Skeptical residents filled rows of pews in the sanctuary of St. Mark AME Zion Church in Durham last week.
For the second time in July, dozens gathered at the church, located in the historically Black Hayti neighborhood, to hear from Sterling Bay. The Chicago-based developer wants to build a project next door in Heritage Square, a nearly 10-acre lot along Fayetteville Street enclosed by a metal fence.
“What we’re trying to do is deliver something that will create a pathway to jobs, that will create a pathway to education, that will contribute and do a part of that work that the [Hayti Promise Community Development Corp.] is trying to accomplish,” said Jamie Schwedler, an attorney for Sterling Bay…