Durham OKs International Delights restaurant owners’ plan for veterans housing
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Durham council unanimously approved Lubbads’ 60-unit Andrews Chapel project.
- Project centers on veteran housing and a 1,000 sq ft civic resource hub.
- Proposal omits affordable and ADA guarantees and adds right-in right-out.
For over 30 years, the Lubbad family has served hummus, grilled meats and other Middle Eastern cuisine at their Ninth Street restaurant, International Delights.
Last week, the family’s second-generation owner, Emad, and his wife, Jasmine, stood before the Durham City Council to present a vision that would extend their legacy from the kitchen into the southeastern part of the city.
Driven by Jasmine’s experience as a U.S. Marine and housing advocate, the planned Andrews Chapel Apartments aims to transform 1.8 acres at 1029 Andrews Chapel Road into a 60-unit apartment building designed to support those who served.
Jasmine Lubbad is a real estate specialist for Homes for Heroes in the Triangle area, helping local educators, firefighters, veterans, law enforcement and health care professionals buy and sell a home. She became injured during her service and as a service-disabled veteran, champions housing solutions that support other vets and working families.
Emad Lubbad has a deep connection to the Durham community as a graduate of Riverside High school and from his work taking over the family restaurant. His parents are refugees of Kuwait’s Desert Storm and brought a new space for Mediterranean cuisine to the Bull City.
“We see ourselves not just as developers, but as local partners invested in Durham’s long-term success,” Jasmine Lubbad told the City Council. “Our goal for this project is to create housing that’s more than physical structures. A place designed to foster stability, opportunity and connection.”
The heart of the future building will be a 1,000-square-foot hub on the first floor where residents and veterans can receive counseling and get help signing up for federal benefits. The area is 15 minutes from the Durham VA Regional Hospital and within walking distance of the emergency department at WakeMed’s Brier Creek campus.
The council approved the rezoning for the apartment development unanimously. The rezoning changes the site from residential suburban, which allows single-family housing, to planned development residential.
Navigating growth
Patrick Byker, an attorney for the Lubbads, told the council the couple has created a team of local civil engineers and hired the Gateway Building Co., based in Durham, as their contractor.
The Lubbads are want to integrate public-private partnership rental programs with local and federal organizations as the project’s early phases move forward. They will also be committed to “value engineering,” which refers to optimizing design and construction to keep costs low, to maintain affordability for the veteran community they intend to serve, Byker said.
The area lies in the part of Durham that is in Wake County. Byker said he worked on getting the land annexed into the city limits over a decade ago.
“Since [the site] is located very close to other multifamily developments in a recently adopted comprehensive plan, a key component is creating the 15-minute community,” he said. A Harris Teeter, restaurants, retail stores and a bus stop are all less than a mile away.
The council has been discussing 15-minute community developments to reduce people’s reliance on cars, as outlined in the new rewrite of the city’s Unified Development Ordinance.
A unanimous path forward
On Nov. 12, the Durham Planning Commission, which advises the council on development, unanimously recommended the city approve the apartment project. On previous proposals for the southeast Durham area, the two bodies have sometimes been split due to residents’ concerns about traffic and environmental harm.
Two planning commissioners asked the Lubbads to make a commitment to affordable housing units in the project.
Last year, the federal government estimated roughly 33,000 veterans were homeless on a single night. That was an 8% decrease compared to January 2023.
However, homelessness among veterans remains a significant issue in the state and country, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.
Currently, there is no commitment to affordable units, nor is there a design of the building or a price point for the rental units. The project also lacks specific commitments for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.
Byker said the Lubbads and their development team are still in the early stages and considering what incentives the project can offer beyond potential services for veterans.
“This is our home, where we live, where we plan to raise our children, where we invest our time, our energy and our resources,” Jasmine Lubbad said. “Our hope is that this project continues to contribute to the city’s thoughtful growth.”
This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 2:00 PM.