Durham begins re-investment in Hayti corridor

Property owners in Durham’s Hayti neighborhood will get some help with repairs, thanks to a federal grant.

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The City Council voted Monday to spend about $1.7 million to assist home and business owners along the Fayetteville Street corridor. Housing code administrator Clarence Harris said his department has already identified properties that will benefit from the program.

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“These are majority, upwards of 20 plus properties along that major corridor area, that have code enforcement violations,” he said. “In some cases, the owners do have intentions on remediating the properties, but not necessarily having the funds to actually implement such.”

Harris spoke at a council work session earlier this month. Durham received $10 million from federal COVID-19 relief funds also known as the American Rescue Plan Act, to revitalize Hayti, which was once known as “the Black Wall Street.”

This grant is part of a larger plan to re-invest in the Fayetteville corridor. The city has acknowledged the unmet needs of residents, businesses, and property owners in that area and the “systemic disinvestment and criminal activity, driven by the housing shortage and opioid crisis nationally, and rapidly increasing rent rates and property tax valuations locally,” according to a city report.

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Through the Fayetteville Street Corridor Neighborhood Stabilization Partnership, the city says it “will begin addressing inequities associated with chronically poor conditions fueled by systemic disinvestment by engaging impacted residents, businesses, and property owners to identify immediate challenges, fears, and needs. Efforts will then focus on providing education, technical assistance, coalition building, and direct support to quickly address poor conditions by resolving code violations in a timely manner structured to mitigate further displacement.”