Designing Harris Farm

A Blueprint for Community: The Story of Harris Farms

A home is more than four walls and a roof; it’s the foundation of a community. One year ago, our team embarked on a mission to lay that foundation with Harris Farms, a new development of rental apartments and townhomes in Durham off Fayetteville Road. More than just a collection of buildings, this project is a carefully orchestrated plan to create a vibrant, inclusive, and resilient neighborhood from the ground up.

The Art and Science of the Site Plan

Long before construction begins, communities take shape through meticulous planning. Shovels break ground only after a community first exists on paper. This is the role of the site plan—the master blueprint that Qunity develops. The site plan is where vision meets precision. For Harris Farms, our team meticulously carefully designed the layout, determining the precise location for each building and amenity. We engineered the grading of the land to ensure that heavy rain will never result in a flooded apartment, and we navigated the city’s code requirements to design designated common areas. This work is a delicate balance of technical expertise and foresight. Our Assistant Vice President leading Qunity’s work on Harris Farms, Aaron Hutchens, says, "Our job is to be stewards—for the public, for neighbors, for anyone downstream." This philosophy drives our commitment to comprehensive design, creating clarity for every stakeholder in the development process. By providing the most detailed design, we create a clear path for everyone to play their part in manifesting something new in the built environment.

A Foundation for Opportunity

At its core, Harris Farms is designed to foster a diverse community. Of the 434 units

approved for the site, 384 are market-rate, and 50 are designated as affordable housing. This was not a coincidence, but a conscious strategy. The reality of development is that affordable housing comes with more requirements, making it more expensive to build. The market-rate units are the economic engine that makes the 50 affordable homes possible, creating a symbiotic relationship that allows for a more inclusive community. Qunity’s role was to work with both the market-rate and affordable housing entities, weaving their needs together to bring the unified project to fruition.

Looking Ahead

With Master Plan approval secured through rigorous two-step permitting, we've shifted into high gear. Our team now navigates the complex construction documentation phase, orchestrating approvals across the City of Durham, Department of Transportation, and Durham County Erosion Control.

Harris Farms is a testament to what’s possible when thoughtful planning meets

community-focused goals. Qunity is proud to manage the design of this foundational plan, helping to create not just housing, but a neighborhood built to last