Developer’s Sudden Withdrawal Leaves Hayti Rezoning Project in Limbo
Durham residents packed City Hall to speak out about a rezoning request—but never got the chance.
DURHAM, NC — In a dramatic and unexpected twist at Monday’s (Aug. 5) Durham City Council meeting, Chicago-based developer Sterling Bay abruptly withdrew its controversial rezoning request of a 10-acre property in the historic Hayti neighborhood—leaving the project’s future uncertain and the community reeling.
The site, known as Heritage Square, sits just south of downtown Durham along Fayetteville Street and Lakewood Avenue, adjacent to the Durham Freeway. Once home to a bustling shopping center, the land has remained vacant for years and was slated for redevelopment as a sprawling life sciences campus and residential complex. However, the proposal had drawn fierce community backlash over concerns about gentrification, displacement, and a lack of affordable housing.
A Packed House Silenced
More than 40 people signed up to speak in opposition to the rezoning during the Council’s public comment session. The chamber overflowed with residents, clergy, and activists, including members of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People (DCABP) and Saint Mark AME Zion Church.
But just minutes into her presentation, Sterling Bay attorney Jamie Schwedler requested to withdraw the rezoning proposal, cutting short what would have been a powerful community-led public discourse.
“This does not help the people of Hayti,” Schwedler said. “But neither does two hours of public discourse when it’s clear that the writing is on the wall.”
The City Council voted 5–2 to approve the withdrawal, with Council members DeDreana Freeman and Nate Baker casting the only dissenting votes.
Community Reacts: “The Devil’s in the Details”
Reverend Julian Pridgen of Saint Mark AME Zion Church had prepared to deliver what he called “a Monday message” condemning the proposed development’s impact on the Hayti neighborhood. He, along with others like community activist Jackie Wagstaff, questioned the timing of the withdrawal—and its potential political implications.
“They could sell it to another developer and come back after the election to ask for the same thing,” Wagstaff warned.
Councilwoman Freeman, speaking directly to Sterling Bay’s track record, was especially pointed:
“I hope they understand the kinds of relationships they are creating in a very historic Black community that has already faced so much discrimination and urban renewal,” she said. “To repeat that is unconscionable.”
Terrance White, representing DCABP, echoed those concerns and reaffirmed the Committee’s formal opposition adopted on July 31:
“This project does not bring any type of economic viability for the Black community at large.”
Parking Promises—and Strings Attached
Reverend Pridgen also shared that Sterling Bay had offered Saint Mark Church 100 parking spaces for Sunday services—but only with costly insurance requirements.
“The gift would end up being a burden in the long run,” he said. “It is unconscionable to go along with rezoning that property to build more luxury apartments when we’ve got homeless people sleeping on our front porch.”
What’s Next for Hayti?
Mayor Leonardo Williams called for a planning meeting in the coming weeks to determine a new path forward for the site. City Attorney Kimberly Rehberg confirmed that under Durham rules, a similar rezoning request cannot be reintroduced for six months.
Still, many fear that the developer—or a new one—could return after the city’s October 7 municipal primary and November 4 general election, potentially reshaping Hayti’s landscape without meaningful community involvement.
The city’s Black residents and leaders remain wary. The people came to speak—and were denied. What remains is an unresolved future for one of Durham’s most historic Black neighborhoods.
Photo: Google Earth