Dear Dawson Community,

We encourage you to sign this petition on behalf of The Dawson on Morgan residents/owners to show our opposition to the rezoning application from DX-12 to DX-40 for 323 & 327 W. Morgan Street. 

Please sign the petition below if you would like to document your opposition to the rezoning.  Below is more information about the rezoning and our opposition to it. 

We would like to make all owners and residents of The Dawson aware of a recent rezoning application for 323 W Morgan Street & 327 W Morgan Street filed on September 7, 2021, with the City of Raleigh by Wilmorite Construction, LLC, a New York-based developer and Mason Street, LLC, the property owner.  These properties of 323 W Morgan Street & 327 W Morgan Street are the two lots directly adjacent to The Dawson on the west of the block (see picture above).  These properties currently have two-story buildings facing Morgan Street and a paid parking lot behind the low-rise buildings.  The rezoning application is asking for permission from the City of Raleigh to demolish those low-rise buildings and erect a building up to 40 stories.  

We need to show our opposition to this rezoning application by attending the upcoming community meeting to be held virtually on Monday, October 18th and signing this online petition from The Dawson Community.  

Background on Rezoning Application

In 2015, The City of Raleigh rezoned a wide range of properties in Raleigh including the property owned by The Dawson plus the adjacent properties at 323 & 327 W Morgan St from DX-5 to DX-12 to increase density and encourage development.  The DX-12 designation permits property owners to build up to 12 stories of mixed-use real estate.  Fortunately, there has been no additional construction on those two properties adjacent to The Dawson since the 2015 rezoning to DX-12.  Currently, there are only two-story buildings and a parking lot on those properties.  

Wilmorite Construction, LLC and Mason Street, LLC have applied for rezoning to DX-40 for 323 & 327 W Morgan St which, if approved, would allow the applicant to build up to 40 stories of mixed-use real estate just 6 feet away from the west side of The Dawson.  The entire western-facing side of The Dawson looking out on  S. Harrington Street, which comprises 39 residential windows and 11 balconies, would have at minimum a 12-story vertical face erected just 6 ft from those windows and balconies and possibly a 40-Story vertical face erected just 6 ft from those windows and balconies if the rezoning application is approved.  

For additional context, the City of Raleigh has approved the rezoning from DX-12 to DX-40 for 4 properties in the Warehouse District since the 2015 rezoning.  The most recent rezoning approval from DX-12 to DX-40 in 2021 was at 130 West Hargett Street and 119 South Harrington Street which are the properties housing Legends nightclub on the same block as The Dawson.  Two additional properties located within three blocks of The Dawson have also been approved for DX-40 zoning in 2019 & 2020.  We want to avoid having The Warehouse District turn into a sea of high-density residential and commercial skyscrapers that dwarf pre-existing residential buildings which paved the way for the neighborhood appeal and resulting economic development.  

Please note:  This application is the first to directly impact residential abutters within this distance and with direct impact to complete obstruction of light and vistas. This is a defining moment for the City of Raleigh Planning Commission.

Negative Impacts to The Dawson from Possible Rezoning

First and foremost is the harmful impact due to the lack of exposure to natural light that is directly related to high levels of cortisol and lower levels of melatonin at night, and these, in turn, are related to depressive symptoms and poor quality of sleep.  On the reverse, the physiological impact with evening artificial light pollution affects behavior, sleep, and sleep patterns.  We are already seeing the impact on residences facing the north with the Hillsborough Crossings building with just the parking deck lights being on 24/7 and they are seventy-five (75) feet away.  Additionally, headlights will impact our residences once the parking decks are open as ramp constructed decks do not solve the pollution by lower barrier walls.  Note: Fifty to sixty percent (50-60%) of the windows on the west side of the Dawson are bedrooms.

Secondly, we will have an environmental impact due to the lack of natural light. Artificial light will be needed throughout the day, from the moment you awake,  no more natural sunsets. In comparison, the amount of light we are exposed to for 16 hours in the office/home is equivalent to 1 hour of exposure to a sunny day.  It is virtually impossible for sunlight (natural light) to transverse from 600 feet (40 Stories) into a chasm 6-12 feet wide down to the top of the Dawson 525 feet below.

Full, unobstructed sunlight has an intensity of approximately 10,000 fc.(foot candle).  An overcast day will produce an intensity of around 100 fc.  Every day will be an overcast day for everyone on the westside of the Dawson. Think about that, that's only one (1) percent of sunlight.

Thirdly, the resale value of all of the Dawson units will be greatly impacted.  We have seen how the “temporary” impact of Covid 19 and the Spring/Summer riots of 2020 have led to lower valuations and sales. This is not only at the Dawson but throughout the Downtown Raleigh district as well.

With approximately twenty percent (20%) of the Dawson square footage directly impacted by this rezoning request, the decrease in resale value will affect the comps for all units at the Dawson. 

Instead of a realized gain, based on when you have purchased your units, it has been estimated in conversations with local real estate professionals that the loss of value, anticipated with a zoning request change to 40 stories, can be from 0%  to -15+%.  The impact on the directly affected units will be substantial.

What We Can Do As a Community

We need to sign this online petition to oppose the rezoning from 12 to 40 stories and make our concerns known to The City of Raleigh, Wilmorite Construction, LLC and Mason Street, LLC.  If many owners/residents voice concerns and objections about the proposed rezoning from 12 to 40 stories for 323 W Morgan St & 327 W Morgan St, Raleigh’s City Council may reject the rezoning application.  We are hoping to dramatically increase the visibility of the proposed rezoning this time in writing via a petition, in the hope that the city rejects the rezoning application.  Again, this application is the first to directly impact residential abutters within this distance and with direct impact to complete obstruction of light and vistas. This is a defining moment for the City of Raleigh Planning Board.

Thank you for your support in opposing this rezoning application from DX-12 to DX-40 for 323 & 327 W. Morgan Street by signing this online petition.

Sincerely,

Dawson Unit Owners 500 & 501