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This is what systemic means
Carmen Cauthen spoke at the Raleigh City Council meeting about the rezoning of property at the corner of New Bern, Poole Road, extending back to Bart Street. While the New Bern BRT is in process, the developer has asked for this property to be rezoned for a 4 story, 40 unit apartment complex. The neighbors are against the proposal for several reasons.
Plan the work; work the plan
To be clear, we support development, but we do not support the scale of development that would result from this Rezoning Application. At both of the neighborhood “meetings” held by Parker Poe on behalf of the Applicant, there was a consensus among residents that the Rezoning Application was simply too much. These comments have not been provided to the Commission in any materials I reviewed. However, the public comments included in the Staff packet echo many of these comments and concerns. In addition, I am a proponent of the idea that you “Plan the Work and Work the Plan.” In this instance – that “Plan” is the Walkable Midtown plan.
Kane Realty continues growth on steroids at the expense of safety, traffic, and quality of life; where’s the public benefit?
The 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,...
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...
Atlantic Avenue Timber Harvest
Ted Van Dyk, AIA is principal of New City Design Group, a Raleigh Architecture firm. Mr. Van Dyk founded New City in 1996, and continues to work on a wide variety of retail multifamily, and mixed use projects throughout the region. Mr. Van Dyk submitted the following...
May 3 2022 City Council Meeting
HIGHLIGHTS Once again a last minute change from in-person to virtual meeting due to Covid outbreak among staff. All public hearings will be continued to May 10 at 4pm except for Floodplain Maps which is referred to Planning Commission with recommendations needed in...
Raleigh’s Future is in Voter’s Hands
Livable Raleigh Chair Susan Maruyama recently sent this opinion piece to the News & Observer. They published an edited version and we wanted to share the complete version here. Fifty years ago, when Clarence Lightner, Raleigh’s first and only black mayor, created...
WRAL-TV’s News coverage of North Hills rezoning was more of a promotion than news coverage – And now for the rest of the story…
On April 26 WRAL-TV featured a story about a proposed North Hills Rezoning case (Z-67-21) that took place at the Planning Commission meeting earlier that day. WRAL’s coverage was effectively a promotion for the project, as compared to an accounting of what actually...
Voting begins. But, not for Raleigh City Council
Early voting has started in North Carolina. Many cities are electing their City Council representatives. BUT NOT RALEIGH. The citizens of Raleigh will have to wait until November to elect their City Council. A full year AFTER the current council's term was supposed to...
Traffic Impact of Midtown Rezonings
Midtown Raleigh Resident Larry Helfant sent the following email to members of the Planning Commission: Commissioners, I have looked at the agenda for your planned meeting on Tuesday. I do appreciate the time that you take to hear each case but the agenda is very full...
Tiny homes coming to Raleigh and it’s a “Bait & Switch”
In December 2021 Mayor Baldwin and City Council approved "Tiny Homes" in Raleigh saying these would be one more method to build affordable housing and fight homelessness. Well, the first homes are coming and they will NOT be used for affordable housing after all....
April 19, 2022 City Council Highlights
Highlights Meeting was changed to virtual on Monday, April 18, due to Mayor Baldwin testing positive for COVID.Consent agenda approved, including immediate 2% COLA for all City employees and scheduling of June 7 public hearing for Text Change TC-12-21: Accessory...
Triangle Apartment Association celebrates rising rents after spending big to elect Baldwin & her Council Sycophants
The Triangle Apartment Association (TAA) was a major funding source for Mayor Baldwin and her City Council majority investing over $121,000 in their 2019 campaigns. Now TAA is celebrating a 35% increase in rents, most of which occurred under the leadership of this...
INDY Week’s Best Of 2022 – Voting begins
The readers of INDY Week have nominated us as the "BEST OF" in three categories. We are humbled. It's an honor just to be nominated. Also... WE WANT TO WIN. Voting is open from April 11 thru May 8 You will be asked to register with your email address. Once you confirm...
Dig for the full story on Mary-Ann Baldwin’s new job
Mary-Ann Baldwin continues to be rewarded by the development industry. Last week saw news stories reporting that Raleigh's Mayor, Mary-Ann Baldwin, landed a new job. She has been given a position with First Tee - Triangle as their VP of Advancement. What we...
April 5, 2022 City Council Meeting Highlights
HIGHLIGHTS April 12 work session cancelled; budget work session to be held on April 11.Missing Middle Text Change (TC-20-21) public hearing scheduled for May 3.Approved refinements to Neighborhood Traffic Management Program.Approved Highwoods Property Owners...
Community Engagement in Raleigh – What does success look like?
Register for this Community Conversation on Wed, May 4, 7:00 PM Ms. Tiesha Hinton, Raleigh's Community Engagement Manager, will be providing an update on where Raleigh stands with community engagement and the plans for its future. You will have the opportunity...