In southwest Raleigh’s Avent West neighborhood, a pitched battle is brewing over Lorimer Spring, a proposed 60-unit affordable apartment complex for older residents. Neighbors say Evergreen Construction Company rolled equipment onto the roughly 2.95-acre site at 1104 Lorimer Road last August, knocked down trees and left behind mounds of branches and soil. The mess helped galvanize a local opposition group just as city and county staff lined up behind a public financing package the developer says fits existing zoning rules and a 2027 construction timeline.
How the project would be built and paid for
According to a City of Raleigh memo, Lorimer Spring carries a total development budget of $17,806,969. The plan leans heavily on $11,308,869 in federal 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity, backed by a proposed $1,250,000 city loan and $1,170,000 from Wake County.
The same memo outlines a 60-unit mix split evenly between 30 one‑bedroom and 30 two‑bedroom apartments for residents 55 and older, with at least six units designated as supportive housing. The project site earned a maximum score of 71 points in the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency’s evaluation and sits within a quarter mile of a bus stop on the planned Western Boulevard bus rapid transit route.
Evergreen has told officials it is aiming to secure permits by late 2026 and begin construction in early 2027, assuming the approval schedule holds.
Neighbors say they were cut out of the process
The friction goes beyond the bulldozers. As reported by the News & Observer, neighbors created the Lorimer and Garland neighborhood group to push back on the plan, arguing that recent zoning changes led them to expect public hearings that never came. Residents say the tree removal and debris left on-site in August 2025 turned their block into what longtime resident Larry King described as “the neighborhood is still a disaster zone.”
Opponents have launched a website, written essays and pressed local officials in hopes of stopping or reshaping the project.
In a statement to the News & Observer, Evergreen’s Timothy Morgan said “existing zoning allows for our intended use by right” and cited a market study that projects a three‑month lease‑up period once the building opens. City staffer Julia Milstead told the paper “this case has met all the standards,” while former planning director Mitchell Silver wrote in an August 5 email that administrative approvals listed in the city’s Unified Development Ordinance do not require public input.
What’s at stake
The fight on Lorimer Road is unfolding as Raleigh tries to add more “missing‑middle” and senior housing, particularly units reserved as affordable. The City of Raleigh notes that income limits are reset each year by HUD and that local gap‑financing tools typically serve households earning between 30% and 80% of area median income, with projects near transit often prioritized for support.
Supporters of Lorimer Spring argue that a senior complex close to bus service and other amenities fits squarely within those stated policy goals. Opponents counter that the tree clearing, the way the approvals have been handled and the pace of change in the area have damaged trust and put neighborhood character at risk.
City staff have recommended moving forward with the gap‑financing package to help leverage tax‑credit equity and keep rents lower for seniors, according to the City of Raleigh. With funding votes and permits still pending, Lorimer Spring is poised to remain a neighborhood flashpoint as Raleigh wrestles with how, and where, to slot affordable housing into long‑established communities.
