6309 Litchford Road farmhouse was built in 1904.

RALEIGH – Tensions ran high at a recent community meeting between North Raleigh residents and an attorney representing a local developer.

The July 13 meeting between Toby Coleman, a Land Use and Planning attorney, and Litchford Forest residents concerned rezoning a historic tract of land. 

6309 Litchford Road was built in 1904 by Henry Evans Litchford, a Raleigh banker and former chairman of the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. He also was among the first presidents of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. Litchford’s grandfather was one of the original framers of the city of Raleigh. 

If Raleigh City Council approves the developer’s petition to rezone the $1.3 million property from R-4, which only allows four units per acre, to R-6, the home could be demolished to make way for 47 townhomes on the 3.79 acres. Raleigh previously struck down the original rezoning petition for R-10, 10 units per acre, in an 8-1 decision.

“We’re just here mainly to get input, if there’s thoughts on how we’ve worded it,” Coleman told residents about the R-6 petition. “You’re free to ask whatever you want. I’m telling you right now, if you say, ‘we’d like you to go away,’ we’re going to say, ‘OK,, thank you for your input,’ but that’s probably not where my client is right now, just for whatever that’s worth.”

In a blog post, Preservation Raleigh describes the property as “a physical monument to Raleigh’s agricultural origins and the namesake of the very road now struggling to handle modern traffic.” While no doubt tied to the state capital’s history, it can only be registered as a historic landmark with the owner’s consent. 

Cyclists, student drivers, and families of pedestrians frequent the neighborhood’s streets with no sidewalks, crosswalks or streetlights. High school students on foot frequently dodge traffic to reach a nearby Sheetz for lunch or an after school bite. The community is adjacent to a daycare and Millbrook Magnet High School.

At the July meeting, held at the Millbrook Exchange Park, residents described flooding, vehicle crashes and mailbox collisions in their neighborhood. The North Carolina Department of Transportation has rated the capacity of Litchford Road over its volume as LOS E and LOS D, in which “freedom to maneuver within traffic stream is seriously limited, and drivers experience reduced physical and psychological comfort levels. Even minor incidents can be expected to create queuing, because the traffic stream has little space to absorb disruptions.” 

One resident, who preferred to remain anonymous, said he attempted to purchase the property, with the intention of developing 12 single-family homes on the site, including preserving the original farmhouse and staying consistent with the current zoning and character of the neighborhood.

In a letter addressing the Planning Commission and City Council provided to The Tribune, the bidder wrote that he was “not treated with the same good faith he extended to the sellers and their realtor.” 

The bidder said he was willing to pay above asking price for the parcel, and spent a significant amount of capital for an engineer to evaluate the home, the land and draft site plans. That site plan was presented at the July meeting. 

Litchford Forest residents have spoken to the Planning Commission and council several times urging them to reject the developer’s petitions, citing concerns over traffic safety, environmental destruction and historic preservation.

The bidder said he’s worried approval of the rezoning will set a precedent for other such cases all over the state. 

“It’s going to be a mess,” he said. 

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