Raleigh City Council July 5 Meetings
Highlights from July 5 Council Meetings. Council on hiatus until August 15.
Raleigh Pride, All Talk, No Action
Apparently, it’s only Raleigh that must stay silent out of fear that the politicians on Jones Street might do something to hurt the straight, cis, white residents of Raleigh and we can’t risk that. As long as they are only attacking the LGBTQ+ community, Raleigh’s City Council is good.
A bumpy road to traffic calming
To date, there hasn’t been any communication on project status unless specifically requested by residents. So again I ask, please direct this to the appropriate committee so there is a path forward. We may be achieving the objective of slowing motorists but I don’t think we are achieving that goal in the safest, most effective manner.
Historic Districts, we can’t afford to lose any more
We had some grand architecture, but we have gradually lost most of it. We still have some interesting historic districts that tell the story of our City. But these historic districts will survive only if they are protected by a historic overlay. And in the last few years, City Council has allowed pieces to be taken out of several historic overlays.
Victimized by Vibrancy & Vandalism
What we do not accept is people routinely breaching, vandalizing and stealing from our property, casually vandalizing city property (street signs) and actively being funneled to our residential neighborhood at 3am directly as a result of city policy.
Budget Priorities for Affordable Housing
This budget does NOT adequately provide for affordable housing, despite the $80 million bond. The parks bond is $250 million. Apparently the Dix Park and Smoky Hollow Parks are more important than making sure our residents are properly and affordably housed. The small amount allocated for rehabbing naturally occurring housing is not getting the job done.
Councilor Harrison reverses course on making decisions based on policy
Councilor Harrison parted ways with the other three new members of Raleigh’s City Council (Black, Patton and Jones). The group usually forms a coalition that is more skeptical of intense development outside the Central Business District and close to established neighborhoods. Instead Harrison provided the swing vote for the pro-developer faction of Council and voted to approve the controversial rezoning of Shaw University. Minutes after being instructed by the City Attorney that this case is a LAND-USE decision, Harrison tossed out the land-use policies that should have guided her decision and based her decision on an irrelevant point about the Prince Hall Overlay District.
Scale Matters
The City is its people, and we have not asked for this rezoning. This neighborhood is a City success story in saving a historic neighborhood from previous urban renewal rezoning policies. It is a kick in the teeth now for us to be once again fighting for our neighborhood.
Heard it through the grapevine
I heard that since the City Manager was named Interim City Clerk, she has stopped the practice of recording and filing minutes of closed session meetings. And, she has stopped allowing anyone from the Clerk’s office to attend closed session meetings.
City Council June 20 Work Session and Afternoon Session
Public comments focused on gentrification, homelessness, crime, Glenwood South, transit, traffic calming, historic preservation, and several criticisms of Mayor Baldwin and her actions or lack thereof.