Lisa Hughet has lived in Raleigh for nearly 30 years and says “my activism really kicked into high gear during the pandemic. Ironically, coinciding with a new City Council who appears not to have the residents of Raleigh as their highest priority. I’m also active in affordable housing matters and animal rescue.”
Lisa Hughet delivered the following comments to Raleigh City Council on July 1, 2025:
Public comment at Council meetings is essential for civic engagement —not just for Council to hear residents, but for the public to hear each other and foster collective understanding. Recent changes, including reduced speaker caps, were made without public discussion or transparency. These adjustments—quietly embedded in BoardDocs—limit participation, erode public trust and create barriers, not solutions. There’s no evidence the prior process was problematic. Meetings remained efficient and inclusive. While I was scouring agendas for information, I noticed you started publishing speaker’s home addresses. This is unnecessary and highly questionable. I urge you to remove address disclosures, restore broader access, and ensure future changes are discussed publicly.
Raleigh is stronger when more voices are heard.
Moving on
When case Z-54-22 came before you last year, you rightly denied the 40-story request at Peace & West streets — acknowledging the need for a height transition next to moderate density residential. Since then, the Comprehensive Plan has been updated to reflect that transition zone — recognizing the clear need for compatibility between new development and established communities.
Yet here we are again. The applicant is now seeking 30 stories—still wildly out of scale. Now stripped of its previous commitment to help build the park; and in its place? A minimal contribution to the affordable housing fund, and no affordable units on site. The Comprehensive Plan designates this as a “Downtown Transition Area”—a place where height is meant to step down, not surge upward. A 12-story limit allows for nearly 550 units. That’s meaningful density.
Our focus is on height transitions. They’re foundational to livable, sustainable cities. Approving anything higher than 12 stories sets a harmful precedent, especially for neighborhoods lacking the Historic Glenwood-Brooklyn protections. Without height transitions, they’ll face high-rise shadows, glare, amplified noise, lost privacy, and the slow erosion of character. This isn’t nimby-ism. This is a call to action to follow the Comp Plan that guides Raleigh’s urban planning. One that values smart growth, affordability, and equitable development. It was wrong then. It’s still wrong now. Let’s stand by our Comp Plan.
Finally, I want to address Council Member Silver. If your employer is still involved in this case, you are barred by NC law and Raleigh’s ethics rules from participating in any government discussions and decisions regarding this case. The fact that you have publicly stated otherwise is alarming. You will undermine our trust in this Council’s integrity and I trust Mayor Cowell will address it directly.
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