We finally know what will anchor Northgate Mall space in Durham. Details here
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Target will anchor Ellerbe Square with a new store at Durham’s Northgate Mall site.
- Development plans include adding nine retail suites and five additional buildings.
- No opening date has been announced for the Target store.
After sitting largely empty for years and, at one point, facing foreclosure, Durham’s Northgate Mall is on the verge of a massive transformation with big-box giant Target set to anchor its redevelopment.
Florida-based Regency Centers is behind the Ellerbe Square development. Plans call for demolishing most of the mall structure on the 60-acre site and replacing it with nine retail suites and five additional retail buildings ranging in size.
“At Target, we’re excited to bring our easy, affordable and convenient shopping experience to guests in Durham as part of the Ellerbe Square development,” a media relations representative at Target told The News & Observer in an email. “Target is planning a new store as an anchor for the project, and we look forward to serving this growing community.
“As with any development project, final plans remain subject to required approvals, and we will share additional details at the appropriate time.”
Target did not provide an anticipated opening date for the store.
Triangle Business Journal first reported news of the new location.
Regency Centers was unavailable for comment.
Site plans are currently in the administrative review process, The N&O’s newsgathering partner ABC11 reported last November.
Target has two existing Durham locations, one on Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard near Westgate Drive and one in Renaissance Village shopping center.
Northgate’s toubled past
Northgate has been a flashpoint for years as neighbors pushed back against any plans to redevelop the site without affordable housing.
Northgate Mall opened in 1960. Macy’s, one of its major anchors, closed in 2017. Then Northwood Investors, based in Charlotte, bought it in 2018 for $34.5 million with plans to transform it into a mixed-use development.
The mall closed in 2020 and has stood an abandoned shell ever since.
Northwood eventually pivoted from mixed-use development largely due to resident pushback over the absence of affordable housing and the potential further displacement of longtime residents of color in the area.
It’s unclear what Northwood plans to build on the remainder of the site.
Northwood was unavailable for comment.
Last August, Durham city leaders adopted resident-driven framework to guide the redevelopment of the mall and surrounding vacant properties along West Club Boulevard.
Among the recommendations: a “15-minute” community where residents can meet their needs on foot, bike or transit within a 15-minute trip; affordable housing with at least 20% of residential units priced for households at 30% to 80% of the area median income; and affordable retail with a grocery store and shopping and business opportunities for people of color and/or who are low-income.
New Target stores in the Triangle
Target has been expanding its Triangle footprint in recent months. The Minneapolis-based retailer just opened a new location in Fuquay-Varina, its first in the town and its 55th in the state. Located at 3200 Gold Ring Road, the store was the company’s 2,000th.
Elsewhere in North Carolina, Target is building new stores in Selma — the retailer’s first in Johnston County — Fayetteville, Mebane and Myrtle Grove.
Across the country, the retailer expects more than 30 new stores to come online this year and more than 300 new locations by 2035.
This story has been updated.
This story was originally published March 19, 2026 at 10:51 AM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to accurately reflect Target’s involvement in Northgate Mall’s redevelopment.
