LeVelle Moton is a staple of Southeast Raleigh’s Idlewild community, one of the first neighborhoods in the city in which former slaves were permitted to buy homes.
The acclaimed head coach of North Carolina Central University’s men’s basketball team was raised there in the housing projects with his single mother, Hattie McDougald, and in 2022, the neighborhood park was named in Moton’s honor.
Now, Moton and Idlewild are both making history again for a new, innovative development that seeks to address the economic and systemic issues of homeownership and renting for those traditionally shut out.
Earlier this month, the nonprofit Raleigh Area Land Trust (RALT) announced it had secured $8.3 million to provide affordable housing in Idlewild. Moton is also one of the leaders and partners of development of the new project through his company, Raleigh Raised Development (RRD), along with Haven Design | Build.
“We have an opportunity to eradicate generational poverty,” Moton said of the project during a Raleigh city council meeting in February.
The project, planned for a vacant lot and named “the Cottages of Idlewild,” has been in the works since 2020 and is slated to be completed by 2025. Various community partners and donors, including the City of Raleigh, provided financial support for Raleigh’s first affordable cottage court. It will be the first of its kind to provide permanent, affordable homeownership for first-time homebuyers in Wake County.
The project is incredibly personal to Moton, who lived on Jones Street growing up.
“My grandmother lived on Lane Street. My great-grandmother lived on Idlewild,” Moton recounted to the city council. “That was three generations of intergenerational poverty. And 40 years of that housing project existed. Needless to say, homeownership is super important. In the 60s, ‘63 I believe when Dr. King marched on Washington, the premise of that march was for jobs, justice, and homeownership.”
Idlewild’s median income today is half Wake County’s average. Only 35 percent of residents in and around Idlewild are homeowners compared to 69 percent in Wake County overall, according to U.S. census data.
According to the nonprofit trade association NC Realtors, the median home sale price in North Carolina surged to $314,988 in the fourth quarter of 2023, up from $201,000 in April 2020. This 37 percent increase underscores the urgency of addressing housing affordability, particularly in Wake County.
For low-to-moderate-income families, the project is designed to be a shared equity model for homeownership and affordability across generations, offering long-term stability for families and communities alike. It will have 18 affordable homes and rental opportunities for individuals and families making 50-80 percent of the area median income (AMI).
The Cottages of Idlewild’s cottage court model will have a central court, enhancing community connectivity and inclusivity and featuring art and other community installations. The cottage court design will work in unison with the community land trust (CLT) homeownership model, with CLT needs unaffected by market pressures.
RALT will maintain land ownership while each resident owns or rents the homes. Because of this, the purchase price of a home is lower, allowing those with lower incomes to qualify. With the harmful effects of gentrification and redlining, the project is an example of investing in communities to build generational wealth compared to displacement and limiting growth opportunities, especially for minorities.
Kevin Campbell, the executive director of Raleigh Area Land Trust, is excited about the development and its potential impact on the community.
“It is all about leveling the playing field when it comes to homeownership,” Campbell says. “With the Cottages of Idlewild, we’re not just building houses; we’re building futures by lowering the barrier of entry to homeownership through affordable purchase prices.”
Campbell says he is proud of the supporters of the project, which included the NC Realtors Housing Foundation, Wells Fargo Foundation, and Coastal Credit Union Foundation, among others.
“This funding represents a significant milestone for RALT and underscores our unwavering commitment to addressing the pressing issue of affordable housing in Wake County,” he says. “With the support of our partners and donors, we are confident in our ability to make a tangible difference in meeting the housing needs of our community.”
In addition, RALT homebuyers will gain access to down payment assistance programs, stability through a predictable monthly mortgage, and tax savings benefits.
At the February city council meeting, Moton stressed the importance of going back to his community and giving back after the support it gave him.
“It’s not only a moral obligation, but it’s a social responsibility for me to come here and act on behalf of other people who have similar situations that couldn’t shoot a basketball as well as me, but they supported me,” he said.
Learn more
Interested home seekers or donors can visit the RALT website here.
Additionally, information sessions have begun for those interested in residing at the cottages of Idlewild, along with qualifications.
Comment on this story at backtalk@indyweek.com.
