Developments That Never Came to Be

I wanted to start a tread where we can discuss previously planned developments in Durham that were never built or are stuck in a perpetual limbo. If you know of others or where to get more info share below, and I will try to keep the list updated.

1. Renaissance  at Durham Centre  
    a: A planned twin to Durham Centre office tower. Plans were to have condos and possibly a luxury hotel.  
        Somewhere I saw mention that the idea of a Four Seasons was tossed around.
    b:  

2.  Ashton Place
     a: Twin apartment towers located where the current bus station is.
     b: They would have been 27 stories and 310 ft high. Apparently there was no high restrictions in that part of
          downtown back then?
     b: https://indyweek.com/guides/archives/high/

3. Erwin Square
    a. Looking for more sources on this versus another forum. But apparently there were supposed to be other towers built, 15 and 30 stories.

4. University Tower
    a. Same as with Erwin, looking for more info. Though someone mention in a post on Open Durham there
        were meant to be 3 towers. But apparently the plan was to be a "high rise district"

5. New Suntrust tower?

When the Durham-Orange Light Rail Project met its unceremonious end in 2019, a lot of plans died with it. One plan of interest, at least to me, was the development around the planned Leigh Village rail station in a wooded area west of Farrington Road. The light rail station would serve as the catalyst for a designed "compact neighborhood." There were several iterations of the plans, but they all would have reimagined the transit network in this area of southwest Durham.

Farrington Road would be deemphasized, and George King Road (a mostly gravel road through the woods near the planned station) would have replaced it as the main thoroughfare. This would have been built with sidewalks (not currently existing on most of Farrington Road). It also would have removed the Farrington/54 intersection in favor of a new connection farther from the I-40 entrances and exits. The ripple effects of this not being built are/will be felt in increased traffic congestion at 54/40/Farrington and the lack of safe pedestrian (or bike for that matter) transit in this area.

http://www.durhamnc.gov/agendas_new/2016/cm20160606/11125_OTHER_ATTACHMENT_1_-_CN_REPORT_388954_694257.pdf

https://gotriangle.org/sites/default/files/leigh_village_tod_guidebook_181207.pdf

https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/pdea/MergerMeetings/U-5774/U5774%20CP2/U-5774%20Alternatives%20Report%20Draft_2018-10-03.pdf

What ever happened to the proposed Oakridge development off of 15-501 between New Hope Commons and Oak Creek Village (Zweli's)? Beacon properties still lists it on their site


Also, any news on this proposed Straw Valley site?

I don't think I've seen any site clearing the last few times I've passed through that area of 15-501.  It would be a great area to build on, though that area doesn't need more traffic.

If I read the Loopnet posting right in the past. I think it was just purchased to be re-zoned then flipped. The renderings are just examples of what could go their based off current approvals. Though I think I did see some land clearing over there a few months ago. Don't know what they were doing.  If they do build something like a large apartment or hotel they will need to do something about the traffic out of New Hope Commons. The traffic turning right on New Hope Commons Drive gets backed up fairly often.

It looks like maybe one of these projects isn't dead. There was an administrative site plan filing on Friday for 310 and 320 Morgan Street. The project is named "Durham Center II" and is described as a "proposed multi-use tower." This all seems new to me.

Any idea on if that would replace the entire Duke Clinical Research Center, or just make it less suburban by reconfiguring the fortress of parking?

I did a little more digging, and I came across this rendering on Craig Davis Properties website. No idea if this is current, but I don't think I have ever seen it before. It appears this would only be replacing the parking deck, and the other building would remain. I count 29 stories. The website says "308 Units High-Rise Luxury Multifamily" with "15,000 SF Ground Level Retail."

Good find. It’s not terribly visually appealing but would bring some great density and height!

Hope something of this height does come to fruition for that space. Always thought it was wasted with the Durham Centre Tower only taking up half the block.  Will be exciting if both this, Greer House, and the Novus are under construction at the same time.

Details just published

https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2021/11/11/craig-davis-properties-plans-new-tower-in-durham.html

Nice find, I hadn't seen this rendering. Our firm did the initial feasibility study a couple years ago, and this is the tower I was alluding to here. Glad it's finally moving forward. The design has changed since we worked on it, so I assume this is pretty recent.