Raleigh residents rally against plans to build up to 30 stories on downtown’s edge
Developers plan to cap some of the height on a controversial plan to rezone land that would allow building up to 30 stories on downtown Raleigh’s edge.
More than 100 people — many wearing red — packed into N.C. State University’s McKimmon Center on Wednesday night for a neighborhood meeting to learn more about the plan to rezone 2.5 acres at the intersection of West and Peace streets. Many came with signs, ready to object to the proposal from developer Raleigh Development Co.
The property in the Glenwood-Brooklyn district is zoned for up to 12 stories and for industrial uses. Developers would like to see the zoning changed to allow up to 30 stories and to “downtown mixed-use,” which makes up a majority of downtown Raleigh’s zoning.
But, unlike a failed attempt two years ago, developer Raleigh Development Co. came to residents with some concessions.
Developers would limit a portion of the property’s height to 240 feet, allowing about 20 stories. The remainder would be capped at 360 feet, allowing about 30 stories. The developers also are offering to add $1.2 million to the city’s affordable housing funds.
The plan for the property is mixed-use commercial on the first floor with market-rate rentals on the following floors.
Jason Barron, the attorney representing Raleigh Development Co., said he didn’t hear any comments he wasn’t expecting.
“My expectation was folks were going to be concerned with building height,” he said after the meeting. “Folks were going to be concerned with density. And folks we going to be concerned with affordable housing. And so those are things that we’re going to have to continue to be attuned to as we work our way through the zoning process.”
The 2.5 acres borders the future Smoky Hollow Park and is across from a 12-story high-rise that includes a Publix grocery store.
The neighborhood meeting was scheduled for earlier this month but was postponed to move to a larger space. Developers must hold a neighborhood meeting before submitting plans to the city. Now the rezoning request will go to the city’s planning commission and the Raleigh City Council.
Neighborhood concerns
While some residents asked questions, most wanted to express their concerns and dislike for the proposed plan.
There are already several zonings in downtown Raleigh allowing up to 40 stories that have yet to be developed, said Benjamin Kuhn.
The city is building a park “that’s going to be the backyard for 850 luxury units, and you see who else is going to be living next to it? Nobody,” he said. “It’s going to be their park. And it’s not going to be a passive park. It’s going to be their backyard.”
Zoning the property up to 30 stories would be a “gift” to the owners, said Matthew Brown.
“The city would be giving them a gift of millions of dollars in the value of their property and damaging the property of everybody around them because of crowding,” Brown said. “I mean these streets being impassable, it’s just already getting ridiculous. It’s taking away from all the people around it and giving them a million dollars [for affordable housing]. It’s just not righteous. It’s not fair. It’s not just.”
Height was the primary concern among community members, but some were also concerned about affordable housing.
“I’m a city employee,” said Alex Lafond, speaking at the meeting. “I don’t meet the minimum threshold from a salary income in order to rent at a place like this. How are you going to contribute back to the city’s citizens as a developer in order to let city employees like myself rent at a place like this?”
Barron confirmed they intended to make a one-time contribution of $1.2 million to the city’s affordable housing fund but said the units planned at the site itself would be market-rate.
Lafond, the co-founder of the Raleigh Political Accountability Community, said he came to Wednesday’s meeting to make sure his “voice was heard.”
“To make sure that developers know the city workers and working class citizens of Raleigh themselves are watching,” he said. “And they need to understand that there are people that need a place to live. And $1,800 studio apartments are not it.”
City Council denied first rezoning
The Raleigh City Council did not rezone this property two years ago. While it’s common for zoning applications to be negotiated and changed through the rezoning process, it’s rare for plans to be outright rejected.
In 2023, some council members said they were caught off guard by the decision.
Only two council members supported the rezoning request at the time: then-Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin and council member Jonathan Melton-Lambert.
But the council’s make-up changed in the last election, and this February, the council changed the rules.
City leaders agreed to waive the two-year waiting period before applicants can submit a rezoning request for a piece of property that was denied. Council members Christina Jones, Megan Patton and Jane Harrison voted not to waive the waiting period.
“I know this was one of the more controversial cases from the last administration,” Mayor Janet Cowell said in February. “This is one of the most strategic pieces of land in the city.”
This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 10:16 PM with the headline "Raleigh residents rally against plans to build up to 30 stories on downtown’s edge."
