We asked the candidates

We asked the candidates for Raleigh City Council these questions. We’ll publish their answers after we have received their responses. Their answers may help guide you in your choices this fall.

QUESTIONS 

1. Do you/will you take money from developers or their representatives?

2. Although you may not legally require developers to include affordable housing in their rezonings, are you aware you may legally vote to deny any case that doesn’t include them or other public benefit? How much of the  increased value of a rezoning should a developer give back to the community in the form of affordable housing, affordable at 30-60% AMI (Area Median Income)?

3. Do you feel that a contribution to the City’s Affordable Housing fund is a good alternative to including affordable units in a development? If so, what do you consider a fair amount?

4. How will you ensure that Raleigh’s infrastructure—including transportation, parks, schools, utilities, and public services—keeps pace with growth and is adequately considered when evaluating rezoning requests?

5. How will you protect existing neighborhoods? Do you think NCODs (Neighborhood Conservation Overlay Districts) and HODs (Historic Overlay Districts) should be difficult to take apart?

6. What changes, if any, do you think are necessary to the Missing Middle rules? Should they include a prohibition on reducing existing affordable units, stronger affordability incentives, stronger compatibility rules, more focus on adding density near existing transit access? What else?

7. How would you propose resurrecting CACs (Citizen Advisory Councils) that went dormant after Council withdrew support in 2020? Is that a City responsibility?

8. Would you support having Citizen Advisory Councils officially back in the process to comment on rezonings and site plans?

9. Should site plans be reviewed by Planning Commission and City Council in addition to current practice of solely staff review?

10. Do you support having an audit/efficiency study of all city departments to ensure our tax dollars are being spent wisely? Where do you think the City’s budget could be adjusted to better reflect residents’ priorities?

11. Because Raleigh appears to be losing more trees on a regular basis, what will you do to ensure that Raleigh’s tree canopy is protected when evaluating rezoning requests?

12. When constituents offer you an opinion along with supporting reference materials that differs from the staff opinion, do you believe it is your job as a councilor to simply defer to staff as the "experts,” or to review and consider the data provided by your constituents and come to your own educated conclusion?

13. Are you concerned that key Comprehensive Plan policies about appropriate height, height transitions, and affordable unit inclusion are not being followed? Are other Comp Plan policies being ignored?

Any additional thoughts you’d like to share?