Upcoming Raleigh Events
CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
Safe, Vibrant & Healthy Community Meeting
Safe, Vibrant & Healthy Community Meeting
We’re a finalist! Please vote for Livable Raleigh – Voting closes 3/29
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Neighborhood Rezoning Meeting: 3095 Gresham Lake Rd.
Neighborhood Rezoning Meeting: 3095 Gresham Lake Rd.
Hillsborough-Wade CAC in-person meeting
Hillsborough-Wade CAC in-person meeting
Community Engagement Board Regular Meeting
Community Engagement Board Regular Meeting
Read up on our latest news…
INDY Week’s Best of Wake County 2023
The readers of INDY Week have nominated us as the “BEST OF” in two categories. We are humbled. It’s an honor just to be nominated. Also…WE WANT TO WIN. Voting is open NOW thru March 29
It’s time to reassess the impacts of BRT and TOD on neighborhoods
It’s time to step back and re-assess the likely impacts of BRT and TOD on established neighborhoods and identities instead of relying on the desired, but unproven outcomes pitched by those who stand to make a business profit.
March 21, 2023 City Council Work Session and Afternoon Session
HIGHLIGHTS Longtime City Clerk Gail Smith was honored at her last meeting upon her retirement Public Comments focused on negative impacts of Missing Middle and other rezoning actions that will harm existing neighborhoods, difficulties in engaging with the City,...
The Missing Middle Fiasco: 8 Things The New City Council Should Do Quickly
A more sensible approach would’ve been incremental, introducing MM reforms in neighborhoods where actual frequent transit service is available within short walking distances. As frequent transit routes are added, MM’s application could be expanded.
Reining in the worst aspects of this MM giveaway to the development industry is a big test for the new Council. Hope they’re up to it.
Do City Plans Matter?
With the implementation of the new comprehensive plan and UDO, Phil believed there was a real opportunity for a more predictable and efficient process. Today, unfortunately, rather than following approved plans, everything seems negotiable. This undermines the whole idea of predictability and erodes the trust in the review processes and in city leadership.
Raleigh’s Zoning Code, It’s not a BUG, It’s a FEATURE
Let’s stipulate a couple of points up front. Missing Middle, done well, is a good thing. But….What the previous Council produced is MM done deviously, and sloppily. Much of it, in fact, undermines the whole premise of MM, which is to offer an increased number of affordable-housing options than would exist without it.
A framework for building affordable housing
In the More Homes, More Choices presentations, Patrick Young admits that the Missing Middle will not create housing that becomes affordable until at least one to two generations after it is built.
Tonight, I have given Council members a draft framework for creating housing that will be more affordable than what is being built under the guise of the Missing Middle.
Raleigh should use a Primary to ensure majority elections
In the last election for Raleigh City Council, only 2 out of 8 races resulted in a winner that received 50% or more of the vote. This isn’t necessarily the fault of the candidates participating in these races, rather this is the consequence of a plurality election with no chance for a run-off. Raleigh’s home rule charter gives the City Council the power to implement a nonpartisan primary that could be held at the same time as the state and national primaries.
MARCH 13 & 14, 2023 CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSIONS
Proposed fee increases for residents – stormwater, water, and solid waste services
Proposed fee adjustments (50% decreasing and 42% increasing) for developers
An $8-$12M deficit predicted in FY26 for GoRaleigh bus service; fares brought in about $3.5M so even if fares are re-introduced, there would still be a significant gap
There has been much activity to address issues with Glenwood South, but problems remain
We are frustrated with the obvious loopholes that allow this
I know you are frustrated. Every police captain assigned to this area has been frustrated. WE are frustrated. We are frustrated because the Sahara appears to be operating legally within current laws and zoning parameters. There are obvious loopholes in existing laws that allow this type of business to remain open until 5:30am.
Neighborhood Meetings, the Fox is Guarding the Hen House
First, the neighborhood meetings that are run by the applicant or their attorneys are not working. Since the developers run the meetings, the information that is being given is often very biased and not accurate coming from the applicant or their attorney. One attorney said in a neighborhood meeting that the Comprehensive Plan was no longer relevant. There was a city staffer there but they were silent.
March 7 2023 City Council Meeting
HIGHLIGHTS Councilor Patton’s request to defer Shaw rezoning due to her unavailability on April 4 was voted down; public hearing will be April 4. Rezoning Z-55-22: Johnson Street, held open until April 4 for further negotiation. Rezoning Z-75-22: Edwards Mill Road,...
Safe, Vibrant & Healthy Community Committee Report – February 28, 2023
Safe, Vibrant & Healthy Communities: Mayor Baldwin (Chair), Councilor Forte (Vice Chair), and Councilor Patton. Councilor Jones was absent and excused. Subject: Rezoning Z-54-22 - Assemblage at Peace and West streets, next to Smokey Hollow proposed City park. ...
Event Materials Published – What’s Next for Democracy in Raleigh?
If you weren't able to attend our Community Conversation on March 4, 2023 for the discussion of Democracy in Raleigh, the video, slides and Q&A are now available on our "Community Conversations" page where you can find all of our previous events as well. Hear from...
Improve engagement by bringing the information to the people
CACs were important resources because they provided a one-stop-shop for staying informed. At monthly meetings attendees would hear a police report, a Parks & Rec report and City Staff reports about current issues. You would hear Planning Department topics. All the information brought to one meeting for you.
Will Raleigh & Wake Co join Durham City & County in supporting their LGBTQ+ communities?
These two bills may not pass the legislature. Governor Cooper may ultimately veto them if they do pass. And, the vetoes may withstand Republican attempts to override them. But, in any case, the LGBTQ+ residents of Raleigh and Wake County deserve to hear full-throated support from their elected leaders instead of the timid silence they are being presented.
New York Times: Raleigh is 4th Least Affordable City in the Nation
Flooding Raleigh’s housing market with high-end housing is a disastrous mistake that is destroying Raleigh’s existing affordable homes and neighborhoods and driving modest income families out of town.
Innovative Affordable Housing Ideas
I understand that you have $23m dollars remaining in ARPA funds. I would urge you to consider allocating all or a majority to build more affordable housing. As you saw during this afternoon’s meeting, many approved public-private partnerships for affordable housing have had to come back to Council and ask for additional financing due to increased costs of land, loans and construction materials; thus depleting bond funding for future projects.
Questions about Shaw University’s Development Plans
There is an overabundance of 30-40 story rezonings in Raleigh at this point. Shaw doesn’t need that and I actually believe that there are many other issues contributing to Shaw’s issues. However, I think that it best to speak to the implications of losing the preserved buildings and the history of them as well as the environmental impacts. The concern is not just for Shaw University alumni and students but will affect the City of Raleigh residents as a whole.
The Dix Edge Study: Let’s Hope City Council Can Save It With Corrective Surgery
As it stands, the Dix study would do little more than say to developers, “Keep doing what you’re doing” and the city will help grease the wheels. We don’t need a study for that. The wheels are fully greased. What we do need, and fast, is a thoughtful revision of the study that puts the brakes on pernicious development while it puts in place – in the zoning code and related policies – a strong set of policies to insure that development will henceforth serve the broad public interest, and not just its investors.