With Black Community Stakeholders As Partners, Downtown South Rezoning Finally Approved

“I’m on the right side [of history] because I am on the inside of it. Long before anyone thought this was fancy and a trending topic, I was here when this area was filled with crack cocaine.”                                                                        – Levelle Moton

RALEIGH, NC – The Downtown South project took a significant step to moving forward…finally…but not without establishing partnerships with local stakeholders. After eight rejections, on Tuesday (Dec. 15) the Raleigh City Council voted 7-1 to approve the rezoning request for the proposal by the project team of Steve Malik, owner of Cary-based NC Football Club (NCFC) and NC Courage and Bonner Gaylord of Kane Realty to develop approximately 135-acre stadium and apartment complex centered around the South Saunders/ I-40 interchange.   

Levelle Moton, co-founder of Raleigh Raised Development (RRD), Bridget Wall-Lennon of BLWall Consulting, and James Montague of F7 International Development have joined forces with the project team to guarantee significant participation of local minority businesses throughout the entire development, beginning with the contracts and construction of the District.

The impact of the massive project on local neighborhoods has been a sore spot since the project was first announced in 2008. It is a question of what gentrification will do to the residents of Southeast Raleigh. The Downtown South project team, through a robust community engagement process, has consistently heard from community members that local minority participation is at the core of the project. 

“RRD collectively, and I personally, am excited to help shape and champion the local participation and workforce development of this district. The community of South Raleigh will benefit greatly from a project of this magnitude.  The endless possibilities of economic growth and career opportunities is long overdue and will continue to persevere for generations long after,” said LeVelle Moton.

On Dec. 14, ahead of the Council’s public hearing on the project, the Downtown South team held a virtual press briefing to address the vision and opportunity of the project alongside their new partners. The Downtown South project plan is to develop a 2.2 billion dollar stadium and housing complex.

The stated intention is to build a district that will have retail and dining options, a myriad of housing options, stormwater mitigation, job opportunities and workforce
development programs, minority and women-owned business participation, entertainment venues, sustainable parks and open space, connections to Downtown, educational opportunities, and entrepreneurship incubators. The housing complex visualized is what they consider to be affordable. 

Levelle Moton and partners Clarence Mann and Terrell Midgett, who all grew up in Southeast Raleigh, say they want to “shine a light on the under-representation of the Black community in local development efforts” and “continue to give back by lifting up the voices of development in Southeast Raleigh by focusing on the promotion and development of locally-owned, black businesses.”

Moton, also NCCU Men’s Basketball coach, spoke from a place of personal experience when giving his reason for joining the project. Understanding that RRD represents the community that will be directly affected by the project, he believes that Downtown South can be a project that leads to generational wealth for black families in Raleigh, relating the project to one that started in Atlanta in 1974. Moton refers to Downtown South as ‘a potential Black holy mecca’ allowing Blacks to have a positive outcome of economic growth. Leaning on his athletic and coaching experiences, Moton stated that the stadium can provide a place for physical and educational opportunities. 

When questioned whether he was “on the right side of history” on this project,  Moton responded,  “I’m on the right side because I am on the inside of it. Long before anyone thought this was fancy and a trending topic, I was here when this area was filled with crack cocaine. And not a soul gave a darn about investing or cared about anyone’s feelings or emotions back in this community.”

Bridget Wall-Lennon of BLWall Consulting brings over her twenty-five years of experience consulting minority- and Black women-owned businesses to the project. Believing this will be a project that helps lead community engagement, Wall-Lennon said,  “The project has the power to bring much-needed community benefits to the southern part of Raleigh creating multiple opportunities at the table.” 

James Montague, President of F7 Development is highly familiar with southeast Raleigh as he grew up in the area and owns an apartment complex near the proposed location. He believes this will be a positive influence on the life of youth as well as seniors citizens. The stadium would provide an exercise outlet for the youth. While the housing complex could be considered affordable for seniors citizens. Montague believes that this will further the black community by improving one’s quality of life.

After the rezoning approval, Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said, “This is about humanity and who we are as a city. And Southeast Raleigh, there have been a lot of promises made but not a lot of promises kept.”

For a project overview and summary of the Downtown South district, go to visitdowntownsouth.com.

ABOUT RALEIGH RAISED DEVELOPMENT, LLC

Raleigh Raised Development, LLC (RRD) Raleigh Raised Development (RRD) has well-established roots in the Idlewild neighborhood. The RRD partnership developed as a result of growing up in the Southeast Raleigh Black community and the desire to shine a light on the under-representation of the Black community in local development efforts. The RRD partners consist of LeVelle Moton, NC Central University Head Basketball Coach and local resident who grew up in southeast Raleigh; Clarence Mann, Manager of Vistabution, LLC, a local minority-owned Raleigh-based general contracting business providing environmental remediation, right-of-way acquisition & consulting, and development response services to state, municipal, city and government agencies; and Terrell Midgett, co-owner of Management Professionals, Inc., a facilities and maintenance company in Raleigh.,

ABOUT BLWALL CONSULTING, LLC

BLWall Consulting, LLC specializes in public policy, business and economic development; and program development and management.  Bridget Wall-Lennon, owner and principal consultant, is a subject matter expert in diversity inclusion
programs; and has over 25 years of experience in this field. She previously served as Assistant to the Secretary in the Office for Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB) Outreach for 14 years. She successfully advocated for the utilization of HUB firms in state government procurement and construction contracting.

ABOUT F7 DEVELOPMENT INC.

Raleigh-based F7 Development, led by James Montague, specializes in International Business and Government relationships concentrating on Economic Development, Education, Health, and the creation of Sister Cities to promote the cooperation and partnership of International entities. Due to his continued efforts and ever-growing portfolio of successful projects in excess of 10 Million USD. International Expertise
Awarded a $100,000 grant from Sister Cities International funded through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for Trilateral Partnership between China, Nigeria, and the US.