North Hills could reach new heights – up to 37 stories to be exact.
The Raleigh City Council voted 6-2 on Tuesday to approve local developer Kane Realty Corporation's controversial new rezoning application - but not before hearing opposition from some residents in the area.
Spanning four different zoning districts across nine properties on Six Forks and Lassiter Mill Road, the Council voted to allow a maximum height of 37 stories for buildings in the area. Previously, the properties had various height restrictions, including some that restricted development to five stories, some to 12 stories, and some to 20 stories tall.
Kane Realty previously withdrew a similar proposal in 2023, two years after it filed the application in 2021, due to community opposition that included concerns about increased traffic and a higher cost of living. The company refiled an altered zoning request last year and held a community meeting in July to meet with neighbors about their concerns.
The request originally went before the City Council on Jan. 6, where community members again expressed concerns about affordability, the impact of such tall buildings on the surrounding neighborhoods and traffic congestion, especially along Rowan Street.
"This level of density, 40 stories, is out of scale for this community, it violates our own area plan and piles thousands more cars onto roads you just voted to not improve," said one neighbor at the meeting.
The hearing was continued on Tuesday to give the applicant time to consider the revised zoning conditions. In the gallery, some community members wore red and held up red signs with "No!" written on them throughout the meeting.
"I know we all received well over 300 emails that were evenly split between those that support and those that oppose this rezoning case," said Council Member Mitchell Silver.
Silver cited multiple reasons for voting in support of the application, including the request's consistency with the area's comprehensive plan and land use map, plans for green stormwater infrastructure and open space areas, and the Planning Commission's approval.
The Planning Commission recommended approval of the application 7-1, with Commissioner Tolulope Omokaiye opposing. Omokaiye echoed residents' concerns about building height and the lack of density and height transition between the sites and local neighborhoods throughout the meeting. Omokaiye also noted that Kane's initial application did not include an affordable housing condition, according to city documents.
The conditions of the rezoning tackle density levels, limiting the development to just under 3 million square feet. The development also must include a maximum of 2,521 dwelling units, up to 1.67 million square feet of office and medical space and another 263,465 square feet for commercial use.
Kane Realty added a zoning condition after the initial meeting in January, requiring the developer to contribute $40,000 to Raleigh's affordable housing fund for 1%of dwelling units and a limit on passenger vehicle access on Rowan Street.
Mayor Pro Tem Jane Harrison and Council member Christina Jones opposed the application. Jones said she "struggled to justify" adding density to an area that already felt congested.
Last July, the City Council cancelled plans to widen Six Forks Road after already spending $9 million on the project due to rising costs.
Kane Realty has transformed Midtown over the last 20 years with the development of North Hills and the North Hills Innovation District. Kane Realty Corp. did not respond to request for comment at the time of publication.
