North Hills rezoning would bring 20-story towers across the Beltline
As North Hills grows with new offices, apartments and shopping, a rezoning request could bring 20-story towers to the area.
Developer Atlas Stark wants to rezone 15 acres of land along Computer Drive and Six Forks Road, just south of North Hills across the Beltline, to allow for tall towers.
Atlas Stark, which owns small office buildings in the area, is under contract to buy the State Employees Credit Union property next door.
The plan is to transform the development with mixed-use towers, including office and retail space and as many as 1,500 residential units.
The area is across the Beltline from North Hills. Kane Realty recently wanted to rezone parking lots in the shopping center along Six Forks Road to build even taller towers up to 36 stories high.
Kane Realty withdrew that rezoning earlier this year after facing questions from new city councilors and concerns from neighbors, including Midtown Citizens Advisory Council Chair Larry Helfant.
"This particular location is no different than what we went through with the North Hills rezoning," Helfant said. "It's going to dump all that traffic out onto a very congested portion of Six Forks."
Helftant said the city needs to delay new development around North Hills until there's a solution for traffic on Six Forks Road.
The future of a widening project north of the shopping center is up in the air due to soaring costs, and any improvements to Six Forks Road inside the Beltline are a long way off.
"I don’t know what the future’s going to be other than people will probably move further away because of the traffic congestion in this area," Helfant said.
The city is still reviewing the rezoning request before it goes to the city planning commission and Raleigh City Council.
WRAL News on Wednesday reached out to Atlas Stark, but the company had no comment at this time.
