Ever since the Art Museum, football stadium and PNC Arena moved out near the State Fairgrounds, the big question has been: Will this area develop like Capital Boulevard, or can we plan for something better? Under Dr. Stuart Levin’s leadership, the Blue Ridge Corridor Alliance has promoted a West Raleigh vision with less car dependency, healthier, walkable urbanism and housing for a broad range of incomes.
But without a strong community-supported growth plan, power players will choose narrow interests over broader community benefits. Dr. Levin expressed the concern that ‘the majority of commercial property owners have little commitment to the district as a whole’. Alliance staff added that affordable housing won’t get built in the corridor without the leverage of a new Area Plan with strong Council and community support.
On May 7th, Council will hear from the public about the idea of creating a self-taxing Municipal Services District (MSD) to improve safety, cleanliness and growth in the corridor. Our opinion is that adopting an MSD first puts the cart before the horse. Livable Raleigh recommends that Council follow the precedent of Raleigh’s existing MSDs: Begin by funding and adopting a strong Area Plan vision supported by all stakeholders to guide Council rezonings and investments.Then decide if an MSD is needed to manage safety, cleanliness and the adopted Area Plan vision.
Livable Raleigh’s Blue Ridge Municipal Services District analysis is here: Blue Ridge MSD Policy
Livable Raleigh Editorial Team
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