Kane Realty withdraws request to rezone North Hills land for building towers
Plans to redevelop part of North Hills segment of Raleigh have been scrapped.
Developer Kane Realty has notified the city that it is withdrawing the request to rezone 11 acres of land within North Hills that would have allowed for taller towers – up to 37 stories along Six Forks Road.
Kane’s attorney for the rezoning case, Jamie Schwedler, notified the city by email late Monday. It reads, in part:
“After giving it a great deal of consideration, the applicant has decided to withdraw this zoning case. […] We appreciate all of the time and energy the staff put into this rezoning.”
Kane can still put new buildings up to 12 stories tall on the shopping center parking lots along Six Forks Road.
A city spokesperson told WRAL the withdrawal means this rezoning is dead, for now. The city says Kane would have to wait two years to re-submit the rezoning and go through the process again. However, the city council could grant Kane a waiver.
The rezoning application was submitted in October 2021, so it’s been going on for almost a year-and-a-half and faced opposition from the Midtown Citizens Advisory Council.
Kane did compromise with some concessions during the battle. The maximum height of the towers was lowered from 40 to 37 stories. Some affordable housing was offered. Kane also set aside land within North Hills for a city transit station and an expanded fire station. Things have been on hold since last December after the election of four new city councilors called for a slower approach to growth.
The city council was supposed to continue the public hearing on the rezoning and could have voted at its meeting on Tuesday night.
"It’s been a year-and-a-half," said Larry Helfant, Midtown Citizens Advisory Council President. "This is one of the longest rezoning cases that I’ve been involved with."
Helfant said he has mixed feelings about Tuesday's decision.
"I wish they would have negotiated with the community along the way," Helfant said. "The one thing that was consistent, and the one thing we could never get over was the scale of the buildings [and] the impact on the community."
Helfant mentioned his concerns about density, traffic and affordable housing. He also said there is a need to build a fire station.
"I think if John Kane is really earnest in dealing with the community, he will follow through and provide the extra land necessary for the fire house," Helfant said.
Helfant said he appreciated the city council's ability to be measured and "understand the situation before they react."
WRAL News has reached out to Kane with questions about the decision to withdraw the rezoning, but have not heard back yet.
Kane Realty's decision drops an uphill battle the developer faced to win support from new city council members who are calling for a slower approach to growth.
WRAL News asked Kane about it during an interview in mid-February.
"We're trying to give them some time to get their legs under them and get comfortable with that," Kane said.
District A Council Member Mary Black's district includes North Hills.
"I think we have a little bit of different perspective on the type of development we want to see in District A," she said.
Black said she brought up concerns about the need for affordable housing and improved infrastructure in her conversations with Kane leading up to the rezoning withdrawal.
"We’ve been having some discussions over time, and we all kind of mutually came to the decision that it’s just not the right time with the council we have right now," Black said.
Black said she hopes to work with Kane to bring forward a proposal that would address the community's concerns.
