We, the community members of Five Points, Hi-Mount, Forest Acres, and Olde Town Village, call on David Knight and the Raleigh City Council to demand that East End Market meet the height and transition guidelines set forth in Raleigh’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan before approving this project.

We are excited that Raleigh is currently evaluating a development proposal for the plot of land at the intersection of Wake Forest and Whitaker Mill Roads, near the Five Points, Hi-Mount, and Forest Acres neighborhoods.  We welcome the growth and progress in the neighborhood and of this underutilized plot in particular.  However, the scale of the East End Market planned development--anchored by a 15-story office tower--and lack of height transitions from the surrounding 7-story buildings to neighboring homes- will negatively impact the surrounding neighborhood and set a bad precedent for future development in Raleigh.  As our elected City Council Representative, we implore you to please join us in petitioning the City to require smart development that abides by their own recommendations for height maximums and transitions to neighboring homes before approving the East End Market development.

Raleigh developed and uses a 2030 Comprehensive Plan to guide growth and development in our city.  The guidelines include measures to ensure development does not result in unreasonable traffic, parking, shadow, view obstruction, and/or other adverse impacts on the surrounding community and the city at large.  Notably, the plan recommends that development in a mixed-use area like this should not exceed seven stories and that building heights should not exceed a 45-degree angle height transition from the surrounding structures.  More simply put, development on this site should start at 3 stories along the borders of neighboring homes and step up to 7 stories.  This is what we see in nearby Village District, formerly Cameron Village and in other parts of Raleigh where such use transitions occur.  The currently proposal does not meet these guidelines, and its jarring lack of transition from the homes to big city towers is unlike any other development in the region.   

For these reasons, we ask that you please join us, your fellow residents and business owners, by showing your support for smart development in Raleigh.  Demand East End Market meet the height and transition guidelines in Raleigh’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan before giving final approval to this project.