Construction has ground to a halt at the site of Durham's former Coca-Cola bottling plant, where developers had promised a sprawling mix of shops, restaurants and hundreds of new homes along Hillsborough Road. Some work at the Westside Bottling site had already been completed before the stoppage, but the project's path forward is now tangled in a lawsuit between two of the development's key players.
According to CBS 17, developer Ardent — identified in court filings as TAC Westside Bottling LLC — sued Dominion Realty Partners in Durham County in August. The suit alleges Dominion defaulted by failing to close on the multifamily housing portion of the project, leading to the termination of a purchase agreement in June. These are allegations in the lawsuit, not findings by a court. CBS 17 reported it was still waiting to hear back from Dominion Realty Partners for comment.
The proposed development includes more than 70,000 square feet of retail space, 370 multifamily residences and 35 for-sale townhomes, according to The News & Observer. Developers held a groundbreaking ceremony in August 2025, before the lawsuit emerged, according to CBS 17.
Tenants Already Signed On Before the Stoppage
Even with construction paused, the retail lineup had been taking shape. An Ardent spokesperson said last year that nearly 50,000 square feet of space was already leased, naming Sprouts Farmers Market, Shake Shack, Ulta Beauty, Club Pilates, First Watch and Vernis Nail Salon as committed tenants, as noted by CBS 17. Sprouts Farmers Market was previously named the development's anchor tenant, according to The News & Observer.
Despite the halted construction, an Ardent spokesperson told CBS 17 that Westside Bottling continues to advance, saying the company is actively leasing the remaining retail spaces and working to commence construction of the multifamily component. The statement did not address when construction on-site might resume.
A Timeline Now in Question
Before the lawsuit surfaced, the project had an ambitious schedule. The News & Observer reported that around 60% of retail tenants were expected to open by late 2026, with the remainder slated for mid-2027 openings, as reported by The News & Observer. Developers had hoped to deliver the first set of retailers by the end of 2026, but the pending legal fight between Ardent and Dominion Realty Partners is now raising doubts about whether that deadline can be met, per CBS 17's reporting.
What state records say about the site
A notice from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality described contamination in groundwater, soil, exterior soil gas and sub-slab vapor at the property. The notice included proposed investigation and remediation as part of a proposed Brownfields Agreement and described intended future uses, including high-density residential, retail, institutional, office, recreational and parking uses. The notice does not attribute the construction halt to contamination.
The unresolved dispute leaves the retail rollout and the planned housing component uncertain. The former bottling plant is a partially built redevelopment whose next steps remain unclear.
