Southpoint mall wins rezoning to build apartments and offices
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The Streets at Southpoint, the Triangle's largest mall, is headed for a much different future after getting the green light to build more densely on its 132-acre property in southern Durham.
Driving the news: The Durham City Council approved the rezoning Tuesday night in a 5-2 vote, with Mayor Elaine O’Neal and council member Javiera Caballero voting against it.
As part of a multi-year plan, mall owners Brookfield Properties plan to build:
- More than 1,300 apartments;
- An additional 100,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space;
- 300,000 square feet of offices;
- And up to 200 hotel rooms.
Why it matters: The Streets at Southpoint attracts 13 million annual visitors — but large malls throughout the country are facing an uncertain future, as shopping habits change.
- Most Triangle malls are being reinvented in some fashion, including the additions of Fenton and Raleigh Iron Works in Wake County.
Zoom in: Brookfield said around 70% of Southpoint's shoppers come from outside of Durham and that it is Durham County's largest property tax contributor. This redevelopment, Brookfield said, will ensure the 21-year-old mall's continued success.
- Patrick Anderson, the general manager of the mall, noted that the opening of the Streets at Southpoint two decades ago led to the decline of Cary Towne Center, which has now been demolished.
- He said Southpoint faces similar pressure today with the arrival of new mixed-use developments.
Yes, but: The plans received some pushback, notably from the city's planning commission, for not including any affordable housing in its designs. The mall is one of the city's largest employers, with more than 170 retailers there.
- Instead, the mall's owners promised to contribute $1 million to the city's affordable housing fund, add more bus stops and space for bike lanes and create more access points to the American Tobacco Trail that runs next to the property.
What they're saying: "I think this project is a very obvious improvement on what currently exists, which is underutilized parking lots," Durham council member Jillian Johnson said during the meeting.
- "But it's also hard to want to approve a project in an area where there are a lot of jobs that don't pay very much and where none of those people could afford to live."
- "However I don't think voting this down will get us any affordable units there," she added.