By Jordan Meadows
Staff Writer
Southeast Raleigh’s Olde Towne subdivision remains the focal point of growing controversy as mounting complaints from residents on the east side of the neighborhood reveal a troubling pattern of exclusion, confusion, and possible civil rights violations.
As previously reported in The Carolinian, the east side of the development—particularly near Holiday Drive, Primrose Bank Road, Bowmont Grove Street, and Karsota Lane—has been the site of intense frustration over demolition and construction that residents say began without notice, damaged their properties, and put their safety at risk.
The controversy is now split both geographically and bureaucratically between the east and west sides of S. New Hope Road. On the west side, developers linked to Toll Brothers are proposing a 250-unit commercial mixed-use project with a five-story height limit near New Hope Road’s Willow Court.
One resident on the west side was formally notified of a public meeting regarding rezoning, evidenced by a letter sent by the Longleaf Law Partners firm inviting “Neighboring Property Owner and Tenants” to discuss plans for a 22.98-acre parcel. Curiously, this letter—received by only one homeowner known to The Carolinian—outlined procedures required by the City of Raleigh, including community feedback prior to Planning Commission review.
The letter states: “The City of Raleigh requires a neighborhood meeting involving the owners and tenants of property within 1,000 feet of the property after filing the rezoning application, but before the rezoning application is heard by the planning commission. After the meeting, we will prepare a report for the planning department regarding the items discussed at the meeting.”
Some east-side residents, who have no recollection of any notices or public meetings concerning the property damage in their neighborhood, have even called this a “pre-mercy cry to the courts,” saying it appears to be an effort to create a paper trail after leaving the east side completely in the dark.
Although the letter applied to properties within 1,000 feet of the rezoning site, east-side residents who meet that description say they were never contacted. Some who heard about the meeting, which occurred on Tuesday, June 10, attended anyway—despite never receiving formal notice.
Adding to the confusion is the role of Longleaf Law Partners, who appear to represent the City of Raleigh in the feedback process. Residents are questioning why a law firm—rather than city officials or the developers themselves—is managing community engagement efforts.
“I live 60 feet from the construction site and not one person from the city or developers has ever come to speak with us,” said a member of the Stanford family, who continue to fear the impact of increased traffic, safety risks, and the lack of physical barriers protecting their home from the roadwork. “We didn’t even get a letter. Nothing.”
Dr. Ulysses Lane, chair of the Southeast Citizen Advisory Council, who attended the west side meeting, acknowledged that communication efforts may have been inadequate.
“From the complaints I’m hearing, there may not have been enough done to let residents understand what this dynamiting was going to do,” Lane said, “and if it was going to damage their property, what they were going to do to mitigate it.”
Lane said this was at least the second such neighborhood meeting, though he couldn’t confirm the details of the first.
“It’s difficult to pinpoint meetings for a specific development because the area, especially around New Hope Road, has many such requests, developments, and construction projects,” he added.
Lane also confirmed that Councilman Cory Branch had received The Carolinian’s coverage, though it remains unclear what action will be taken.
While the Halle Building Group confirmed it developed the original Olde Towne subdivision, it denies involvement in the current construction project. GeoSonics-Vibra-Tech, the company responsible for the dynamiting, previously sent a letter in 2022 referencing “pre-blast inspections” and risk mitigation. However, residents of the Olde Towne Subdivision contend the company lacked the proper permits and was allegedly operating under the direction of both Halle and Toll Brothers—though these claims remain contested and partially unverified.
The Toll Brothers did not respond to The Carolinian’s June 9 request for comment via email and phone.
Reverend Green, a longtime voice for Southeast Raleigh’s Black communities, has called for federal oversight and invoked the 14th and 15th Amendments in his outreach to U.S. Representative Deborah Ross. Contrary to earlier reporting, Ross did not attend a civil rights meeting Green helped organize in Washington, D.C. in 2012. Nonetheless, Green remains adamant that she must act.
“We have Democrats who don’t respond,” he said. “They’re supposed to be representing us—Black communities in North Carolina. Ross needs to come out of the closet and help us get the justice we deserve.”
Residents like Mack Evans and Gail Durham say the damage is already done. Evans filed a formal civil rights complaint with Ross’s office, citing “voter suppression” and unapproved dynamite blasting near his property. Durham reported that her private well was contaminated and her water system damaged after one explosion: “These are not inexpensive fixes,” she wrote to the city.
Still, no concrete remediation plan or compensation framework has been publicly shared.
The City of Raleigh’s Planning Department has yet to address whether the east side of the development was notified in the same manner as the west. The lack of any city records regarding construction on Primrose Bank, Bowmont Grove, or Holiday Drive—despite visible road demolition—raises further questions about whether protocols were followed at all.
Until city officials or developers step forward with clarity, residents of Southeast Raleigh’s Olde Towne subdivision are left with noise, dust, property damage—and no voice in decisions reshaping their neighborhood.
The Carolinian is continuing to seek answers from the Raleigh City Planner, Longleaf Law Partners, the Raleigh City Council, the Toll Brothers, and community residents.
