Big Branch Connector – Listen to the voices that are engaged.

Big Branch Connector – Listen to the voices that are engaged.

A concerned citizen who wishes to be anonymous emailed Livable Raleigh about the proposals currently being considered for the Big Branch Greenway Connector. I’ve heard a lot of statistics and technical data from City staff and others, and it reminds me of a quote often attributed to Albert Einstein: “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”

Height Without Transition Risks Raleigh’s Future

Height Without Transition Risks Raleigh’s Future

Height transitions are essential urban planning tools that ensure livability, preserve sunlight, reduce heat, and maintain a walkable, human-scale city. Raleigh can and should grow—but it must stick to the plans that made it great. Ignoring these risks Raleigh’s future. Raleigh Neighbors United supports more housing and greater density, but it must be guided by long-term plans and include transitions, and urban design that will help Raleigh thrive. One-off rezonings like Z-12-25 undermine long range plans, affordability goals and set a harmful precedent for development citywide.

Fall Fundraiser – Save the Date

Fall Fundraiser – Save the Date

Save the date for our Fall Fundraiser. If you rely on the kind of information you are only able to find through Livable Raleigh, we need your help to be able to continue to provide that valuable information to you. We are an all volunteer organization. But it takes money to maintain our mailing list, website and to pay for other services like professional polling that allow us to deliver the best free information available in Raleigh.

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The Impacts of Cherry-Picking Policy – Part Four

The Impacts of Cherry-Picking Policy – Part Four

RDC’s last point is that they are meeting the guidance on transitions in proposing 20 and 30 story buildings, in a Transition Zone, 240 feet from homes in a Historic Neighborhood. Not only does this not pass a logical assessment it is not fully accurate. If one reviews the 2030CP analysis document and the 21 different policies guiding transition and buffering called out, they would clearly see the policy violations of Z-12-25.

It was wrong then, it’s still wrong now.

It was wrong then, it’s still wrong now.

When this case came before you last, you rightly denied the 40-story request at Peace & West streets — acknowledging the need for a height transition next to moderate density residential. Since then, the Comprehensive Plan has been updated to reflect that transition zone — recognizing the clear need for compatibility between new development and established communities. Yet here we are again. The applicant is now seeking 30 stories—still wildly out of scale. The Comprehensive Plan designates this as a “Downtown Transition Area”—a place where height is meant to step down, not surge upward. A 12-story limit allows for nearly 550 units. That’s meaningful density.