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The City's Community Development Department will hold a public meeting on November 5, 2020, at 5 p.m. to discuss the following.

Notice of Intent to Enter into Memorandum of Agreement with North Carolina State Historic Preservation Officer 519 East Main Street (formerly Oldham Towers) and Liberty Street Apartments

This notice is to inform the public and citizens of the City of Durham that the City of Durham (City) will enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) for the resolution of effects at 519 Main Street (formerly Oldham Towers) and Liberty Street Apartments.

An environmental review is required for this site as the Durham Housing Authority is using U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Public Housing Funds and the City of Durham is providing HUD HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) funds. As part of the environmental review, a Historic Structure Survey Report was completed for the Oldham Towers and Liberty Street site at the request of the SHPO.

• The report found that the Oldham Towers development is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A for its relevance to Urban Renewal and public housing policy in the City of Durham and under Criterion C for architecture. 
• The Liberty Street Apartments are eligible for the National Register under Criterion A, for their association with Urban Renewal and public housing policy in Durham, as part of the overall development site. 

The proposed activities will include demolition of both historic properties. The proposed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) is now available for review. The MOA is a contract between the City of Durham (City) and the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) stipulating specific measures that must be implemented in order to adequately avoid or satisfactorily mitigate any adverse effect on historic properties.

Public Meeting & Comments
The City will hold a virtual public meeting on Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 6:00 PM to discuss the proposed MOA and mitigation strategies.

• To obtain a copy of the proposed MOA or to register to attend the public meeting, please use the form below.
• The City will be receiving comments on the proposed MOA from October 29, 2020 until 5:00 PM on November 13, 2020.
• Please use this online form for any questions or comments regarding the proposed activities and MOA.