Raleigh says no to 30-story downtown project. ‘I guess things are different now.’
In a split vote, the Raleigh City Council denied a rezoning that would have allowed an up-to 30-story building on the edge of downtown.
The site, 2.6 acres at the northeast corner of Peace and West streets, is near a future city park and the Smoky Hollow development. It’s currently zoned for up to 12 stories and for industrial uses, with the applicant seeking up to 30 stories and to change the zoning to downtown mixed use.
Residents in the nearby historic Glenwood-Brooklyn neighborhood have opposed the rezoning.
“I appreciate the potential for the site, as currently zoned for 12 stories,” said City Council member Jane Harrison, her comments interrupted by applause from neighbors attending Tuesday’s council meeting. “It would contribute to a wonderful, dense, walkable community. And I still hope that we will have a partnership with the applicant, if they so choose, on the park.
“I know we already have $14 million set aside with city funds for the park, including our bond monies. And I look forward to future development agreements,” Harrison continued. “But I do not want to confuse the issue here.”
The council voted 6-2 to deny the rezoning request, with Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin and Council member Jonathan Melton in the minority.
Few rezoning requests are denied by the City Council, and Tuesday’s decision surprised some members. It’s the first denial since four new council members were elected last fall, some of whom criticized the last’s council relationship with developers and how it managed growth and community engagement in the city.
Earlier this year, developers pulled their request to rezone parts of North Hills after some council members publicly expressed their opposition.
The motion was made by Harrison, who represents the Smoky Hollow area, and seconded by Council member Stormie Forte, who previously served in Harrison’s district before running for an at-large seat.
The request first appeared before city leaders in January before it was sent to the council’s Safe, Vibrant & Health Community Committee where the owner, Raleigh Development Co., was negotiating with the city to build the nearby Smoky Hollow Park with the city partially reimbursing the developer from the city’s parks bond. City staff recommended holding the rezoning until those negotiations were final.
“There was absolutely no fixing of the issues that were (an) issue for the neighborhood with the height of this building,” said Roy Attride, on behalf of the neighborhood Tuesday. “You’re considering a rezoning that defies logic and reason; it has no policy or planning justification.”
‘Burden on neighbors’
“I’m just going to say there was no conversation about denial of this,” Baldwin said of Tuesday’s vote. “We had directed this to move forward with the development agreement. It puts the park in jeopardy. And, also, I’m sure the folks in Glenwood South are going to have some deep concerns. They’ve been lobbying for that park for 10 years. So I have some real concerns.”
Mayor Pro Tem Corey Branch voted with the majority, but said there wasn’t any conversation about approving or denying the case.
“I will support this out of respect for you as the district council person for that case,” Branch told Harrison. “But I would appreciate, you know, conversation, meaningful conversation. I’ve tried to have that with all of you on all of our cases ... but I guess things are different now.”
After the meeting, Harrison said the applicant had been speaking with “various council members.”
“And we have had committee meetings,” she said. “I didn’t see where we were going to get to a place of yes. And I didn’t want to belabor this case because it is a burden on neighbors when they are having to come back and come back and come back.
“And I knew, from at least what I’d been told by the applicant, that the heights were not going to change,” she added. “And so that was something that I wasn’t comfortable keeping the neighbors in this guessing game and saga of what’s going on.”
This story was originally published May 4, 2023 at 9:40 AM.
