Project in Hayti gets go-ahead - The Durham council backs rezoning for a plan that divided the black community

DURHAM -- Upscale plans for the future ran smack into the ghost of Durham's past Monday night.

Local developer Andy Rothschild won unanimous approval from the Durham City Council for the rezoning of a 9.6-acre acre tract just south of downtown Durham on which he plans to build a $130 million center featuring new retail shops, restaurants, condos and offices.

That approval, however, came only after a contentious public hearing running nearly two hours during which several speakers drew parallels between Rothschild's proposal and an infamous public renewal that bulldozed much of the the city's black business district more than 30 years ago.

The site that Rothschild plans to raze is currently occupied by the downtrodden Heritage Square Shopping Center, a one-story strip mall just off the Durham Freeway. But the land under the shopping center was once was the heart of the Hayti district that flourished under segregation. It is sacred ground to many of Durham's black residents.

Some questioned whether Rothschild, who is white, could exercise the necessary sensitivity to develop the the site and still stay true to its history. Others complained that the proposed project would increase traffic, draw customers away from black-owned businesses and cause the values of the surrounding property to rise too quickly, thereby forcing out low-income residents who could not afford to pay higher property taxes.

"We don't want this gigantic development driving up our property taxes," said Sterlin Holt Sr., to the cheers of his neighbors. "We don't want it."

Much of the opposition came from the Fayetteville Street Planning Group, a coalition of neighborhood residents and property owners pushing for a $20 million, taxpayer-funded redevelopment and infrastructure development effort. They were upset that their proposal has failed to gain traction with the council, though Rothschild is expected to ask for a similar amount of public support from the city to help build a parking deck for his development, which could include buildings up to six stories tall.

Denise Hester, a leader of the Fayetteville Street group, called Rothschild's plan "hostile to our neighborhood." Her husband, Larry Hester, said that residents shouldn't have to "move out to move up."

For his part, Rothschild tried to soothe the concerns by promising to include public art, plaques and other features that honored Hayti's heritage at his new development. He also promised to hire minority workers during construction, lease space to black-owned firms and give any of the businesses displaced by the demolition of the old shopping center the opportunity to move into the new development. Rothschild and his company, Scientific Properties, held seven community forums and two small-business seminars over the past year to gather input from residents.

He also lined up support from influential members of the community, including N.C. Central University. That led to some testy exchanges between those supporting Rothschild's project and those standing against it.

The Rev. Carl Kenney, a minister who spoke out in favor of the plan, urged those on the other side to let go of their anger over what happened to Hayti so long ago.

"That was then, and this is a new day," Kenney said. "This is our time to rise above those painful memories."

With the approval of the rezoning, Rothschild will still have to return to the council for approval of a detailed site plan before he can build. Members of the group opposing his project pledged Monday that they will be back.