May 10 Council and Committee meetings round-up
Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of Z-67-21, located at the intersections of I-440 at Lassiter Mill Road and Lassiter Mill Road at Six Forks Road. This despite strong concerns expressed by area residents concerning the impact on fire safety, traffic,...
Allowing virtual public comments at in-person meetings would increase citizen participation
First, I would like to address a statement Councilor Stewart made at a recent meeting. She said that it’s the same people who participate in public comment time after time, but this simply is not true. I collected data from City Council minutes for September 4, 2018 to September 7, 2022 for a total of 64 meetings: 32 meetings before Council began meeting virtually and 32 meetings after. You can see this data displayed in the bar graph. During the virtual meetings, participation in public comments increased 17%, and the number of individuals that spoke only once before council increased 23%.
Text Change would eliminate residential zoning
The proposed text changes will put the safety and comfort of our communities at risk by bypassing all restrictions and neighborhood protections by allowing unregulated businesses and unwanted traffic, congestion, and visitors to enter our neighborhoods from 6am -11pm every day/night. I did not purchase a home next to a gym, nail salon, sweepstakes parlor, burger joint, manufacturing plant, clock shop, or art studio because I wanted to live in a bedroom community, not a strip mall.
In the Senate District 13 Democratic primary campaign, Patrick Buffkin stands out. In a bad way.
Livable Raleigh is not making endorsements in state legislative primaries. But we’re tempted in the N.C. Senate District 13 Democratic race. One of the candidates, Lisa Grafstein, is someone we know only by reputation, but it’s a stellar reputation. The other...