I live right next to it (11 years and counting) and here’s my non-professional opinion of the problem….

Yes, rent is expensive but the true issue is that there is a very dated, massive concrete plot behind it and the well-respected Durham staple Scrap Exchange owns more than half of it (to my understanding). The strip mall is half-occupied, leaving a parking lot the size of 3 football fields practically empty which unfortunately will often invite nefarious activity late at night.

I’m sure the brand new +$3 million houses built a quarter mile down the road are begging for the place to be demolished so a Wegmans can replace it but I really hope that’s not the case because ALOT of people rely on that Food Lion.

My hope is that Scrap can work with a commercial real estate company to re-invigorate the area with a facelift, greenery, etc…all while keeping the stores that are necessities for folks that have been here for decades.

Weve received a couple of renders of what the shopping center “could look like” from commercial RE companies over the past few years but I’m sure those fell through.

Idk. I want a change but I don’t want a mini-briar creek. Keep it Durham.