By Jordan Meadows
Staff Writer
Last week, Raleigh’s Planning Commission unanimously approved a controversial rezoning request that would allow the West at Peace development—a proposed 30-story mixed-use tower near Smoky Hollow—to move forward.
The development, backed by Raleigh Development Company, aims to bring over 900 residential units, retail space, restaurants, and an urban plaza to a 2.6-acre site located at the intersection of Peace and West Streets, across from the downtown Publix.
The site, currently zoned for up to 12 stories, would be divided into two zones: Zone 1, the northern section, capped at 25 stories; and Zone 2, permitted up to 30 stories. The proposal also includes a $1.2 million contribution to the city’s affordable housing fund, which would be triggered upon the sale of the 500th unit. Due to the inflated costs of building affordable housing by the City of Raleigh nearly $300,000 each, therefore only about 3-6 affordable housing would come of the $1.2 million investment.
On Monday evening, city officials, developers, and residents gathered for a joint development meeting at the Halifax Community Center to discuss the proposal and the rezoning needed for the project to proceed. The meeting drew a standing-room-only crowd, including Mayor Janet Cowell and City Council member Jane Harrison, who represents the district where the project could be built.
Attendees were invited to express their thoughts and concerns directly to city staff and the developers.
Among the speakers was Roy Attride, a vocal opponent of the project and founder of the advocacy group Raleigh Neighbors United, which has coordinated a petition signed by over 1,400 residents opposing the rezoning.
Many residents voiced strong concerns about the impact the high-rise could have on downtown affordability, neighborhood character, and quality of life. Several questioned whether the developer’s $1.2 million affordable housing pledge was sufficient, given the scale of the project.
Others feared the new building could cast long shadows over nearby homes in the historic Glenwood-Brooklyn neighborhood, just 240 feet away from the proposed site.
City Planner Matthew Klem, lawyer Jason Barron from Morningstar Law Group (representing Raleigh Development Company), and Roy Attride each presented to the crowd and answered questions. Barron argued the development fits the city’s long-term vision for denser, transit-friendly growth and said such projects are vital to Raleigh’s future.
“From a big picture planning perspective, these are the places where you want to put people. It’s where you want to put your future residents,” he explained. Supporters like Larry Miller, president of the Glenwood South Neighborhood Collaborative, also backed the proposal, highlighting the site’s proximity to transit, businesses, and bike infrastructure as reasons to build upward instead of outward.
