Here’s an update and a call to action on an environmental racial justice issue right here in Raleigh—the Downtown South Project (DSP) proposed by Kane Realty and the threats it poses to nearby historically Black neighborhoods.
Click here for the latest updates to this evolving and fast-moving project.
This 135-acre development could bring increased urban flooding (caused by runoff), extreme traffic, gentrification, increased property taxes, and displacement. ICCT has concerns about the developer’s intentions to make sustainable building choices. We are also concerned that community involvement in the process is inadequate.
Convinced that acting on this issue is a moral imperative, ICCT expressed our concerns by speaking at meetings of the Planning Commission and the City Council.
On December 16 the Raleigh City Council voted 7-1 to grant rezoning for Downtown South. Earlier in November, the Council had voted to develop and activate a funding source for DSP between January and June, 2021, in three steps:
- A citywide policy by which developers seek a Tax Increment Grant (TIG)
- A community engagement and benefits process for DSP including a City Council appointed community engagement committee
- An outline of the terms for DSP (for example, the percentage of the tax increment for the TIG and what the community benefits will be)
ICCT will be monitoring this process.
Kane Reality Corporation promotes the DSP as a transformative development. How much more transformative would it be if Kane Realty made the DSP sustainable, energy net zero, green, and racially just?
