Durham, NC - Inspired by a gift from Duke University and by neighbors' visions for creative re-use of surplus property, the City of Durham and three nonprofit development partners will begin construction of Maplewood Square, a $4.2 million project that will offer low-cost housing for 32 seniors and a neighborhood park and playground for Durham's West End community.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held today (Monday) at 1520 Chapel Hill Road, between Morehead Avenue and Duke University Road. Speakers included U.S. Rep. David Price; Durham Mayor William V. Bell, and Phail Wynn, vice president for Durham and regional affairs at Duke.

The project team includes lead developer DHIC, Inc., an award-winning developer of lower-cost housing in the Triangle; Self-Help, a statewide community development financial institution headquartered in Durham; and Durham Community Land Trustees (DCLT), a community development corporation which is active in the West End community

"In today's troubled credit climate, very strong housing developments are failing to attract investment, says Gregg Warren, president of DHIC. "The early land and equity commitments from Duke University and the City of Durham have leveraged more than $3 million in investment from other sources. We are pleased that we will also be able to support the area building industry and offer more than 150 jobs during the construction of Maplewood Square."

Below-market rate financing from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, land contributed by City of Durham, and grants from Duke University and the City of Durham will enable rents for Maplewood Square seniors to range from only $318 - $510. Additional investors include the National Equity Fund, Fifth Third Bank, and Neighborhood Housing Services of America CDFI.

In 2000, Duke University retirees and neighbors asked the University's Office of Community Affairs to help them find a way to rebuild a neighborhood park and expand the supply of attractive, affordable, energy-efficient and low-maintenance homes for retirees and other seniors in the West End neighborhood.

"The neighbor's vision inspired support from university leaders and trustees," says Michael Palmer, Duke's assistant vice president for community affairs. "We realized that the success of this project would substantially hinge upon the integrated expertise of several key nonprofit institutions."

Working with Durham Community Land Trustees, long-active in the neighborhood, Duke helped recruit the resources and experience of Self-Help and DHIC. The City of Durham offered the partners a piece of long vacant city-owned land next to an aging city park, then granted Self-Help federal funds to purchase and remove blighted structures on six surrounding lots.

The park will be designed, landscaped and equipped to serve as a leafy gathering place with recreation for both young children and older adults. Self-Help plans to build five new single-family homes next door. Neighbors and planners agree that people enjoying their porches overlooking the park will act as "eyes on the street," providing an added feeling of safety and community.