Three nonprofit development partners are joining the City of Durham, Duke University and the West End neighborhood to celebrate the opening of Maplewood Square Apartments and Maplewood Park.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held Monday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1520 Chapel Hill Road, between Morehead Avenue and Duke University Road. The $4.5 million project offers low-cost living to seniors 55 or older, and a public park built by volunteers, suitable for small children. Both projects replace a formerly blighted area.

Maplewood Square has 26 one-bedroom and 6 two-bedroom apartments. Features include outdoor sitting areas, resident computer center with free high-speed Internet access, and on-site property management. All apartments are affordable based on income, and four are reserved for seniors with disabilities. Rents range from $317 to $510 per month.

The project team includes DHIC Inc., a developer of lower-cost housing; Self-Help, a statewide community development financial institution headquartered in Durham; and Durham Community Land Trustees.

"Early land and financial commitments from the City of Durham and Duke University helped leverage more than $3 million in investment from other sources," said Gregg Warren of DHIC, Inc., lead developer for the project. "It takes cooperation and coordination for an effort like this one, and the City of Durham, Duke, and other partners really stepped up to the plate."

Permanent financing sources for Maplewood Square include the N.C. Housing Finance Agency ($545,799), Duke University ($500,000), City of Durham ($300,000), and Fifth Third Bank syndicated by National Equity Fund, Inc. ($2,615,772) from the sale of federal housing tax credits.

Support for Maplewood Park was contributed by Blue Cross Blue Shield, City of Durham, Duke Chapel, Duke United Way, Duke University, Harry L. and Helen M. Rust Charitable Foundation, Lowe's at William Penn Plaza, Make Kids Smile, Inc., Mary Biddle Duke Foundation, O.C. Mitchell, and PlayWorld Systems, Inc.