West Durham's Hosiery Mills dye house to undergo transformation

Scott Bednaz, best known for the changes he’s already made to the Straw Valley Project properties in west Durham, wants to turn the old Durham Hosiery Mills dye house at 708 Gilbert St. into the next Durham hotspot. His idea includes fully renovating the interior, which could open it up for a mix of uses, including office space on the second floor, retail shops, restaurant space, storage and even room for a brewery or distillery operation.Plans to keep the heavy timber wood framing and steel trusses, which are original to the 1920s-era building, and other elements will allow it to maintain its status on the National Register of Historic Places. The estimated cost of the project is about $4 million. The project is pending city approval.

Cocoa Cinnamon to open third location

Cocoa Cinnamon plans to open a micro-roastery and third retail location in Durham at 2013 Chapel Hill Road This location will supply Cocoa Cinnamon's three locations with coffee, in addition to the blends from guest roasters. The menu will also feature some new items like made-to-order churros with chocolate. There is no word on when the new location will open.

Alston Avenue, (N.C. 55) to undergo improvements

Alston Avenue is getting a makeover.The project, will widen more than a mile of the highway to accommodate a four-lane median-divided road between the Durham Freeway and just north of U.S. 70 Business/N.C. 98 (Holloway Street).In addition to the added lanes, the project will include a widened bridge over the Durham Freeway, sidewalks on both sides of the road and either wider outside lanes to accommodate bicycles or designated bike lanes. There will also be the addition of retaining walls, railroad track work and new railroad bridges.The project can get under way as early as Aug. 29, with the new road open by Nov. 1, 2019, and the rest of the work wrapped up by May 2020.

New wine, charcuteria and cheese bar opening to open on Main Street

A new wine bar, Bar Brunello, will open in the former Bar Lusconi space at 117 E. Main St. Bar Brunello's main focus will be on wine, charcuterie and cheese and is expected to open this month, according to its social media page.

Beer Study bottle shop and Starpoint Brewing Co. to open joint location

Chapel Hill’s Beer Study bottle shop will team up with Carrboro’s StarPoint Brewing Company to open a new shop inside the Rockwood Shopping Center off University Drive. Beer Study will occupy space in the front of the shop, and will include an arcade, while StarPoint’s brewing facility will take up about 2,500 square feet of space in the back. They aim to open October/November 2016.

Two buildings and a parking deck to be constructed in the Durham Innovation District

The Durham Innovation District (Durham.ID) will soon include two new seven story mixed-use buildings named North and South. The buildings will include office and technology work space, but also including retail and restaurants. The buildings will be located on Morris Street between Hunt and Roney in what is currently a large parking lot. A new eight-story, parking deck will be constructed behind the buildings, accessible from the south and east sides of Roney Street, accommodating approximately 1,200 vehicles. The deck will offer supplemental public parking for community events and the neighboring downtown farmer’s market. Construction is slated to begin in Q3 2016 with completion expected in the spring of 2018.

New condo project in downtown to be complete by September 2017

The new downtown condo project, Mangum Flats, will consist of 14 flats, three studios, and five townhouses. The expected completion date is September 2017. The project at 515 N. Mangum St. is being designed by Center Studio Architecture and real estate developer Scott Harmon.

Duke will be first major tenant in the 27 story Durham tower

Duke University has signed on as the first tenant in the 27 story One City Center tower. The lease includes 55,000 square feet of the building's 130,000 square feet of office space. The building project has about a 27-month construction timeline and is now on track to open the street-level retail spaces and the office floors by late 2017. 

Cocoa Cinnamon II has opened

Cocoa Cinnamon II has opened using a “beta phase” approach; fewer hours and smaller menus. They are located at 2627 Hillsborough Road. Visit their website for current hours and updates.

Duke University to replace three dorms

Duke University plans to replace three 100 year old dormitories on East Campus.The $25 million project will yield a new, 250-bed dorm that will house more students than the Epworth, Jarvis and East residence halls combined. It will also become the final piece of the new quad Duke has been developing in the southwest portion of what’s now its freshman campus. Decisions are still pending on the fate of the existing structures.

Google confirms locations in the Triangle

Google has confirmed the Google Fiber team is moving into two new offices in Raleigh and Durham.The buildings are at 309 E. Chapel Hill St. in Durham and 518 N. West St. in Raleigh.

Luxury apartment community planned for Pavilion East complex

Ram Realty Services recently purchased the Pavilion East complex for $41M which included the land for a 263- unit luxury apartment community, the 700-space parking deck and the four-story office, retail and condominium building at 2608 Erwin Road . Plans to break ground  on the new luxury apartment community are expected to begin in spring 2016 with the first units open in summer 2017.

Bagel Bar to open downtown

The Bagel Bar's new location will be 104 City Hall Plaza across from City Hall. The store is scheduled to open late in the first quarter or early in the second quarter of 2016.

WillowTree officially picks Durham for expansion

Charlottesville app developer WillowTree officially announced that it’s bringing 98 jobs to Durham over three years and investing $245,000. New staff hired in Durham will include software developers, mobile designers and project managers. Compensation will vary by position, but the new jobs will average $83,333 per year in pay.

Harris Beverage to build new headquarters in East Durham

Durham County Commissioners approved a public-private partnership agreement that will give Harris Beverage $2.65 million to help develop a new headquarters in East Durham. The agreement provides $1.3 million in county money for infrastructure costs, and a $1.35 million loan for other development costs to be paid over six years.

Renovation and rebranding in the future for the Brookwood Inn Hotel

The independent-owned Brookwood Inn hotel near the Durham VA Medical Center in Durham has been bought by a hotel development firm, Concord Hospitality Enterprises. The group paid $10.2 million for the 148-room hotel property and are planning a $6 million renovation and rebranding of the property in 2016.

 

Durty Bull Brewing Co. to open brewery and tasting room

Durham’s Durty Bull Brewing Co. plans on opening a 15-barrel craft brewery and tasting room at  206 Broadway St. by April. Durty Bull will specialize in barrel-aged and sour beers.

Fidelity Investments to add 600 new Triangle jobs

Fidelity Investments will add 600 new high-paying jobs and invest $8 million in its Durham and Cary facilities through the end of 2018, bringing its total Triangle employee count to more than 4,000.

 

Pizza Toro to open restaurant on Parrish Street

Pizzeria Toro, have announced plans to open a small, dinner only restaurant at 110 East Parrish St., formerly home to Monuts.  The opening is projected for winter 2016.

 

New 'Que restaurant, Picnic, will open this fall

The Barbecue Man (Wyatt Dickson) the Chef (Ben Adam) and the Farmer (Ryan Butler) will open Picnic, a barbecue restaurant in North Durham later this fall.