February 25, 2026

As organizers and leaders for People’s Alliance, upon reflecting and meeting about the events of Meet and Confer on 2-19-26, at the front of our minds are the students. Students are watching and learning from us every day. We ask that leaders from the Durham Association of Educators and the Durham Public Schools Administration that are part of the Meet and Confer process be mindful of this in all public interactions.

We cannot ignore the racial tensions that were evident at the end of the last Meet and Confer meeting. Racial equity must be embedded into all of our systems. In that context, the action by the President of DAE, a white woman, calling the Superintendent, Dr. Lewis, by his first name, rather than his earned professional title, is not neutral. Black leaders have historically and systematically been denied the respect, formality, and recognition afforded to their white counterparts.  Addressing Dr. Lewis by his first name not only stripped away his accomplishments, but denied him the professional respect he has earned. PA’s work is rooted in advancing racial equality in Durham, thus, this moment requires accountability, reflection and change. 

The exhaustion, frustration, and anger that were apparent at Thursday’s meeting are the culmination of months of emotionally charged meetings. It was clear that every person in the room cared deeply about our DPS students, families, and staff. Every person in the room was and is deserving of respect for their hard work, dedication, and passion.

The work of the People’s Alliance Education Action Team for the past few years has been in large part focused on advocating for the full implementation of restorative practices across the district. Restorative practices are rooted in respect for others and the recognition of the connections between people who are in community with one another. Restorative practices require us to take responsibility for the harm we have caused and demands that we stay vigilant and curious about the steps we must take to repair a strained relationship. 

The People's Alliance believes that a path forward is for the Meet and Confer committee to collectively commit to a relationship reset grounded in restorative practices. This could be through a restorative practices circle, facilitated by a trained neutral party, as a way to improve the Meet and Confer process moving forward.  The People's Alliance encourages all Meet and Confer leaders, both union and administrative representatives, to recommit to healthy and respectful meeting norms designed to build trust and understanding. The public apology issued by the DAE leadership is a good first step.

Every administrative and union member of the Meet and Confer process has been and will continue to be in community with one another. In order to continue advancing shared goals of making Durham Public Schools an excellent place for staff to work and for students to learn and thrive, this moment calls for accountability, repair, and a commitment to mutual respect moving forward. 

In Solidarity

The Education Action Team and c3/c4 Board of the People’s Alliance

February 23rd was the first meeting of the 505 Working Group (505WG) convened by the City to hear community/expert input on the prospects for affordable housing at 505 West Chapel Hill Street.

GOAL: The 505WG is a collaborative team of community advocates and experts working with City Staff. The purpose is to find a path forward for the start of affordable housing on the 505 West Chapel Hill Street site as soon as possible. 

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN OBSERVING AT THESE MEETINGS PLEASE CONTACT PEOPLE'S ALLIANCE AT [email protected] AND WE WILL HELP MAKE THAT HAPPEN.

Topics at First Meeting

1. We settled the question of whether a City ground lease could work (YES)
2. Parking: We made it clear that it's not impossible to come up with a plan to meet LIHTC requirements to maintain parking for the AH residents if 505 is developed in phases. Parking adjacent to the street will not be a problem. Off-site parking owned by the City (corner Duke/Main) may be available. And, it is very likely that the parking requirement for AH can be 1 space/resident (not 1.75).
3. Process: City Attorney Aarin Miles confirmed that the City is not required to use an RFP process to choose a developer. (And, incidentally, DHIC will not be disqualified because it is participating.)
4. Agreement that the Milton Small Building process will be long (developer search alone will be up to 2 years), rehab will be complicated and expensive, and there's no guarantee it will be successful or that the City will have subsidy.
5. 9% LIHTC deals in 2026 can be used for up to 120 units. The City does not know of any 2027 LIHTC applications in process. We'll need to monitor this.
6. General agreement on the viability of a mixed income building -- 80/60/30 % AMI -- which is allowed under LIHTC.
7. Next week we'll dig into "massing" (what will fit on the site), starting with a look at past proposals.

Members of this group are as follows (apologies for the lack of some of the names of participants)

Ketty Tellamaque - (Durham CAN)

Yolanda Winstead (DHIC)

Gregg Warren (DHIC)

Sherry Taylor (DCLT)

Ted Heilbron (Kelley Devt Co.) 

Stacey Poston (Durham City Staff)

Rick Larson (Durham CAN, 505 Coalition)

Staff from Perkins & Will

Dear City Manager Ferguson:

As you know, our consortium of community organizations dedicated to affordable housing has closely followed the City's effort to redevelop the 505 W. Chapel Hill St. property.  Consistent with the RFPs for the site, we have advocated for the inclusion of a significant number of residential units affordable at 60% AMI in perpetuity at 505.

We appreciated your suggestion at the December 4th work session that the City investigate more fully the feasibility of moving ahead now to build affordable housing at 505. We are supportive of your thought to include affordable housing experts and interested community members in that process.

We hope you might consider a more proactive approach. In short, we ask that affordable housing receive the same level of in-depth investigation at this point that Staff has recommended for the Milton Small Building (MSB). 

Staff is recommending a thorough plan to explore the feasibility of renovating the MSB. It is relying on a proven partner, Preservation NC, to: a) select a potential developer; b) explore possible renovation approaches; and c) return to Council with a proposal that would include a financial plan and estimate of needed City subsidy. This should give Council the facts it needs to consider whether the building should be renovated and at what level of subsidy. 

This Council and previous Councils have consistently and repeatedly made affordable housing a top priority at 505. Given this, why shouldn't we proceed now to use a similarly thorough approach to explore using a portion of 505 for affordable housing?

Respectfully, we would ask that rather than just seeking to validate or improve HR & A's report -- which was developed without significant input from affordable housing developers -- Council and staff could undertake the following process:

1. Identify several qualified developers to prepare proposals to build a significant number of affordable housing units at the 505 site. There are highly capable affordable housing developers who are interested in working at 505.
2. Each developer would be asked to develop a rough site plan which shows building elevations, building footprint, and placement of surface parking.
3. Developers would be asked to present along with the plan a financial proforma outlining preliminary sources of funds, with a funding range of required City subsidy needed to make the deal work.
4. At the developers' option, they could also propose uses for the remaining portions of the property, which might include a structured parking facility.
5. In the interest of retaining City ownership, the plan would assume the City would offer a ground lease for the affordable housing portion of the site. Developers have told us that they can make a project work with either a long-term lease or a land purchase.

Thank you for your consideration of this request. Our groups would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you at your earliest convenience to discuss this proposal in more detail. 

Sincerely, 

Rick Larson

For the 505 Consortium:

Coalition for Affordable Housing and Transit

Duke Memorial United Methodist Church

Durham Association of Educators

Durham Chapter, NAACP

Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People

The People's Alliance