Eutaw Landing celebrates grand opening, expands affordable housing for seniors

By Faith Hatton, posted Oct 30, 2026 on BizFayetteville.com

Government leaders, partners and supporters all came together with the SEML Development and Duggins family on Friday, Oct. 30 to celebrate the grand opening of a new affordable housing facility for seniors.

Eutaw Landing Apartments, a 54-unit apartment building featuring both one-bedroom and two-bedroom units, is now a fully occupied home to individuals aged 55 and older.

The property features amenities such as a community room, business center, picnic area and more.

“Eutaw Landing is one of SEML’s first projects, which makes today especially meaningful to us. I've always believed that affordable housing should never mean second-rate housing. It should mean quality housing that people can actually afford,” shared Murray O. Duggins, Jr., president and CEO of United Companies and SEML Development. “We created SEML Development about eight years ago as a branch of our Duggins Family companies to further strengthen our ability to provide affordable housing not only in Cumberland County but all over the region.”

Eutaw Landing Apartments, a 54-unit apartment building featuring both one-bedroom and two-bedroom units, is now a fully occupied home to individuals aged 55 and older.

The apartments are a $13.4 million investment that was made possible with funding from partners such as Merchants Bank, WNC & Associates, Inc., private contributions and government agencies including the City of Fayetteville and the North Carolina Housing Finance Association (NCHFA).

Murray O. Duggins, Jr., president and CEO of United Companies and SEML Development welcomes guetss to the grand opening event.

The NCHFA contributed $800,000 in Rental Production Program funds and sent representatives to share their excitement for the project.

“We are proud to be a partner today in the development of Eutaw Landing, which delivers 54 much-needed affordable homes for seniors in our community,” said Paul Kenedy, a board member of the NCHFA. “Thank you [to] all the other financing partners that made this development possible. Our agency oversees the federal housing credit program, which draws private investment that makes these developments possible. Eutaw Landing is a testament to what we can achieve when public and private partners come together to produce high-quality and affordable homes.”

The City of Fayetteville contributed $800,000 towards the project, providing much-needed support toward increasing the supply of affordable housing for residents.

“I don't know if most folks appreciate the impact the Douglas family has had on affordable housing in Fayetteville, and it cannot be understated,” shared Chris Cauley, director of the City of Fayetteville's Economic and Community Development Department. “The city council has done a tremendous amount in the seven years that I've been here to support affordable housing. We've really pushed brand new homeownership programs, but not everybody is ready to buy a house today or tomorrow. Some people need to rent for right now, and they need to rent safe, decent, affordable places in good neighborhoods. And I'm really appreciative to them for giving our department the resources to make projects like this happen.”

Speakers at the opening included representatives from the City of Fayetteville, Cumberland County, the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency and U.S. Representative Richard Hudson.

WNC & Associates, Inc. provided more than $9.4 million to the project in the form of Low- Income Housing Tax Credits. WNC has also contributed to other housing projects across Fayetteville, including Cliffmore Park, which opened in June of 2026.

“We provided the equity financing for this development. It looks great. The Duggins are some of the best to do it in a challenging equity market right now,” shared Ryan Thayer, assistant vice president of Organizations at WNC. “We’re very proud of our partnership. Thank you for trusting us.”

Duggins announced that with this project completed, there is more in store from SEML Development.

Room for the little dog, too! Eutaw Landing resident Ruth Ann Griffin was able to celebrate her new home with the community.

“Anyone in this business knows that every project comes with a share of challenges, but on a day like today, we get to look around and see why all that work was worth it,” shared Duggins. “SEML is part of the Duggins Family companies. Together, we're currently developing another 400 apartment homes across the region, including new construction and rehabs of our existing portfolio.”

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