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Is West St in the Core of Downtown?

Is West St in the Core of Downtown?

The West St property is NOT in the Core of Downtown. It is defined by the city as being on the edge of the Central Business District and as a designated Transition Area. If you want to build 30 & 40 story buildings, build all of them you want to in the CORE of downtown. Those properties are already zoned for 40 stories and have been for several years.

Raleigh plummets in “Best Places to Live” rankings

Raleigh plummets in “Best Places to Live” rankings

Raleigh was a perennial top 10 city when only being compared against other large cities in the Best Places to Live rankings. But, when the candidate pool was expanded most larger cities performed poorly. It seems smaller cities are more popular than large, dense, urban, vibrant locales. And, the difference isn’t due to cost of living or even traffic concerns. It’s quality of life.

Vote for Streamside Option by 6/11

Vote for Streamside Option by 6/11

The “streamside” option along the Big Branch creek would route the connector across city and little used private pieces of land. It already looks like a greenway and avoids car and truck traffic. The two other options the city lists would bring greenway users into regular contact with cars, trucks and service vehicles. If the city selects either of the two options going through this neighborhood, it will be devastating for a long surviving Raleigh neighborhood and it will be a radical, very un-greenway greenway project. Either of these two options would be more of an urban path than actual greenway as the trail would move along roads, across one street, and require the cutting down of many of the currently surviving trees and bushes in the neighborhood, leaving a pavement-centric greenery-bare trail.

Do City Plans and Policies have a “Use By” Date?

Do City Plans and Policies have a “Use By” Date?

In the discussion of the 30-story Tower proposed for West Street, a location in a designated Downtown Transition Area, those opposed to the proposal have pointed out that it violates 4 City Plans and 47 policies. In response, those who are supporting the proposal make the claim that those plans are out of date and should be ignored. The plans are NOT OUT OF DATE. Let’s look at the facts. 

The Duty of City Council

The Duty of City Council

The late great James West served on this Council from District C for ten years. Dr. West said “It is not the duty of City Council to ensure developer profits. The duty of City Council is to serve all the citizens of Raleigh, to improve their quality of life.”

Councilor Silver Must Recuse!

Councilor Silver Must Recuse!

It would be reasonable for you to believe that once Silver was elected to City Council in November 2024, just one year after being paid to represent the West St property owner, he would feel obligated to recuse himself from any future City Council actions related to this property. But, Silver has stated publicly that he has no intention of recusing himself from voting on this rezoning case when it comes before the City Council.

Don’t let the State Take Over Raleigh’s Local Zoning Decisions

Don’t let the State Take Over Raleigh’s Local Zoning Decisions

HB 765 is currently under consideration at the NC General Assembly. If passed, the bill would eliminate any local control over zoning. HB 765 was written by the Homebuilders Association and creates statewide mandates, eviscerates conditional zoning, and bars council from considering residents’ opinions. Please ask your representatives to OPPOSE HB 765

Why rezoning and building more alone will not fix affordability

Why rezoning and building more alone will not fix affordability

Rezoning and adding more housing alone will not solve Raleigh’s affordability challenges. To make meaningful progress rapidly, we need a comprehensive strategy that includes building a diversity of unit types and price points, expanding Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH), balancing individual ownership and institutional investment, and incentivizing developers to ensure rezoned projects get built.

Noise Terrorism

Noise Terrorism

There needs to be a moratorium on amplified sound from Raleigh businesses until you can come up with a solution to this never ending citywide problem.

Trust and Transparency

Trust and Transparency

The 2030 Comp Plan was planning for a population of 600,000 when it was envisioned. We are not close to that. Mitchell Silver was hired to see the Comp Plan and UDO completed. Mitchell said that this would streamline development and get rid of “spot” zoning. Councilor Silver, how many times did you say, “just follow the plan”?

Missing the Mark, Missing the People, and Missing the Point

Missing the Mark, Missing the People, and Missing the Point

The City didn’t rezone these areas the proper way. Instead, they used a procedural sleight-of- hand, labeling it a “text change” to the Unified Development Ordinance. This way, they bypassed the normal legal requirements—like directly notifying affected residents via mail and holding a proper legislative hearing. You probably didn’t hear about this change. That’s not a coincidence. Only five people spoke at the public hearing. In a city of nearly half a million residents, that’s not engagement. That’s evasion.

Speaking to Save Raleigh’s Trees

Speaking to Save Raleigh’s Trees

Studies show that areas with fewer trees and more pavement have hotter and more polluted air than areas with trees. And studies show that downtowns and low-income areas tend to have fewer trees than wealthier areas. This is true in Raleigh as well.
n the 1990s and early 2000s, the City was continually planting trees. But now it seems that we are cutting down more trees than we plant, especially in downtown and lower-income areas.