Chris Crew was born in Morganton, NC and moved to Raleigh in 1964. He’s been a resident of Historic Oakwood since 1975.
Educated at NCSU and UNC-Chapel Hill and is retired from Public Safety. Preservationist, Cook, Trombonist, Brewer, Choirboy, Grandfather.
Chris spoke to City Council September 15, 2026:
Preservation considers not only monuments, buildings, and vistas, it is also mindful of communities and their goals and achievements.
One of the primary preservation tools is community led and community-endorsed zoning and land use planning. The result of this activity is predictability, ability to live and grow within our means and clear public benefit.
When we seek to change our zoning, we challenge community decisions and we must make a rational assessment:
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- Will this benefit the owner?
- Will denial harm the owner?
- Will this benefit the community?
- Will this harm the community?
- Is the harm or benefit substantial?
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How do you balance a potentially minimal public benefit against a potentially substantial detriment to a neighborhood absent detailed plans and a complete assessment?
You are swamped with zoning change requests that lack the details that allow a more than hypothetical assessment of public benefits, any decision you make is by nature arbitrary.
Therefore, honor the process, honor the public plan. Protect our publicly identified Historic and Neighborhood Character districts. Stay off of the thin ice of spot zoning.
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