Downtown Raleigh restaurant worried about debris from nearby construction site

Workers at the popular downtown Raleigh restaurant Whiskey Kitchen are raising concerns about debris from a nearby construction site.

For more than a month, Styrofoam-like material has been blowing all over the restaurant’s property at 201 W. Martin St. due to construction on a 14-story hotel nearby, according to owner Michael Thor.

Thor said the foam siding from the hotel construction blows everywhere, especially on windy days.

“People were getting it in their drinks, their food and again, breathing it in,” Thor said.

The city of Raleigh said it has received three complaints about it, but there’s not much city leaders can do about the issue.

The foam façade started raining down on the restaurant about five weeks ago.

“You can’t be outside walking around when it’s bad because you are going to breathe it in,” Thor said.

After Thor’s initial complaints, the construction company — Humphreys and Associates — started vacuuming nearby properties and installed mesh netting.

However, Thor said the debris keeps coming — and it’s impacting his staff.

“A lot of congestion and coughing up Styrofoam, coughing the product up,” Thor said.

The city of Raleigh said it has visited the site numerous times, and the company is not violating any building codes.

“With this type of product there is just no good way,” said construction superintendent Keith Belanger. “It’s a product you can’t control.

“We are doing our best to mitigate it, and it’s still not pleasing everyone, but we are abiding by the rules. I have never seen a method done with this product that you can contain it 100%.”

“It’s flowing into our storm drains,” Thor said. “You can see it in the park. It’s a problem.”

As Raleigh continues to build, Thor wants regulations that respect neighborhoods.

“It’s a hazard, it’s disrespectful and it’s neglectful to the people of downtown,” Thor said.

The construction company said the siding work is not over.

It’s only 50% complete and will continue periodically over the next six weeks.

Belanger said crews will try to contain the product as much as possible — but they do admit the foam is so fine that it does slip through the netting.

Styrofoam is a trademark name for polystyrene, a petroleum-based chemical compound. It’s manufactured from styrene, a volatile colorless liquid.

Polystyrene is considered safe for food use when in a solid state, according to UCLA Health. However, heating it can cause chemicals to leach from the foam and into the food.

"Eating the contents of a melted foam container one time is unlikely to cause harm," UCLA Health found. "However, repeated exposure, which can be cumulative, can be a health risk."