Judge Blocks Townhomes Plan in Raleigh’s Hayes Barton Neighborhood

It’s Thursday, July 18.

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Good morning, readers.

In the latest chapter in an ongoing lawsuit against a local developer and the City of Raleigh, a judge ruled against a luxury townhome project in Raleigh’s wealthy Hayes Barton neighborhood—at least for now. 

In a memo released earlier this month, Wake County Superior Court judge Bryan Collins found that, in approving the project from 908 Williamson LLC, the City of Raleigh’s Board of Adjustment erred in applying a section of the city’s Unified Development Ordinance. The project won’t be able to move forward with its current site plans and the judge is expected to issue a final order later this month or in early August. 

Frank Gordon, an attorney for six Hayes Barton homeowners who brought this lawsuit against the developer and the city, as well as another lawsuit against the city for its missing middle housing policy more broadly, calls the ruling “favorable” to his clients. 

But Johnny Chappell, a member of the development team, says the ruling is so narrow, and gives such specific feedback on a single issue, that “we can address that issue” and still move forward with the project. 

The townhomes project has become a flashpoint in the debate surrounding Raleigh’s missing middle housing program. Last month, city planning director Pat Young told the Raleigh City Council that the program was one of the most successful in the country, with 2,800 new units built that previously weren’t allowed, including townhomes, duplexes, and ADUs. 

Though originally pitched as a way to increase the number of affordable units in the city, the missing middle housing program has been less successful in that regard: of the 2,800 new units, only 203, or less than 10 percent, are considered affordable. 

Have a good Thursday. 

—Jane

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