Luxury townhomes stoke ‘missing middle’ tension between Raleigh leaders and neighbors
It was still early in what would become a nearly five-hour meeting when Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin asked the city’s planning director to take the floor.
Dozens of people were outside city hall, protesting recent changes to zoning rules to allow “missing middle” housing — duplexes, townhomes and other denser housing — throughout the city. Inside the council chamber, all the seats were filled.
“We certainly understand that these rules are complex and impactful,” said Patrick Young, the planning and development director.
Someone in the audience, frustrated they’d only gotten a minute each to speak, shouted out “Time!”
“And for that reason” Young continued, “we will be initiating a community-engagement effort in the coming weeks. These meetings will be at least one in each council district to discuss missing middle in detail.”
The rustling in the audience grew louder with others now calling out “Time!”
“Please let him speak,” the mayor said.
A Raleigh election issue
The immediate concern for many Tuesday night was a plan to raze a 1925 home in the Hayes Barton neighborhood for 17 townhomes, but several said their concerns extend beyond their neighborhood.
Now the debate is becoming a major election issue ahead of City Council races this fall, pitting incumbents who campaigned on adding to the housing supply against those who say Raleigh is growing, and changing, too fast.
Making it easier to build diverse and denser types of housing by right, without a rezoning, is a practice that some housing advocates say will lessen the city’s housing crunch.
“This is something I’ve been promoting,” Baldwin said after the meeting. “It’s a national best practice.”
“The Biden administration is encouraging more of this type of housing to be built, and less exclusionary zoning codes,” she added. “So this is a national trend. And in communities that are growing like ours, we need housing, and we need more housing supply. And that is going to be key.”
But if the change to the zoning rules was the match, the plan to build 17 townhomes in one of the city’s wealthiest, inside-the-beltline neighborhoods was the spark.
Next came the neighborhood meetings, email campaigns, committees. Bright yellow “Save Our Neighborhood” signs soon sprouted along Glenwood Avenue.
Developers submitted plans to tear down a historic mansion and build luxury townhomes for around $2 million each at 908 Williamson Drive. Each townhome will have three to four bedrooms, a private outdoor space and elevator.
They are about halfway through their staff review process and intend to have a neighborhood meeting later this month though one is not required, said Johnny Chappell, who is part of the ownership group of the development team.
“We knew that there would be some vocal questions and concerns about the project,” he said. “But my personal feeling is that this is exactly the type of housing that that Raleigh needs.
“And Raleigh frankly needs more housing from $200,000 to $2 million and our development company is working on additional kind of missing middle like projects in different parts of the city at different price points,” Chappell said. “But we knew this one would get a lot of attention just based on what it was and where it was.”
‘Lost their collective mind’
Frank Gordon lives near the planned townhomes, and is on a steering committee for a coalition upset with the new zoning rules.
“It seems like we don’t really appreciate anything that’s happening until it happens nearby,” he said. “But it is really for broader reasons, because it affects the entire city. And I just don’t think the citizens of Raleigh really want us to go in this direction.
“To me, and I’ve lived here since 1971, Raleigh’s mayor and City Council have lost their collective mind,” Gordon said.
They’ve created a website, restoreraleighzoning.com, and helped plan the protest outside the municipal building and organized speakers to address the council.
“There’s a war on single-family residences in this country that’s growing,” Gordon said. “And as far as I’m concerned, I don’t have to apologize for wanting to live in a house with a yard beside other houses, and there’s lots of neighborhoods in this town where people have that same goal.”
During Tuesday’s night meeting, Hayes Barton resident Terry Henderson warned city leaders the upcoming election would be a “referendum on your wicked ways.”
“You cannot disguise that you have taken away our rights to public notice, public hearing and appeal to our elected representatives on zoning matters,” he said. “These changes are an assault on single-family homes and the people who built this city. You have introduced a Trojan horse and presented it as if it were a gift to affordable housing. At every turn, you have undermined and shut out the public’s input on your decisions.”
The next speaker, Frank Hielema, spoke for an additional minute as the buzzer time rang.
“No, you extended your term in office by a year, I will extend my speaking by 30 minutes whether by mic or not.”
“Turn it off,” Baldwin said to a staff member, “Turn off the microphone.”
It was roughly 20 minutes later that Young, the planning director, was asked to address the crowd’s concerns and explain the missing middle changes.
“This is public comment,” one man said in the crowd. “And you’re letting him go on for many minutes.”
Baldwin encouraged Young to start again but shortly had to gavel down audience members speaking out in the room.
Council member David Cox jumped in from the council table and asked Baldwin for a turn to talk.
“I am a council member, and I am asking for the floor to speak.” he said.
“Not right now,” she said.
When Young starts once more, he’s met with boos from the crowd.
Early voting for eight council seats, including the mayor’s, starts Oct. 20.
This story was originally published September 8, 2022 at 2:16 PM with the headline "Luxury townhomes stoke ‘missing middle’ tension between Raleigh leaders and neighbors."
