Grant St. Affordable Housing: Written Public Comment Period

At the April 22 work session and the May 3 City Council meeting, the Durham City Council will consider an agenda item to approve the donation of two city-owned lots in the historic Hayti community to Durham Community Land Trust (DCLT). DCLT plans to build affordable homes on those lots and rent/sell them to low-income, long-term community members, and to ensure that those homes remain affordable for community members in perpetuity (forever). 

 As part of racist Urban Renewal policies in 1970, the building of the Durham Freeway irrevocably harmed the prosperous Black Hayti community.  Thousands of Hayti families were displaced from their homes.  By creating affordable home-ownership opportunities in Hayti, the city can take a small step toward justice.

Here’s how you can support our City's commitment to building affordable homes for the Durham community by taking 3 minutes to submit a written comment to the Durham City Council:

1. Between now and 10am on April 22, Go to: https://durhamnc.gov/FormCenter/City-Council-11/Written-Public-Comment-Form-251

2. Fill out the written Public Comment Form

- Set the meeting date to April 22, 2021

- Set the agenda section to ___________

- Set the agenda item to ______________

3. Copy and paste this sample letter and fill in your own personal information in the spots provided:

My name is ___[Your Name]___, and I attend  ___[Your Institution]___, which is a participating member of Durham Congregations, Associations, and Neighborhoods (CAN). 

With regard to the City Council agendas for the 4/22 work session and 5/3 City Council meeting, I am writing to support the donation of city land in the Hayti community to Durham Community Land trust.

Durham CAN (Congregations Associations and Neighborhoods) is a broad-based, non-profit organization that works to coalesce, train, and organize communities in Durham across religious, racial, ethnic, class, and geographic lines for the public good. Our primary goal is to develop local leadership and organized power to change the conditions in low- and moderate-income communities.

Because of our organizing work on a range of affordable housing issues including the yet-to-be-completed repairs at the Hoover Road Durham Housing Authority Community; the yet-to-be-credited court fees connected to predatory evictions; and the yet-to-be-initiated redevelopment of the former Fayetteville Street Projects (also referred to as Fayette Place), we remain steadfast in seeing the creation and preservation of low-income and affordable housing -- particularly on City and County-owned land-- as a top priority. In 2017, CAN fought for the city to provide funds to Durham Housing Authority to repurchase the former Fayetteville Street Projects from a neglectful private developer.  Fayetteville Street Projects, along with several other city-owned pieces of land, remain empty, neglected, and withheld from the Hayti community to which they rightfully belong. The sale of these lots to DCLT would allow homes to be built in the community, representing a small step toward justice. We understand the vital work of the City’s Community Development Department and thank Ms. Karen Lado, Mr. Reginald Johnson and CCD staff for meeting with Durham CAN leaders on several occasions over the last month to discuss this issue and our mutual interests in ensuring a community-driven approach to the pending roll-out of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program; the demolition of 519 E Main and Liberty Street Apartments; and the redevelopment of the former Fayetteville Street Projects.

Thank you for your consideration. 

[sign your name here]