Durham Mayor Claps Back at Testy Letter from Northgate Mall Developer
An executive with the real estate firm Northwood Ravin told Durham Mayor Steve Schewel in an email this week to “stop taking a confrontational attitude” toward the company as it moves forward with redevelopment plans of Northgate Mall.
The email came after Schewel asked the firm to heed the concerns raised by residents of Walltown, a historic Black community located near the closed mall. Residents there fear that the firm’s multimillion-dollar redevelopment plans will force them out of a neighborhood where their families have lived for generations.
Community leaders have asked Northwood, which purchased the property in 2018, to consider new development plans that include setting aside space for affordable housing, which Durham officials have endorsed.
Jeff Furman, Northwood’s vice president of development, has said previously he’s sympathetic to the concerns of Walltown residents. But in an email Tuesday to Schewel, Furman said he believes the city should be responsible for addressing those concerns while ensuring affordable housing in Durham, not his company.
Read more: https://indyweek.com/news/durham/durham-mayor-northgate-mall-northwood-developer/
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