Hundreds of new homes, townhouses, apartments approved in Durham. Here’s where.

The Durham City Council approved several new housing developments during Monday night’s meeting, enabling builders to construct hundreds of new apartments, townhouses and single-family homes.

Here’s what’s getting built next.

Annexation in Southeast Durham

Wesley Downs is a project by Lennar, which has been the nation’s second largest homebuilder for a decade.

• It’s on 61 acres in Southeast Durham.

• The area has been intensely developing, spurring environmental concerns for Lick Creek that the grassroots group Preserve Rural Durham shows up at every meeting to speak about. Lick Creek flows into Falls Lake, which supplies most of Raleigh’s drinking water.

The site plan calls for 124 townhouses and 102 single-family homes.

• The developer has promised to set aside seven units — 3% — as affordable housing for those making 80% of the area median income.

• Construction is expected to take one year.

• The project will be on city water and sewer.

But the best part is the price point, said Nil Ghosh, the attorney for the developer.

• The first townhomes will be sold starting in the $290s.

• That’s nearly a quarter below the current median home price in Durham.

• “I was shocked when they told me that. I can’t remember the last time I saw new construction in Durham starting with a two,” Ghosh said.

The annexation was approved by 4-3 vote along familiar lines with no discussion:

• Mayor Pro Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton and Council members Javiera Caballero, Jillian Johnson and Leonardo Williams voted yes.

• Mayor Elaine O’Neal and Council members DeDreana Freeman and Monique Holsey-Hyman voted no.

Shady Grove assemblage

Local developer Jarrod Edens got approval Monday night for an even larger project in Southeast Durham.

• It’s a 78-acre site known as the Shady Grove assemblage.

They can build up to 440 units. That breaks down to 320 townhomes and 120 single-family houses.

• Edens said they’ll set aside 5% of both the rental and for-sale units for affordable housing.

• He also committed to building a 5-acre public park with a large playing field.

• Preserve Rural Durham members argued it was too dense and bad for the environment.

The annexation also passed 4-3 along the same lines.

Apartments on 15-501

The last project to get approval was an apartment complex already inside the city limits.

• The Crescent Communities project is on U.S. 15-501.

• It’s down the street from the art-filled mixed-use development University Hill, where the vacant apartments average $2,100 a month.
  
  

The city gave the Charlotte-based developer permission to build up to 400 apartments.

• In return for the density bonus, Crescent will offer affordable housing in other parts of Durham.

• They promised gap funding for 66 affordable housing units in Braggtown and a donation of eight vacant parcels to Habitat for Humanity.

• They’ll also pay for a new bus stop and sidewalks.

The City Council unanimously supported the project.

• “Sometimes, these are really easy to say yes to,” Caballero said.