Five former mayors (Fetzer, Coble, York, Meeker, McFarlane) on hand to help honor City Clerk Gail Smith for 50 years of service.
Appointed Denise Smith Kline as new Civil Service Commission Chair.
STC-04-2021 in consent agenda – public hearing scheduled for August 17.
Planning Commission Report
- Text Change: TC-17A-20 Transit Overlay District – time extension requested by PC until September 28, but Council gave them extension until September 3 because of concerns about property being bought up
- Rezoning Z-55-20 Lake Wheeler Road, approximately 330’ south of Kirkland Road (District D) – public hearing scheduled for August 17
- Rezoning Z-58-20 7425 Buffaloe Road (portion), the northeast corner of its interchange with I-540 (District C) – public hearing scheduled for September 7
- Rezoning Z-1-21, 5060 Edwards Mill Road, near the intersection of Edwards Mill Road and Creedmoor Road. (District E) – public hearing scheduled for August 17
- Rezoning Z-22-21 (TCZ-2-21): 5601 and 5621 Atlantic Avenue, north of the intersection of Spring Forest Road and Atlantic Avenue. (District A) – public hearing scheduled for August 17
Special Items
- Rezoning Z-44-20/TCZ-3-20, 3513 Garner Road, approximately 0.3 miles east of the intersection of Garner Road and Tryon Road (District C) – approved 7-0 (Melton absent)
- Rezoning Z-54-20: Hargett Street & Harrington Street, at the southwest corner of the intersection, one block west of Nash Square (District D) – neighbors have withdrawn opposition due to new conditions – approved 6-1 (Cox opposed; Melton absent)
- Annual Meeting Schedule – Council Meeting Dates – Municipal Elections Rescheduled – October and November first meetings revert to Tuesday; had moved to Wednesday in anticipation of elections; now delayed – approved 7-0 (Melton absent)
- Non-Discrimination Policy – Hair Texture and Hairstyle – approved 7-0 (Melton absent)
- Lane-Idlewild Assemblage – Developer Recommendation for Affordable Housing – Selected Raleigh Area Land Trust (RALT) as the developer for the Lane-Idlewild assemblage (17 cottage court units; 8 duplex, 1 single family; 8 at 50% AMI, 5 at 60% AMI, 4 at 80% AMI) – Approved 7-0 (Melton absent)
- City-Initiated Rezoning – Redevelopment Strategy – Moore Square East Properties – would reinvest proceeds into Affordable Housing fund rather than building Affordable Housing there – Approved 7-0 (Melton absent)
- Public Comment and Public Hearings – Order of Agenda and Advance Sign Up – Guidance to Boards and Commissions on Return to In-Person Meetings – Cox repeatedly asked to hold until Melton available; Baldwin wants to move ahead;
- NCGA allowed remote meetings during pandemic; City Attorney recommends returning to pre-pandemic in-person meetings because law is not clear about remote or hybrid meetings after state of emergency expires;
- All Boards and Commissions also to return to in-person meetings;
- Deadline to sign up for public comment by 5pm Friday before council meetings (approved 6-1; Cox opposed; Melton absent);
- Text change to move public comments to after consent agenda in afternoon meetings (gathering more info);
- Encourage sign up in advance for public hearings, but allow impromptu; Same process for committee meetings? (gathering more info)
Report and Recommendation of the City Manager
- Parks and City Facilities – Revised Naming Procedures – Draft Resolution – approved 7-0 (Melton absent)
- Saint Augustine’s University Partnership – Tuttle Public Health Center Project – $130,000 in City funding
- Acquisition Strategy for Affordable Housing near Transit – Approved 7-0 (Melton absent)
- MWBE Disparity Study – Consultant Selection – Miller3 Consulting, Inc. – approved $371,600 7-0 (Melton absent)
- American Rescue Plan Act – Initial Phase
- Raleigh will directly receive $73,292,365.
- $1.0M will be allocated for a human service grant application process.
- Establish a downtown activation grant process ($200,000) in partnership between the Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA) and Office of Emergency Management and Special Events. This program will provide grant funding to Raleigh based organizations to put on special events and activations that enhance the overall cultural environment and supports the City’s economic prosperity. In addition, staff will coordinate with the Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA) to complete a downtown economic development study ($250,000). The study will focus on retail strategy, office marketing positioning, explore ways to increase diversity and equity initiatives, and identify catalytic opportunities.
- To support the hospitality industry and mitigate experienced negative economic impacts, staff recommends funding up to $400,000 for built environment improvements at City Plaza to include lighting and sound system upgrades and shade structures. These investments will promote safe physical distancing by allowing more events in an outdoor public space. Staff recommends funding a downtown Ice Rink ($250,000) to attract individuals to visit downtown in the fall and winter as a way to mitigate experienced negative economic impacts.
- Authorize the creation of two (2) new Senior Fiscal Analyst positions to oversee federal grant compliance reporting requirements. The positions will be funded annually with American Rescue funding for five years with an estimated annual cost of $230,000. In accordance with the Class and Salary administrative regulation, authorization for new positions requires Council approval. Position detail information is
- Discussed how much of this serves downtown versus the rest of the City
- Approved 7-0 (Melton absent)
Report and Recommendation of the Parks, Recreation, and Greenway Advisory Board
- Annual Work Plan FY22 – approved 7-0 (Melton absent)
- Greenway Safety Report
Report and Recommendation of the Economic Development and Innovation Committee
- No July meeting
- Downtown Raleigh Alliance – Public Realm Study – approved the following:
- Form a Work Group of City staff and DRA staff to evaluate recommendations, set priorities, review options and provide guidance to Council as needed.
- Continue to engage stakeholders–downtown residents, businesses, nonprofits, etc.–on specific recommendations to get input for the Work Group and share ideas.
- Support staff proceeding with items identified in the presentation that address Public Realm recommendations and put specific emphasis on incorporating components of the temporary outdoor seating extension program into a more permanent program to process outdoor seating requests to include eased requirements, expedited plan review, reduced fees, etc.
- Conduct regular updates to the EDI Committee beginning in August on progress of the DRA Public Realm study.
- Focus on quick wins from the Study to activate downtown with understanding some recommendations require more time to evaluate, develop policy/text changes, identify resources, etc. Prioritize shade for plazas, sound and lighting improvements for City Plaza, LED screens for City Plaza and a grant program for the activation of downtown. Evaluate procurement of equipment and grant program for funding from American Rescue Plan Act allocation.
Report and Recommendation of the Growth and Natural Resources Committee
- Environmental Advisory Board Food Procurement and Waste Report
- Plan for Continuing to Advance the Use of Green Stormwater Infrastructure
- No July meeting
Report and Recommendation of Safe, Vibrant, and Healthy Communities Committee
- No July meeting
Report and Recommendation of the Transportation and Transit Committee
- Will meet in person on August 26 at 3pm