City council approves Oberlin apartment-and-retail project

RALEIGH -- A developer received backing from the City Council on Tuesday for a multistory building across from Cameron Village - an approval that follows months of negotiations intended to win over skeptical neighbors.

The apartment-and-retail project, known as 401 Oberlin, took on added significance because of its timing and high-profile location.

At issue: How close to established neighborhoods should developers be allowed to put up large-scale buildings?

The debate largely disappeared during the economic downturn when few new projects were being proposed.

Many neighbors say the city's handling will serve as a precedent for future development along Oberlin Road - an area expected to attract more attention from developers as the economy recovers.

The City Council voted 7-1 in favor of a rezoning that would allow for the project.

Councilman Thomas Crowder cast the lone vote in opposition.

The size and scale of 401 Oberlin clash with what the city's comprehensive plan recommends for the area, Crowder has argued.

The approval came after several rounds of talks between neighbors and the landowners, Kenneth Haigler and former state Sen. Tom Taft of Greenville.

Attorney Tom Worth, who represented the landowners, said it was the most interaction he's seen between developers and neighborhoods in his 35-year career.

Among the key concessions: The developers reduced the number of apartments from 280 to 250, scaled back the maximum height to five stories and agreed to preserve several old trees on the property.

"I think we're seeing a new era," said Will Allen III, chairman of the Hillsborough CAC.

He added, "Developers haven't routinely been this cooperative with neighborhoods."

A modernist-style office building will be demolished to make way for the project.

The City Council still must approve a site plan.

The outreach paid off in University Park, where a large group of neighbors met in September and voted 62-31 to support the project, said homeowner association President Joe Boisvert.

Developers, neighborhood groups and city staffers produced a suitable compromise, Boisvert said.

"It's very powerful to have those three groups," he said. "Usually you've got one at odds with the other."

The lesson, Boisvert said, is that "a little bit of extra work can pay dividends because you're not fighting a battle and going back and forth to the City Council."

But skeptics remain.

The proposal has stirred tension in established neighborhoods such as Cameron Park and University Park.

This year, the city gave approval to let Crescent Resources build up to 282 apartments and 16,000 square feet of retail on the northeast corner of Oberlin and Clark - across the street from the 401 Oberlin site.

As commercial development creeps closer to neighborhoods, new buildings could dwarf their surroundings, some neighbors fear.

Oberlin Road changes

Other changes are planned on Oberlin Road, a key link in central Raleigh.

A single-lane roundabout is tentatively planned at Oberlin and Clark to improve the traffic flow.

Developers of 401 Oberlin agreed to bury overhead utility wires along Stafford Avenue, a pledge they hope will appeal to neighbors.