By Dathan Kazsuk
There are worse ways to spend an afternoon than standing near a few bee hives at Fenton, listening to a beekeeper talk about honey, community, and the strange miracle of thousands of tiny winged workers somehow doing a better job organizing themselves than most board meetings.
From there, we walk to Brewery Bhavana, where the story gets even better: The honey from those hives has found its way into a beer called Hive, a collaboration between Brewery Bhavana and Buddha Bee Apiary. And yes, we try it. That’s journalism. Someone has to do the difficult work.
Justin Maness, founder of Buddha Bee Apiary, has worked with Fenton for several years through its apiary program. His team manages the hives on-site, cares for the bees, and produces honey that has the rare advantage of being both hyperlocal and strangely glamorous.
For Maness, collaborations are not just a marketing gimmick. They are part of the fun. “Reaching across the table to other businesses, if it’s a different type of business or another beekeeping type of business, honestly, that’s my happy space,” Maness says. “Collaborating with your community is just a valuable piece of it all.”
That idea became Hive, a honey saison brewed by Brewery Bhavana using honey from Buddha Bee Apiary. It is the kind of project that sounds simple on paper—local honey, local beer, local collaboration—but like most good things, it takes trust.
All of the above creates a complex milieu in the city’s aim toward equitable housing, or what Young refers to as “hybrid growth.” Traditionally, Raleigh places new housing on the fringe of the city, but Young also says we have to build up, not just out.
Participant and resident Fiona Matthews learned that historic districts like Oakwood, with their mixed housing, may be a model to replicate.
“Something that really surprised me was that the historic districts were actually some of the best examples of housing density because they had more types of housing (e.g. quadplexes, triplexes, and ADUs) that were made illegal after World War II, and those are now just becoming legal again,” says Matthews.
Affordable housing is the lifeline of cities; it is what will keep people in Raleigh long-term, and its connotations have to be consistently evaluated and reevaluated. Participant and resident Adam Martin, known to make his voice heard, echoed the need for balance.
“The future of Raleigh should continue to focus on increased density in the core of the city, but simultaneously, we need to preserve our natural environment and open spaces,” Martin says. “We are the City of Oaks, and we can’t just try and be New York City.”
Through many side conversations, I also noticed the less-than-vague feelings of disarray among participants, many referencing the chaotic news around the country and world—but I was still reassured. The decorum between participants was evident. Even when perspectives differed, people heard each other out, tested assumptions,
and trusted each other’s intentions.
As for the future of the program, Young and the Planning team want to continue to empower residents to get involved.
Especially now, as Raleigh’s next Comprehensive Plan is in draft development until May 2026 (slated to be adopted by late 2027).
“My favorite thing is meeting residents and talking about their dreams and visions for the future, and helping them understand how they can influence that,” says Young.
