JPI BREAKS GROUND ON JEFFERSON WATTS IN DURHAM, N.C.
New 440-home community near Duke University to open in 2028
DURHAM, N.C. (November 13, 2026) – JPI, a premier developer of multifamily communities, has broken ground on Jefferson Watts, a 440-home community in Durham, N.C. On Nov. 12, the company hosted a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the $150 million project, which marks JPI’s first development in North Carolina in more than 15 years and leads its expansion into the Raleigh-Durham region.
Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams joined the ceremony and praised the project, remarking, “This is what smart development looks like.”
“In June, we called Jefferson Watts JPI’s first chapter in North Carolina. Today, that chapter is officially underway,” said Jake Fortune-Greeley, Vice President of Development for the Southeast at JPI. “I want to recognize our partners and stakeholders in this project: Anchor Investments, Cline Design, McAdams, the Watts-Hillandale community, and the City of Durham, among many others. With a $150 million investment, this is one of the largest single-use multi-family projects in Durham’s history, and it takes a huge team effort to do that.”
Mr. Fortune-Greeley concluded: “JPI’s mission is to enhance communities and improve lives. In bringing quality housing to a key growth corridor in Durham on a site that has long sat vacant, I am very proud to say that this project does just that”.
Located on a 12.6-acre site at Hillsborough Road and La Salle Street, Jefferson Watts will pair 398 apartments with 42 luxury townhomes. That combination is rarely offered this close to Duke’s campus and Medical Center. The five-story apartment building will feature a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom homes averaging 916 square feet. The three-story townhomes will deliver nearly 2,000 square feet with 10-foot ceilings, two-car garages, private balconies and master suites. Thirty-nine homes will include an affordable housing component, broadening access across the area’s workforce.
Residents will enjoy a fifth-floor sky lounge and several thousand square feet of indoor-outdoor amenity space with views of the adjacent Hillandale Golf Course. The community will also offer a resort-style pool, a sauna, a fitness center with a dedicated yoga studio, coworking lounges and private offices, multiple coffee bars, a media and game room, a Zen garden, and an outdoor games and game-watching area.
The site is among the few remaining developable parcels in direct proximity to Duke University Medical Center, which employs more than 11,000 people and is near a graduate student population of roughly the same size. It anchors a highly accessible corridor that is rapidly transforming with new grocery and retail development.
Jefferson Watts is the lead development in JPI’s expansion into the Raleigh-Durham region, one of the nation’s fastest-growing renter markets, where the firm has established a permanent office.
Jefferson Watts is being developed with architect Cline Design, civil engineering and landscape architecture firm McAdams, and interior design firm KAI.
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About JPI
JPI is a leading developer dedicated to transforming building, enhancing communities, and improving lives. With a commitment to excellence and innovation, JPI delivers Class A multifamily housing that exceeds expectations and fosters vibrant neighborhoods. By focusing on sustainable development and strategic partnerships, JPI continues to shape the future of community living while positively impacting communities nationwide. For more information about JPI and its portfolio of projects, please visit jpi.com.