DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) -- The first phase of a massive public housing redevelopment in Durham is now complete.

On Tuesday, the Durham Housing Authority (DHA) held a grand opening celebration for the Vanguard Apartments.

Bianca Rivera now lives in the apartments with her young son, and she told CBS 17 the future is bright at her new home.

"It helped us gain more confidence and we can be outside more and my son can go outside and play," Rivera said. "I can just be in here doing what I'm doing, and I can just watch him from the window."

The downtown mixed-income development includes 72 apartments, replacing old public housing properties that are now demolished. The DHA reports 21 units are prioritized for former residents.

"I think there's a lot of evidence that the original experiment didn

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