durham inc.
BIZ BRIEFS Compiled by Emma Moon
MOVEMENT & DEVELOPMENT
Representatives from the Durham Housing Authority, CVS Health, Laurel Street and Red Stone Equity Partners joined community members at a groundbreaking for the mixedincome housing community Commerce Street Apartments, which will offer 172 units in two four-story buildings: 88 of the units will be reserved for adults aged 62 and older, and 84 will be available to individuals and families of all ages; 71 apartments will be public housing replacement units, while another 58 will serve households with incomes below 60% of the area median income; nine units will be designated for persons with disabilities or experiencing homelessness; and 10 units will be reserved for those with mobility impairments. Commerce Street Apartments is the second phase of a four-phase downtown redevelopment initiative known as Durham Choice, a partnership between the DHA and the City of Durham that aims to redevelop two aging public housing developments; provide DHA residents with comprehensive health services as well as educational and employment training opportunities; and invest in the surrounding neighborhood.
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Zips Car Wash unveiled its newly remodeled location at 1031 Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy. in September, showcasing its bright yellow, red and checkered sign as well as its vibrant red exterior that frames the drive-thru car wash. Attendees to the ribbon cutting and grand reopening held alongside the Durham Chamber of Commerce enjoyed complimentary air fresheners, Zips microfiber towels, free wash cards and refreshments.
RECOGNITIONS & ACHIEVEMENTS
Forbes published its annual America’s Best Employers by State list, which includes nearly 1,300 companies across the country, in August. It surveyed more than 160,000 U.S. employees from companies with 500-plus workers. Employees were asked how likely they would recommend their company, to evaluate companies they’ve worked for in the past two years and to assess other organizations in their industry. Three Durhamheadquartered businesses made up the top 25 companies to work for in North Carolina: Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, Duke University and Duke University Health System.
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Research Triangle Park-based MCNC – a nonprofit that provides broadband infrastructure and technology services to North Carolina’s community anchor institutions like schools and health care facilities – held a groundbreaking ceremony at Central Carolina Community College to commemorate the start of the High-Speed Economies for Rural Opportunity project. The service provider received $11.2 million from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to fund HERO, which aims to create improvements for internet access and affordability in central and southeastern North Carolina, in June 2023. The project will cost around $19 million in total to further advance high-speed internet and technology in the region. “Investing in broadband is investing in our future, and our HERO project is a generational advancement to support equitable access and opportunity throughout North Carolina,” said Tracy Doaks, MCNC president and CEO. MakeMyMove ranked Durham the No. 4 best under-the-radar college community for remote workers, giving the Bull City top marks for its warmer climate and slower pace, thriving tech scene, vibrant cultural landscape and strong commitment to innovation as part of the Research Triangle in addition to the city’s diverse population, historic sites and proximity to North Carolina’s beaches and mountains. U.S. News & World Report Senior Real Estate Economist Patrick S. Duffey named the Durham-Chapel Hill metropolitan statistical area No. 2 on the list of housing markets to watch out for, behind DenverAurora-Lakewood, Colorado. Durham-Chapel Hill’s housing market index was one of the most improved, increasing by 9.9 points from December 2023 to June 2024. Duffey’s analysis pulls from the U.S. News Housing Market Index, which incorporates data points from June 2024 covering demand, supply and financial factors. CommercialCafe ranked Durham as the No. 8 best mid-sized U.S. city (a population between 250,000 and 400,000) for Gen Z based on several Gen Z-friendly factors, such as internet cost, green commuting,
employment for new graduates, affordability and places for recreation. Durham came out first in terms of jobs for graduates, with jobs suitable for recently graduated young professionals making up 30.3% of the local job market. The study also found that 9.2% of Durham’s residents are Gen Zers aged 20-24, representing the seventh largest share of this cohort among the top 20 cities compared for this ranking. The city also ranked No. 9 on the list for the school enrollment metric, with an adult Gen Z educational enrollment rate of 50.6%. Discover Durham announced that domestic and international visitors to Durham County spent $1.125 billion in 2023, a 10.5% increase from 2022, according to an annual study completed by VisitNC. Visitors also contributed more than $78 million in state and local tax revenue during the same year. Last fiscal year, Discover Durham had 503 million media impressions from various PR efforts – over 17.5 million social media impressions and more than 52.2 million impressions from advertising campaigns. The program is in the midst of developing its 20-year plan for Durham’s advancement, named Destination Master Plan.