Controversies
Concerns have consistently been raised by Triangle arts supporters that the Durham theatre could hurt the nearby Carolina Theatre (also owned by the city of Durham) or the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh.
However, contrary to these concerns, the DPAC has actually benefited the Carolina Theatre through co-promotion opportunities and other policies and activities. On July 16, 2012, less than three years after the grand opening of DPAC, it was announced that the Carolina Theatre was ranked among the top 100 theaters in the world in attendance for the first time in its history.
Former Durham City Council member Thomas Stith objected when city employee Mark Greenspan lobbied the city council on behalf of the theatre's eventual contractor, Skanska, and then went to work for Skanska four months after the contract was awarded. Stith called for a "cooling-off period" for city employees, similar to those enacted by state and federal governments. The Durham City Council rejected the measure in April 2007.
Read more about this topic: Durham Performing Arts Center