Southpoint Access

[SoDu Sunrise Showcase] Could Brickworks Work?

Another snow day! Wait until next week for DPS budget shortfall discussion at the BOE. And Durham City Council seems to like the *idea* of the Brickworks development project.

Wes Platt

23 Jan 2025 — 2 min read

It's Thursday! Or, at least, I think it's Thursday. Everything's sort of blurring together with Durham Public Schools cancelled again. It may be Friday. Or last Sunday.

I drove around South Durham on Wednesday, after throwing some powdery snowballs with the kids. Although many of the main roads were fine, plenty of side roads remained an icy mess. With everything sort of melting and then expected to refreeze overnight, it didn't surprise me at all that DPS waved us off until (maybe) Friday.

Please stay safe. And sane.

Oh, and the school district also put off the Board of Education meeting originally planned for tonight. They'll talk about the $7M budget shortfall next Tuesday instead.

So, what else is going on?

Building Big Brick by Brick

The Durham City Council this week approved rezoning more than 95 acres near Angier Avenue for a huge project on an old brick production site called Brickworks.

This development, described by Council Member Nate Baker as "transformational," is expected to bring as many as 1,880 residential units (apartments and townhouses) to the region. It came to the council from the Planning Commission with a 9-1 favorable vote. Council members voted unanimously to grant a change from light industrial zoning to allow for the residential and commercial development.

Council Member Chelsea Cook got a win for DPS, urging the developers with SpaceCraft in Charlotte to reconsider their contribution to the school district. They agreed, and doubled their pledge to $120,000.

Milestones

[Welcome to the World] Durham Births - Jan. 11-17, 2025

DID YOU MISS?

Interesting Elsewhere

Oh, be sure to check out my guest blog post over at Andy Bechtel's Editor's Desk site! He's an associate professor who teaches reporting, writing, and editing at UNC's Hussman School of Journalism and Media. It was a privilege to share the origin story of Southpoint Access.