Trees in the city of oaks are towered over by construction cranes, raising buildings higher into the sky.
FOR RACISM, COMMUNITY. WE’LL SHOW YOU WHY. AN HOUR FROM NOW. RALEIGH CITY COUNCIL WILL MEET TO DISCUSS A CONTROVERSIAL REQUEST TO REZONE PARTS OF NORTH HILL SHOPPING CENTER TO ALLOW TALLER TOWERS. THANKS FOR JOINING US THIS DAN HAGGERTY, I’M DEBRA MORGAN. WE TOLD YOU ABOUT THE NONE ARE THE NEIGHBORS CONCERNS THAT THEY HAVE ABOUT TRAFFIC IN SKYSCRAPERS RISING OVER THEIR HOMES. WRAL’S MATT TALHELM IS LIVE FOR US IN RALEIGH TO SHOWS WHICH NEIGHBORHOODS COULD SEE THAT GROWTH. >> SOAR INTO THE SKY. MATT. >> WE HAD AN ENDEAVOR. EVEN THIS SKYLINE VIEW HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST YEAR WITH THE 19 STORY TOWER UP THERE. AND YOU CAN SEE A CRANE BUILDING. ANOTHER ONE OF THESE BUILDINGS NEARBY. NOW, A SLEW OF REZONINGS ACROSS THE WHOLE CITY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ADD DOZENS OF NEW TOWERS AND CHANGE AND CREATE NEW SKYLINE. >> CITYWIDE. >> TREES IN THE CITY OF OAKS. OUR TOWERED OVER BY CONSTRUCTION CRANES, RAZING BUILDINGS HIGHER INTO THE SKY. THERE ARE TALL BUILDINGS POPPING UP EVERYWHERE, OLDER SERVED 4 YEARS AS CHAIRMAN OF THE RALEIGH PLANNING COMMISSION IN THE 90’S DURING THAT TIME, HE SAYS THEY NEVER DEALT WITH REZONING REQUEST TO REACH THE HEIGHTS. DEVELOPERS WANT TO TAKE THE CITY SKYLINE NOW OVER TIME, THE DEVELOPMENT. >> REGULATIONS OF CHANGE. SO A PERSON LIKE ME COULD END UP WITH A MULTI STORY. MULTI UNIT BUILDING NEXT TO OLDER BELIEVES RALEIGH LEADERS NEED TO SLOW DOWN AND DENSER DEVELOPMENT UNTIL THE CITY’S INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSIT CAN TAKING A SLEDGEHAMMER APPROACH TO SPREADING DENSITY ALL OVER THE CITY. WRAL SEARCHED REZONING CASES AND DISCOVERED CITY COUNCIL APPROVED 19 REZONINGS TO ALLOW BUILDINGS UP TO 20 STORIES OR TALLER IN THE LAST 2 YEARS. 19 MORE ARE WORKING THEIR WAY THROUGH THE REZONING PROCESS. RIGHT NOW. THE DOTS ON THIS MAP MARKED THOSE LOCATIONS. MOST ARE CLUSTERED IN DOWNTOWN MIDTOWN IN BRIAR CREEK. THOSE ARE ALL DESIGNATED AS GROWTH CENTERS ON A MAP. MITCHELL SILVER HELPED DEVELOP WHEN HE WAS THE CITY’S PLANNING DIRECTOR FROM 2005 TO 2014 FAST. WE’RE GOING TO SEE MORE DEVASTATING AND MORE HEIGHT. >> BUT IN EXCHANGE FOR NEIGHBORHOOD WILL BE PROTECTED FROM ENCROACHMENTS OF MORE INTENSE DEVELOPMENT. THAT INTENSE DEVELOPMENT IS BUILDING UP A NEW SKYLINE IN NORTH HILLS. AND NOW KANE REALTY WANTS TO REZONE LAND WITH THE POTENTIAL TO BUILD TOWERS UP TO 40 STORIES HIGH. I DON’T THINK THAT WE REALLY HAVE INTO OR TO SUPPORT IT. AND >> WELL, ALL THE CONTINUING GROWTH, FORMER RALEIGH MAYOR NANCY MCFARLANE IS URGING CITY COUNCIL TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND STICK TO THE PLANS MEANT TO GUIDE NEW GROWTH REALLY GOES BACK TO HAVE A GOOD OVERALL COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. WHAT WE DO. BUT HOW MANY TIMES CAN YOU ONE OFF IT TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT >> MC FILING ACTUALLY SENT A LETTER TO CITY COUNCIL TODAY RAISING HIS CONCERNS ABOUT THE NORTH HILLS REZONING. SHE TELLS ME THAT SOMETHING SHE HAS NOT DONE THAT SINCE ENDING HER 4 TERMS AS MAYOR BACK IN 2019 CITY COUNCIL WILL MEET TONIGHT TO CONSIDER THAT NORTH HILLS REZONING. THAT MEETING STARTS
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