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What really happened at the July 6 Council Meeting – don’t be fooled by the clickbait!
If you were to consult local media, you would think the most important things that happened at the July 6 City Council meeting involved hairstyle discrimination and exotic snakes. Or you might mistakenly think that Council took action to address affordable housing...
Councilor David Cox – TC-5-20 and the Elimination of Single Family Zoning
David Cox, PhD, the three-term District B representative on Raleigh’s City Council, delivered this statement at a City Council meeting on July 6, 2021 and submitted it as a “Guest Blog” to Livable Raleigh for publication. TC-5-20 is a Trojan horse that promises...
City Council Afternoon Session, July 6, 2021
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....
‘Density Anywhere’ rules will backfire, intensifying traffic congestion, stormwater runoff, loss of tree canopy, and making Raleigh’s affordable housing crisis worse.
As written, TC-5-20 will accelerate the demolition of affordable units in affordable neighborhoods in favor of high-profit infill as shown here. Without affordability protections, TC-5-20 will only increase housing costs and accelerate Raleigh’s affordable housing...
UPDATE — TAA: Turning Pandemic Pain into Profits and Power — UPDATE
As the NC Council of State has voted to end the state’s eviction moratorium, we feel now is a good time to re-examine the relationships between members of Raleigh’s City Council, the Triangle Apartment Association and a Full Service Eviction Service who notes now is a good time to clean out less than desirable tenants.
ALERT: Major Changes in Development Regulations Being Proposed for Lower Density Neighborhoods
See footnote for more information about image above. Longtime Raleigh resident Philip Poe weighs in on TC-5-20. Phil has served as Chair of the RCAC, Chair of the Five Points CAC, and was a member of the UDO Advisory Group Whenever City Council schedules an important...
As if things aren’t already bad enough for trees in Raleigh
On April 5, 2021, House Bill 496: Property Owners’ Rights/Tree Ordinances was filed in the House of the NC General Assembly. On May 11 it was passed by the House 72-43 and sent to the Senate on May 12. It was subsequently sent to the Senate Committee Rules and...
Happy Pride Month in Raleigh? No Non-Discrimination Ordinance despite Campaign Pledges!
It's LGBTQ Pride Month. But, in Raleigh, we don't have as much to celebrate as we should have. As LGBTQ Pride Month comes to a close, we recall in January 2021 we reported about the lack of progress of the Raleigh City Council in enacting non-discrimination...
Stewart’s self-praise contradicts her endlessly anti-environmental votes
Mayor Pro Tem Nicole Stewart began a recent self-promotional blog by asking how we can “work together to build housing that is both good for our people and better for the environment?” Based on Stewart's voting record, she doesn't know the answer. In fact, Raleigh...
Will Patrick Buffkin be able to get off the Merry-Go-Round he stepped onto with his “Role Model” comments?
Historic Chavis Park Carousel It's Patrick Buffkin who needs a role model - like Carmen Cauthen Carmen Cauthen responds to the Councilor's "Role Model" comments? So today was about the dedication of the new John Chavis Park. What many of you may not know is that this...
Mary-Ann Baldwin seems confused
Mary-Ann Baldwin's campaign sent out a recent fund-raising email and she and her campaign team seem very confused. If her grasp on reality is this fragile, can you trust her to run the City of Raleigh? Here are excerpts from her campaign email:Those of you who are...
Patrick Buffkin Wants Taxpayers to Buy Him a Bridge to Wegmans
Longtime Raleigh resident Larry Helfant spoke at Livable Raleigh's June 14 Forum on Tax Increment Grants. His remarks appear below. As most people know, the Midtown area has seen explosive growth over the last ten years, especially in the Saint Albans/Wake Forest Road...
June 15, 2021 City Council Work Session and Afternoon Session
Wake Bus Rapid Transit – Station Design, Public Art, Branding, Public Engagement Presentation Downtown Raleigh Alliance – Public Realm Study Presented plans and asked for additional resource – referred to Economic Development & Innovation Committee Report and...
Baldwin implements Phase IV of her “Revolutionary” citizen engagement system and it’s a doozy!
UPDATE - Last week we warned you to stay tuned for Phase IV and within days it has arrived. Phase IV follows up hot on the heels of the implementation of Phase III. We are republishing the entire piece, which now includes Phase IV, in case you missed the original....
Mary-Ann Baldwin implements Phase III of her “Revolutionary” citizen engagement system
PHASE I You may recall Phase I when Baldwin and her council majority abolished Citizen Advisory Councils, CACs, Raleigh's nearly 50-year-old formal method for two-way communications between citizens and their government. This first phase occurred on Feb 4, 2020, in...
Raleigh City Council’s Slow-Moving Coup
At their June 8 work session, the Raleigh City Council majority announced a self-serving and unprecedented power grab designed to keep themselves in office for an extra year. With NO public engagement and NO public vote, they unilaterally announced several decisions...
Time & Money spent, but NO new Community Engagement
A year ago in early June, Mickey Fearn signed a $72,000 10-month contract with the City of Raleigh. The contract called for designing new community engagement functions to replace Raleigh's CACs (Citizen Advisory Councils) during Phase 2. That should have happened by...
Raleigh’s budget priorities should not include tax giveaways to developers
Long-time Raleigh resident Terry Snyder shared these remarks as part of the City's budget hearing. I am opposed to the City Budget FY22 because many of the funding priorities do not match the greatest needs of our diverse community. First and most important is...
Mayor Baldwin dismisses Raleigh’s Black community again and again
Raleigh citizens should not be surprised by Mayor Baldwin’s bewilderment about “Is North Carolina losing interest in racial justice and equity?”. (N&O Editorial, May 27, 2021) An excerpt from the editorial is here. The full piece is available at the link above:...
Enloe HS students harassed by protesters – a parent speaks out
Mayor Baldwin has made a complete mess when it comes to how Raleigh Police should respond to protesters. We’ve seen peaceful protesters arrested. Meanwhile, we have scenes like this one — described in a note to us from parent Amy Lee — where the RPD stands back,...