Controversial North Hills rezoning to be decided by the new Raleigh City Council
A controversial rezoning request for North Hills will be decided by the newly elected Raleigh City Council.
Current council members voted on Tuesday to defer the rezoning during their last meeting before a new council is sworn-in on Dec. 5.
Council member Jonathan Melton was excused and absent.
The rezoning case has been before city leaders since the summer and has been sent to council committee meetings twice. Neighbors have objected to potential traffic increases, the height of the proposed buildings and a lack of affordable housing.
The rezoning involves three tracts, or about 10% of the North Hills area: 6.59 acres called the Six Forks Node, 1.6 acres called the 440 Node and 2.95 acres making up the Lassiter District Node. All are zoned for up to 12 stories now.
The developer, Kane Realty, has offered the following conditions to try to get the rezoning approved:
- Land on the property would be donated for a city bus transit station and for a city fire station.
- Bikeways would be built along the Six Forks Road frontage of the property and the southeast side of Lassiter Mill Road between Lassiter Mill and Six Forks roads. Four bike share stations would also be required throughout the property.
- If more than 2,521 multi-family housing units are built, the owner would dedicate “no less than 10%” for households earning 80% of the area median income for “no less than 10 years.”
- Buildings in the Six Forks Node would not exceed 37 stories.
- No building permit for any new building in the Six Forks Node would be issued before Jan. 1, 2026.
‘Bad information ... out there’
It was Council member Patrick Buffkin, who did not seek re-election this year, who asked that the case be held, once again, to try and address some of the “misinformation” he said has surrounded this case.
“I think the best thing may be to take some more time on this case, to pause,” he said. “I am really dismayed at the level of misinformation and bad information that is getting out there.”
He referenced a constituent who reached out to him upset that the council was going to approve the rezoning without any traffic analysis, which is incorrect, he said. That occurs after the rezoning during the site plan submission process.
“I think the level of misinformation is demonstrated by the level of objections we are hearing now,” he said. “Objection about a bus station bringing ‘those people to our neighborhood and increasing crime.’ Objections about ‘cramming people in.’ Is that how we talk about our potential future neighbors? I can’t side with that.”
Midtown Area plan concerns
Larry Helfant, who has repeatedly spoken against this project, said the council should not approve the rezoning until funding is found for road improvements.
“This will break the Midtown Area Plan,” he said during the public hearing. “It was recommended after four years of community engagement that we come up with something that had both road structure, zoning preferences, and a plan for Midtown to handle particularly traffic and congestion in neighborhoods. If you approve 40 stories, you’re saying community engagement didn’t count. You didn’t listen, you signed off, didn’t fund it and didn’t listen.”
Bonner Gaylord, chief operating officer for Kane Realty and a former Raleigh City Council member, said he hopes the new council members see the benefit of the case.
“I hope the future council recognizes the many benefits provided by this case, which are; furthering transit, fire service, bike and pedestrian improvements, housing affordability and economic opportunity for the citizens of our great city,” he said outside the city chambers.
He believes the candidates have paid attention and he hopes there will be good conversation to move the case forward.
This story was originally published November 15, 2022 at 6:17 PM.
