RALEIGH -- Two redevelopment projects in West Raleigh received the support of the City Council on Tuesday despite concerns that they go against the land-use plans for that area of the city.
The council voted 6-2 to allow Capstone Development to build a private, 10-story apartment building and parking deck off Hillsborough Street for N.C. State University students. The council also voted 5-2 to approve Crescent Resources' request to rezone 2.67 acres at Clark Avenue and Oberlin Road in the Cameron Village shopping center.
The votes are a defeat for Councilmen Russ Stephenson and Thomas Crowder. Both men opposed the projects largely because the projects don't agree with the small area plans that are meant to guide land uses in different parts of the city.
Capstone's Stanhope Center is within the boundaries of the Stanhope Village Small Area Plan, a document that Stephenson helped draft before he was elected to the City Council. The Crescent property is part of the Wade/Oberlin Small Area Plan.
Crowder said those plans were adopted after much consultation with nearby residents and property owners and should be adhered to.
"It seems like the city is willing to throw them out the window at a moment's notice," he said.
Crescent has yet to submit a site plan for its project, an act that will require City Council approval. The rezoning increases the height limit on any building Crescent constructs from 50 feet to about 85 feet. The building could include up to 28,000 square feet of shops and 232 apartments or condominiums.
Council Members Nancy McFarlane and Rodger Koopman both said the current global financial crisis influenced their decision to vote for the $85 million Stanhope Center project.
"I feel I have a real fiduciary responsibility to the city to make sure we have good development that would help the city as a whole," McFarlane said.
The Stanhope Center project will cover about three acres and will include 277 multifamily units and a six- to seven-story parking deck with 787 parking spaces. The parking deck is to go on the south side of Stanhope Avenue.
Before the council vote, Capstone agreed to make several changes to the site plan to try and address concerns of nearby homeowners. The changes include lowering the parking to two levels where it is closest to residential homes.
