By Bonitta Best
DURHAM – Bianca Rivera still vividly remembers the day someone tried to kick in the door of her Oxford Manor Apartment.
Rivera and her son were inside at the time and scared out of their wits. “That was traumatizing for both me and him,” Rivera said.
But, today, Rivera and her son, now 10, are thriving in a safe and supportive environment at the newly built Vanguard Apartments in downtown Durham.
Rivera told her story Tuesday at a ribbon cutting for the Vanguard, which is almost fully occupied, and a groundbreaking for the Dillard Street Apartments being built across from the Vanguard.
“I have a son who enjoys being outside, most of you know him. …I feel happy and safe,” she said.
The Vanguard is a mixed-income development with one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments for both individuals and families. Residents enjoy a multipurpose room, fitness center, computer lab, playground and more.
The Vanguard is the first phase of the redevelopment of two former aging Durham Housing Authority properties at 519 E. Main and Liberty Street Apartments. Twenty-one of the units are reserved for former residents of the two complexes.
“There’s no greater feeling than seeing the former site transform into its next generational purpose as we expand housing opportunities for the Durham community,” DHA Interim CEO Anthony Snell said. “These major milestones demonstrate our continued
commitment to building communities that reflect – and serve – the people of Durham. This work would not be possible without support from the city of Durham’s Forever Home, Durham program, which was funded by the $95 million housing bond approved in 2019.”
Dillard Street Apartments also will be mixed income and include 146 affordable and market-rate homes. A community center will be built on the Dillard side, along with a fitness center, computer lab and playground.
Sixty-four former 519 E. Main and Liberty Street residents will have priority when the Dillard is completed.
“Our ongoing partnership with the Durham Housing Authority reflects our shared commitment to create thriving mixed-income communities in downtown Durham,” said Dionne Nelson, Laurel Street president and CEO. “Thanks to our public and private partners, Laurel Street is committed to the redevelopment and growth of East Main Street into a thriving neighborhood.”
Snell said that work has begun on redevelopment of DHA properties’ Forest Hill Heights and Fayette Place. He also revealed a “secret” that Fayette Place will be renamed the Village of Hayti.
Major financing partners for the projects include the DHA, the city of Durham, the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, RBC Capital Markets, Fifth Third Bank, First Citizens Bank, JP Morgan Chase, the Community Development Trust, Cedar Rapids Banks and Trust, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Choice Neighborhoods Program.
