Historic downtown Raleigh properties want ability to build up to 40 stories
The owners of a row of historic buildings in downtown Raleigh are asking the city for the ability to build up to 40 stories — a large increase from the current restrictions that cap most of the buildings at five stories.
The rezoning request encompasses much of the 200 block of Fayetteville Street in downtown, home to properties such as the Briggs Hardware building, the Boylan-Pearce building and the Kimbrell’s Furniture building.
The block — with many properties on the National Register of Historic Places — has been the focus of a rezoning battle just a few years back.
In 2015, Raleigh leaders questioned how high to set building heights along Fayetteville Street, some concerned about the historic character of the buildings, including the Briggs Hardware Building. The four-story building was built in 1874.
(Raleigh News and Observer, 5/9/19)