West Chapel Hill Street's Gettin' a Facelift

Durham real estate developer and credit union Self-Help announced Tuesday that it's purchased roughly 2.3 acres of land in the area, stretching from a city-owned parking lot on the south side of West Chapel Hill Street to the corner of Kent Street.

Self-Help Vice President Tucker Bartlett believes the project will greatly benefit the street.

"With this next step," Tucker says, "we hope to help catalyze economic development in the area, and thereby help strengthen the surrounding neighborhood by expanding economic opportunities."

Since 1980, Self-Help has been, er, helping Southwest Central Durham. They've had extensive experience rennovating not-so popular buildings to create activity in downtowns and neighborhoods.

The developer says it's recruited two Durham-based firms, DTW Architects and Planners, and landscape architects Coulter Jewell Thames, PA, to begin site planning. Self-Help is also contacting residents near the site for further feedback.

Project manager Paul Brown says this is the first step of a multi-year process. Though preliminary discussions have begun with possible tenants, Paul believes we won't hear any news until 2013.