An Atlanta-based developer has filed site plans for a $343M mixed-use development called Tribute Rising in downtown Durham in the Hayti community, across from the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, the Triangle Business Journal reported.

The Integral Group’s mixed-income and mixed-use project will sit on a 15-acre site on West Lakewood Avenue, currently home to Forest Hills Heights public housing, which residents have left ahead of demolition. 

The developer expects to begin construction on Tribute Rising early next year. The project requires “expedited review” because the first phase includes at least 100 affordable units.

The site will focus on multifamily elements, boasting 907 apartments, including a mix of studio and one-to-three-bedroom spaces. Phase 1, slated to complete in late 2028, will involve the build-out of 332 units — 139 affordable units, 85 workforces units and 108 market-rate units. Sixteen of these will be townhomes, and 55 will be in a senior-only property, which will only feature one-bedroom units and will be the first building completed.

Phase 1 will also begin the commercial part of the project, which will include new locations for local establishments like Black Farmers Market and early childhood education center Kate’s Korner.

Phase 2 will consist of 250 units, and Phase 3 will build out 325 units, though no timeline has been disclosed.

Funding for the new project will come from “a combination of conventional debt and equity,” according to the TBJ. The site doesn’t qualify for low-income housing tax credits. Funding so far reportedly includes $19M from the Durham Housing Authority, $19M in equity and an $80M loan.

Integral told the TBJ that plans for the site focus on the “quality-of-life infrastructure” that makes a community strong. The developer is scheduling the construction timeline to prioritize the needs of local entrepreneurs, erecting the Black-owned farmers market and childhood education center during the first phase. This comes decades after the Hayti Urban Renewal Durham Freeway displaced hundreds of Black-owned businesses and homes in the 1960s. 

Near the Tribute Rising site, the city of Durham is also involved in the Fayette Place and the Heritage Square redevelopment. The former started construction this spring and is slated to have 565 affordable housing units, while the latter was delayed last fall following rezoning obstacles.

In the second quarter, the Raleigh-Durham multifamily market saw its historic delivery wave of more than 33,000 units since 2023 thin out, according to a Tenant Base report. And stable demographic trends like population and job growth will ensure occupancy recovery, the report says.