Thousands of luxury apartments remain vacant in Durham, and affordable housing remains a challenge.

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — On the first day of fall, an enthusiastic crowd gathered in downtown Durham for CenterFest.

The event took place in the literal shadow of new housing construction underway across the Bull City, an activity that has become a barometer of Durham’s rapid growth at a time when city leaders are listening to people struggling to find affordable housing.

“It’s a little bit more expensive,” said Amit Narawane, a graduate student at Duke University. “Our program wants to change the stipend a little bit to take into account the cost of living.”

Many of the new apartment buildings downtown are vacant and many more residential buildings are under construction, leaving emergency workers, teachers and other would-be tenants wondering how much they’ll have to pay for affordable housing.

“That’s a good question, and certainly a lot of the newer buildings are more like luxury apartments, so hopefully there will be more options for different demographics in Durham,” Narawan said. “As long as it’s not at 40-50 percent of the income, it can be more reasonable than that.”

Durham is building modern public housing, but waiting for it to become available poses challenges for low-income earners.

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In other Durham news: Durham city leaders are considering proposals for a new, larger, more modern convention center