Durham neighborhood asked for affordable housing at Northgate Mall. They got Target.
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- A Florida-based developer announced Target as the anchor for Northgate Mall redevelopment.
- Durham residents wanted affordable housing, green space and community centers instead.
- No announcement has been made about what else will be built.
The “Bullseye” has landed at the gates of Durham’s Walltown community, but the announcement is sparking more friction than celebration.
For years, the 60-acre carcass of the former Northgate Mall has sat vacant on Club Boulevard. Since its 2020 closure, the site has been an opportunity for revision.
When Charlotte-based Northwood Investors scrapped mixed-use plans because, according to them, it was not financially favorable, residents drafted a plan of what they’d like to see: affordable rooftops, a grocery, minority-owned businesses, green space for children.
They asked for a community-based anchor, but they’re getting a big-box giant instead. The announcement of a new Target, the third one in Durham, from Florida-based developer Regency Centers has disappointed many residents who had hoped for more.
Target is a “bad plan,” said Brandon Williams, who leads the Walltown Community Association.
“It’s not aligned. It’s not what we would want to see,” he said in a phone call with The News & Observer. “We prefer to see something more integrated on the whole [60] acres where it would feel like one seamless neighborhood community with the housing and retail parts integrated together.”
Williams said he predicted something like a Target would come, but he is still advocating for a more equitable neighborhood.
“Folks have been getting pushed out and displaced over the last decade, so we knew it wasn’t the mall that caused the gentrification,” he said. But redeveloping the mall without addressing the community’s needs will “exacerbate the issues and ... be the nail in the coffin.”
“Whatever happens here is going to have a dramatic impact on the neighborhood,” Williams said.
Several residents took to social media to express their concerns. Some said they would have preferred an IKEA, Trader Joe’s, or Aldi. Others are still boycotting Target for ending its diversity, equity and inclusion commitments.
“This entire development as it stands is offensive,” said resident Katrina Holley on Facebook. “Affordable housing, green space, library branch, grocery store, primary care clinic. That is the healthy-people-focused development needed on this property.”
The N&O reached out to Target, Northwood Investors and Regency Centers for comment about the pushback, but as of Friday afternoon had not heard back from any of them.
‘It’s a waste’
Walltown is one of the oldest historically Black neighborhoods in Durham. Its demographics have already changed from being about 60% Black in the 1990s, to about 53% white as of 2023. The median household income has also increased to about $83,000. At an August City Council meeting, residents expressed fear that more gentrification would continue to price out long-time residents.
Councilman Nate Baker, who worked with the residents on their Small Area Plan, said the choice of Target shows the developers “don’t care about the Walltown community, as well as other communities around the area that very clearly expressed clear and achievable vision.”
Baker grew up across the street from Northgate Mall and walked there as a child. The fight to create walkable communities that were equitable is personal to him, he said.
“I think it’s a waste of an opportunity if the corporate developers proceed,” he said in a phone call. “[The site] is an opportunity to achieve the city’s goals of becoming a more equitable, walkable, transit-oriented city, and ... the proposal is an utter failure of that. It’s hard to descibe how disappointing Northwood and Regency’s actions are and have been.”
The property is centrally located in Durham along Interstate 85 and serves as a gateway between the northern and central parts of the city. North Durham, Baker said, desperately needs activity centers for kids.
Matt Kopac, who represents Ward 1 where Walltown is located, said there are pros and cons to the Target announcement.
“For my family, other neighbors and residents, I believe having retail and grocery at this site will be a benefit, and Target as an anchor institution could attract more investment,” he said in a statement.
On the flip side, Kopac said, the design plans for Target at Northgate “aren’t great.”
“We could end up locking in a lot of surface parking for a long time,” he said. “It’s frustrating that there isn’t a path to ensure needed community benefits, like affordable housing.”
The Walltown Plan
The Walltown Small Area Plan called for a number of things that residents said would help the neighborhood and entire Durham community. The City Council endorsed the plan, but it was a non-binding on the developers.
- A “15-minute” community where residents can meet their needs on foot, bike or transit with 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
- A grocery store and shopping and business opportunities for people of color and/or who are low-income, and for local businesses
- Community spaces like schools, community centers, educational facilities and arts and culture spaces
- Sidewalks, walkways and links to open spaces
- Street improvements to Guess Road and West Club Boulevard
- Environmental sustainability measures like solar panels, EV charging stations and tree canopy coverage
Right now, it’s unclear what else will come along with Target. Site plans are in review, and there is no opening date for the store.
The plans show the majority of the mall would be demolished and replaced with nine retail stores and five new retail buildings ranging in size. Target would take up about a third of the old mall.
This story was originally published March 20, 2026 at 5:09 PM.