments; retail offerings; new Black-owned businesses; an innovation center; and opportunities for home ownership. The Fayette Place neighborhood is located at the southeastern tip of the area encompassed by Downtown Durham, buffered by the Durham Freeway, along with Merrick, Umstead, and Grant Streets, which branch off of the main thoroughfare Fayetteville Street. (Please scroll down to watch the video and learn more about Fayette Place and the developers.)

For several years, Durham and Raleigh have been placed high on the lists of booming real estate markets, with skyrocketing housing prices and rental rates – resulting in a lack of affordable housing options. Since March 2020, rental rates in Durham have increased by 23.7%. Introducing affordable housing at Fayette Place will meet the growing demand for housing and assist in providing accessible rent and home ownership options for the community.

The group selected by the Durham Housing Authority to shepherd this multi-year vision to completion is Durham Community Partners, a joint-venture development team that brings considerable local, regional, and national experience to the project. The team includes local minority-led and owned F7 International Development, Triangle-based Greystone Affordable Development, and Gilbane Development Company. Design and community engagement team members include master planner and architect Moseley Architects and community engagement consultant BLWall Consulting. Equally as important as the team’s credentials, each partner organization shares a common vision for Fayette Place to thrive once again.

Triangle-based F7 Development’s approach to affordable housing is to be “… Intentional in creating tangible opportunities for affordable housing – especially for families and individuals who come from underserved or low-income households.” According to F7’s president, James “Monte” Montague, the company considers building relationships with local developers and community members a key component of its success. “We firmly believe in focusing on those things that serve the needs of the people in the community who will be impacted by what we do. That is the foundation of our entire body of work to date, and we look forward to the same kind of relationship-building as we move forward with Fayette Place,” Montague said.

Gilbane Development Company is a national real estate development company with expertise across multiple sectors of commercial real estate, with office locations around the country including Raleigh. Gilbane’s development director, Blaise Rastello II, understands clearly the impact a development like Fayette Place will have on the surrounding community. “That’s why we came into this with no preconceived notions of what’s right, or what will work,” Rastello said. “We do a lot of listening to members of the community from the beginning through the life of the project. We want Fayette Place to feel like a village when it’s completed, and we’re committed to incorporating as many good ideas as we receive from the people in the community as possible.” 

Greystone Affordable Development representatives describe the way the company approaches business as “people-centric, flexible, unconventional.” Will Eckstein, Greystone’s senior vice president for development, said, “We don’t assume there is a one-size-fits-all answer, but often find ourselves charting a new path in finding creative development solutions that help address the growing affordable housing crisis.” The purpose and mission statements of parent company Greystone focus primarily on meeting the needs of the people it serves; this top-down philosophy of ‘doing well by doing good’ shows throughout its affordable housing portfolio. “Ultimately, we tailor the development plan to meet the needs of the community, and that is our motivation for the work we do,” Eckstein said.

The development team is committed to restoring a sense of belonging for those with memories of the Hayti legacy and believes affordable housing is a critical component of the plan. Current development plans for Phase One of Fayette Place will provide approximately 565 affordable housing units, which are comprised by townhomes, garden walk-up units, and senior housing.

Each company representing the Durham Community Partners team brings different skillsets, experiences, and resources to the table, and all are committed to incorporating the community’s input to make the vision of Fayette Place a reality. That is, with honor and respect for the spirit of historic Hayti, built with the sense of true “community” in mind. 

Meet the FAYETTE PLACE DEVELOPMENT TEAM – Durham Community Partners