The old Holiday Inn on Chapel Hill Street (more recently, Urban Merchant Center) and an old medical office a block away at 306 South Gregson have been vacant for for years and years and look it. And some city council members are tired of it.

"I've been talking about this for years," said Councilman Eugene Brown.

"You're looking at 15,000 to 18,000 cars a day going by those. It's an embarrassment to Durham," he said.

"That razor wire has driven me nuts for a long, long time," said Councilwoman Diane Catotti.