Raleigh delays rezoning for taller buildings at North Hills. Here’s what comes next
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Council holds rezoning hearing Tuesday; nine speakers oppose or support.
- Proposal raises allowable building heights on four North Hills parcels; density unchanged.
- Kane revived rezoning after 2023 pull; he says council is more pro-urban.
City leaders punted Tuesday on whether to allow taller buildings near North Hills.
An equal number of people signed up to speak for and against the rezoning at a public hearing, with each side getting 12 minutes to address the Raleigh City Council, more than the normal eight minutes. The council could have voted, but it rarely does the same day as the hearing in controversial cases.
Not all of those who signed up to speak got the chance.
One man who wanted to speak in opposition was instead escorted from the podium after previous speakers had hit the 12-minute time limit.
“I cannot believe that you as a mayor and you as a city manager will put up with this,” he said. “Why? Why should I step aside? ... I cannot believe this.”
The public hearing was continued to Jan. 20.
North Hills rezoning changes
The proposal under consideration would allow taller buildings than is currently allowed by right but would not change the density allowed by right.
Here’s how the specific parcels would change if the zoning is approved.
- Lassiter District Site, 0 Rowan St. and 4411 Six Forks Road, zoned for 5 stories, could go up to 12 stories.
- Six Forks and Lassiter Site, 4220 Lassiter Mill Road and 4359 Six Forks Road, zoned for 12 stories could go up to 37 stories.
- Six Forks Sites, 4270 The Circle at North Hills Street, zoned for 12 stories could go up to 37 stories.
- Main District Expansion Phase 2 Site, 0 Lassiter Mill Road, zoned for 12 stories could go up to 20 stories.
The conditions also limit the maximum building footage to just under 3 million square feet, including a combination of: a maximum of 2,521 dwelling units, 1.67 million square feet of office and medical uses and 263,465 square feet of commercial uses.
Second try for Kane
This is the second time that Kane Realty has sought to rezone these parcels. The company pulled its rezoning request in 2023 after numerous debates. The council put off a decision until after the 2022 municipal election, in which some candidates skeptical about the rezoning were elected.
The previous proposal included land for a future fire department and transit center, but those public benefits are not included in the updated proposal.
The proposal now before city leaders does include $400,000 to the Raleigh Fire Department to help fund a new fire station or fire equipment.
Jennifer Truman, who spoke in favor of the rezoning, wrote in a Citybuilder blog post that this was the “insidious part” of the development process in the Triangle.
“Elected officials avoid naming it directly, but nonetheless: delay has consequences,” Truman wrote in Citybuilder, which she founded as a housing advocacy group. “Projects held in limbo do not quietly improve. Risk increases. Costs rise. Commitments shrink.
“If any developer could afford years of uncertainty, you’d think it would be the developer with the most experience and largest footprint in Raleigh,” she added. “Yet, even they could not keep those elements on the table indefinitely.”
During a required neighborhood meeting this summer, John Kane, founder of Kane Realty, said the timing is right to try again.
“The City Council seems like it’s a better City Council for what we’re trying to do,” he said. “They are more pro-urban growth than maybe the prior council was, and the timing just seemed to be right for us.”
One of the biggest concerns is traffic, with Kane Realty providing data that shows traffic decreased on roads near North Hills from 2003 to 2023.
Raleigh leaders scrapped a plan to expand parts of Six Forks Road near North Hills this summer due to the project running over budget.
Kevin Jennings lives nearby and owns businesses in North Hills.
“I just so rather would have a taller, thinner building with more open space,” he said, speaking in favor of the rezoning. “I think that some folks who are maybe here are confused by thinking that if this proposal was turned down, that there won’t be buildings built there.”
Opposition runs out of time
With less than a minute left in the opponents’ 12-minute allotment, Charles Winston asked if he and the last speaker could get two minutes each to speak.
“Not one person I know is for this rezoning,” Winston said before the timer ended. “It’s pressure without support; our infrastructure can’t handle it. Our neighborhood can’t absorb it, and the residents who lived here for decades deserve better.”
Mayor Janet Cowell said it wouldn’t be fair to add time but that the city could accept written comments from speakers.
Opponents of began calling out and shouting out to Cowell and the City Council.
One woman stood up, saying “You’ve heard comments, but you have not listened,” and was approached by Fire Chief Herbert Griffin.
“I am going,” she said. “Thank you so much. Good luck with that $400,000. It won’t even buy you a truck.”
This story was originally published January 6, 2026 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Raleigh delays rezoning for taller buildings at North Hills. Here’s what comes next."
