Council is being asked to legalize an illegal parking lot at 2601 Vanderbilt Ave near NC State. The applicant says the parking lot rezoning (Z-33-24) is a minor change, but in the big picture of West Raleigh’s sustainable growth, putting parking lots before people is a giant step backwards that will only legitimize more parking lots to come.
Twenty-five years ago, when the term sustainable growth was virtually unknown, the success of businesses was measured by how many cars could drive by and park near a store. The groundbreaking 1999 Hillsborough Street Vision was a radical departure from that mindset. The plan to reduce four accident-prone travel lanes down to two smooth travel lanes with medians, roundabouts, wide sidewalks, bicycle lanes and transit stops was a hugely tough sell for businesses in the corridor that had seen years of decline and no way out except to attract more cars.
Twenty-five years later, the Hillsborough Street Vision has been a huge success, with accidents drastically reduced, over $500 million dollars in private investments including new businesses, thousands of new student units near NC State, and a new generation of young families moving back into the old streetcar neighborhoods north of NC State.
At the recent rezoning neighborhood meeting for 2601 Vanderbilt Ave, the applicant said that a change from residential to commercial zoning for a 24 hour parking lot was ‘insignificant’ given the surrounding student rentals and the benefit of more parking for nearby businesses. But for all the nearby neighbors who attended the meeting, this rezoning would mean more cut-through car trips, late night car noise, party noise and trash in the neighborhood. In addition, it would represent a significant precedent used by other narrow interests to justify more spot zonings, converting more neighborhood parcels into parking lots, attracting more cars, more car-dependent businesses, and undermining the years of planning and investments in the Hillsborough Street Vision.
So what should happen at 2601 Vanderbilt Ave instead?
The 1999 Hillsborough Street Vision was further refined in the 2018 Small Area Plan for Hillsborough Street and Cameron Village, which identified an “Area For More Study” (see text and diagram below from Plan page 111) which includes the 2601 Vanderbilt Ave parcel.
Now may be the time to engage stakeholders in that Vanderbilt Area Study. Based on statements by the rezoning applicant and conversations with residents and rental property owners, there may be a common interest in discussing denser residential development in the Study Area, such as townhouses or small multifamily units that retain essential residential neighborhood characteristics including landscaped front yards, parking screened behind buildings and respectful height transitions to existing single family parcels.
The redevelopment potential for 2601 Vanderbilt Ave is bright, but will be undercut along with the Hillsborough Street Vision if it is rezoned for a surface parking use. This rezoning case should be withdrawn. Then consult with staff and stakeholders about moving forward with a zoning study for redevelopment in this area that is beneficial for everyone – putting people before parking lots.
Livable Raleigh Editorial Team
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