Raleigh skyline soaring to new heights, but development could push some families out

NEWS COVERAGE YOU CAN COUNT ON.

>> CRANES LIKE THIS ONE RISING

AROUND RALEIGH ARE ALL SIGNS OF

THE GROWTH COMING TO THE CITY.

A RECENT STUDY AT UNC RANK THIS

REGION IS THE 4TH FASTEST

GROWING ECONOMY IN THE COUNTRY.

POPULATION PROJECTIONS FROM

THE STATE SHOW THE RALEIGH AREA

WILL ADD NEARLY 1 MILLION

PEOPLE BY 2050. SO WHAT'S ALL

THAT GROWS GOING TO LOOK LIKE?

ONLY ON WRAL. OUR MATT TALHELM

IS GIVING US A GLIMPSE INTO

THE FUTURE OF RESHAPING

RALEIGH.

FROM THE FLOWER FIELD AT DIX

PARK.

BACK PROBLEMS SINCE CAMERA LENS

REFLECTS THE UNOBSTRUCTED VIEW

OF THE RALEIGH SKYLINE. PEOPLE

WANT TO SEE LIKE WHERE THEY'RE

FROM. AND, YOU KNOW, THAT

REPRESENTS THEM. THE

PROFESSIONALS, CITYSCAPE

PHOTOGRAPHER TO HIS FIRST SHOT

OF DOWNTOWN IN 2001, YOU HAD TO

WORK TO TO MAKE IT

>> BIGGER THAN IT WAS. I GUESS,

SINCE THEN, EACH CLIPPED HAS

CAPTURED A SNAPSHOT OF

RALEIGH'S RISE RIGHT NOW AS ONE

OF THE ACTIVE TIMES. THE NUMBER

OF TRAINS AROUND THE THE NAME

ON MANY OF THOSE GRAINS IS JOHN

CAME, I THINK IS PROGRESS.

YOU KNOW, THE GROWING YOU'RE

DYING. WE TALKED WITH THE

DEVELOPER ON THE ROOFTOP OF HIS

OFFICE IN NORTH HILLS, WHERE

CRANES ARE BUILDING ABOVE WHAT

WAS AN INDOOR MALL WHEN CAME

BOUGHT IT FOR 15.5 MILLION

DOLLARS IN 2001. HOW MUCH

INVESTMENT ARE WE TALKING

ABOUT?

>> RIGHT NOW COMING TO THE CITY

AT PROBABLY RIGHT NOW. WE

PROBABLY GOT.

>> WE PLAN 8, 9, 100 MILLION ON

THE CONTRACT.

>> PROJECTS ARE SCATTERED

ACROSS THE CITY FROM NORTH

CLOSE TO DOWNTOWN SOUTH.

THAT DEVELOPMENT WILL CREATE A

NEW SKY OFF. I-40 IN SOUTH

SAUNDERS, STREET AND CANE WANTS

TO BUILD TALLER TOWERS IN NORTH

HILLS ALONG 6 FORKS ROAD.

PEOPLE LOOK AT THAT USED TO

BUILD SOME EXPENSES CAN ADD

TRAFFIC. ALL THAT WELL AS

FOLLOWS. WHAT DOES THAT SMALL

IS? WHAT CRAZY TRAFFIC IS

CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE

CITY'S DEBATE OVER DENSITY OF

NEW DEVELOPMENT. THINK YOU NEED

TO DO THAT WHERE YOU CAN DO

THAT.

>> WHAT IS NOT MEANT FOR

EVERYBODY? SO WHERE IS RALEIGH

GROWING UP AND OUT HERE IN

DOWNTOWN? THE PNC TOWER IS

STILL THE TALLEST IN TOWN AT

40 STORIES SINCE 2020 RALEIGH

CITY COUNCIL HAS APPROVED.

26 REZONING REQUEST THAT WOULD

ALLOW DEVELOPERS TO BUILD

TOWERS 20 OR 40 STORIES TALL.

AND RIGHT NOW ANOTHER 13 ARE

WORKING THEIR WAY THROUGH THE

CITY'S PLANNING PROCESS.

THIS IS WHAT RALEIGH SKYLINE

COULD LOOK LIKE. IF DEVELOPERS

BUILD TO THE MAXX. MOST OF THIS

DEVELOPMENT IS HAPPENING

DOWNTOWN OR IN THE 7 DESIGNATED

GROWTH CENTERS. THE 2030

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN SAYS THE

CITY SHOULD DIRECT 60% OF

FUTURE GROWTH TO THESE AREAS.

AND DOZENS OF SMALLER MIXED

USE COMMUNITY CENTERS.

>> HALF OF THAT GROWTH SHOULD

HAPPEN ALONG THESE FOR BUS

RAPID TRANSIT CORRIDORS.

WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS MAKE

THOSE CONNECTIONS TO TRANSIT.

SO WE'RE BUILDING COMMUNITY

SECOND ACT. CRITICS OF MAYOR

MARY-ANN BALDWIN AND A

PRO-GROWTH COUNCIL THEY'RE

GIVING DEVELOPERS A BLANK CHECK

TO BUILD TO THE LIMIT AND FOR

THE INFRASTRUCTURE CAN HANDLE

THE GROWTH. I LIKE IT WHEN A

DEVELOPER COMES IN HAS SOME

CERTAINTY AND THEIR PLANS SO

THEY CAN TELL YOU THIS IS WHAT

OUT.

>> WHAT MAKES IT EASIER TO MAKE

THOSE DECISIONS LOOKING AT THE

IMPACTS, THE IMPACTS OF THE

CITY ON THE RISE AS WE LOOK

AT THE SKYLINE, THERE WAS ONE

BUILDING AS WE WERE GOING UP

ARE COSTING FAMILIES LIKE

SHELLEY CURTIS, US IN TEXAS,

ONE OF $531 IN.

>> 2 YEARS, SHE LIVES IN THE

HOME. HER PARENTS BUILT IN

1957. IN THE ROCHESTER HEIGHTS

NEIGHBORHOOD OF SOUTHEAST

RALEIGH. THIS IS IT. THIS IS

THE ONLY HOUSE THAT I HAVE.

NO IS A FAMILY HOUSE. HER

NEIGHBORS ON THE STREET.

EVERYONE FROM.

>> THIS CORNER HERE, ALL THE

WAY UP. ALL THE WAY UP TO THE

VERY HOUSE WILL BE AND ALL GREW

UP TOGETHER AS KIDS. AND WE'RE

BACK TOGETHER IS IF WE COULD GO

OUTSIDE AND GET ON BIKES AND

ANSLEE ADS AND

>> EVERYTHING. NOW THEY'RE HERE

AS HOMEOWNERS ALONGSIDE

INVESTORS BUYING AND FLIPPING

HOUSES FOR PROFIT ISN'T OF THE

VALUE ON IT AND THAT'S WHAT

THEY'VE DONE ACROSS THE STREET.

THAT'S WHAT THEY'VE DONE DOWN

THE STREET. CURTIS WORRIES

FAMILIES WHO'VE LIVED HERE FOR

GENERATIONS ARE GETTING PRICED

OUT AS THE CITY GROWS UP, I

THINK IS GOOD FOR ALI. I THINK

BECAUSE IT IS GOOD FOR CERTAIN

PARTS OF IRAN, BUT IT'S NOT ALL

POSITIVE LOUDLY. THAT CONTRAST

ROAD.

>> IT'S SOMETHING A PHOTO CAN'T

CAPTURE WHEN A SKYLINE THAT'S

CHANGING WITH THE MORE PEOPLE

LIVE HERE, THE MORE THE LONGER

THEY LIVE HERE, THE MORE THEY

KIND OF GET ATTACHED TO JUST

THE IMAGE OF THEIR CITY.

MATT TALHELM, WRAL NEWS,

>> IT'S TOUGH TO KNOW EXACTLY

WHAT THE CITY SKYLINE WILL LOOK

LIKE IN PART BECAUSE DEVELOPERS

DON'T HAVE TO SHOW SPECIFIC

PLANS WHEN THEY GO TO THE

COUNCIL FOR REZONING AT LEAST

ONE NEWLY ELECTED CITY COUNCIL