Upcoming Raleigh Events
CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
City Council Pre-Budget Work Session
City Council Pre-Budget Work Session
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
ICE Watch Verifier/Dispatcher Training
ICE Watch Verifier/Dispatcher Training
SW Raleigh Community Engagement (SWRCE) Meeting
SW Raleigh Community Engagement (SWRCE) Meeting
In-Person Water Billing Help Session
In-Person Water Billing Help Session
District D Neighborhood Alliance (DDNA) meeting
District D Neighborhood Alliance (DDNA) meeting
Councilor Jones District E Book Club
Councilor Jones District E Book Club
In-Person Water Billing Help Session
In-Person Water Billing Help Session
Neighborhood Rezoning Meeting: 3621 & 3703 Page Road
Neighborhood Rezoning Meeting: 3621 & 3703 Page Road
Neighborhood Rezoning Meeting: 1523 Crest Road
Neighborhood Rezoning Meeting: 1523 Crest Road
Neighborhood Rezoning Meeting: 319 Heck Street
Neighborhood Rezoning Meeting: 319 Heck Street
Neighborhood Rezoning Meeting: 5925 Glenwood Avenue
Neighborhood Rezoning Meeting: 5925 Glenwood Avenue
In-Person Water Billing Help Session
In-Person Water Billing Help Session
Raleigh Commission for Persons with Disabilities Meeting
Raleigh Commission for Persons with Disabilities Meeting
Read up on our latest news…
May 27 Planning Commission Meeting Summary
Summary of the May 27 Planning Commission meeting
Vote for Streamside Option by 6/11
The “streamside” option along the Big Branch creek would route the connector across city and little used private pieces of land. It already looks like a greenway and avoids car and truck traffic. The two other options the city lists would bring greenway users into regular contact with cars, trucks and service vehicles. If the city selects either of the two options going through this neighborhood, it will be devastating for a long surviving Raleigh neighborhood and it will be a radical, very un-greenway greenway project. Either of these two options would be more of an urban path than actual greenway as the trail would move along roads, across one street, and require the cutting down of many of the currently surviving trees and bushes in the neighborhood, leaving a pavement-centric greenery-bare trail.
Do City Plans and Policies have a “Use By” Date?
In the discussion of the 30-story Tower proposed for West Street, a location in a designated Downtown Transition Area, those opposed to the proposal have pointed out that it violates 4 City Plans and 47 policies. In response, those who are supporting the proposal make the claim that those plans are out of date and should be ignored. The plans are NOT OUT OF DATE. Let’s look at the facts.
June 3 Afternoon and Evening City Council Meetings
Summary of June 3 Council meeting, including the fact that leaf collection will transition to a weekly year-round enhanced yard waste collection service beginning in Fall 2026.
June 2 Budget Work Session
Focus of the budget work session was a separation allowance for Raleigh Firefighters.
The Duty of City Council
The late great James West served on this Council from District C for ten years. Dr. West said “It is not the duty of City Council to ensure developer profits. The duty of City Council is to serve all the citizens of Raleigh, to improve their quality of life.”
Don’t let the State Take Over Raleigh’s Local Zoning Decisions
HB 765 is currently under consideration at the NC General Assembly. If passed, the bill would eliminate any local control over zoning. HB 765 was written by the Homebuilders Association and creates statewide mandates, eviscerates conditional zoning, and bars council from considering residents’ opinions. Please ask your representatives to OPPOSE HB 765
Why rezoning and building more alone will not fix affordability
Rezoning and adding more housing alone will not solve Raleigh’s affordability challenges. To make meaningful progress rapidly, we need a comprehensive strategy that includes building a diversity of unit types and price points, expanding Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH), balancing individual ownership and institutional investment, and incentivizing developers to ensure rezoned projects get built.
Firefighters’ Separation Allowance is the right thing to do
Livable Raleigh supports the separation pay for firefighters and we’re disappointed the City Manager chose to leave it out of her proposed budget; Council should correct this mistake.
Memorial Day
Noise Terrorism
There needs to be a moratorium on amplified sound from Raleigh businesses until you can come up with a solution to this never ending citywide problem.
Trust and Transparency
The 2030 Comp Plan was planning for a population of 600,000 when it was envisioned. We are not close to that. Mitchell Silver was hired to see the Comp Plan and UDO completed. Mitchell said that this would streamline development and get rid of “spot” zoning. Councilor Silver, how many times did you say, “just follow the plan”?
May 20, 2025 City Council Meetings
Highlights from May 20, 2025 City Council Work Session and afternoon meeting
Missing the Mark, Missing the People, and Missing the Point
The City didn’t rezone these areas the proper way. Instead, they used a procedural sleight-of- hand, labeling it a “text change” to the Unified Development Ordinance. This way, they bypassed the normal legal requirements—like directly notifying affected residents via mail and holding a proper legislative hearing. You probably didn’t hear about this change. That’s not a coincidence. Only five people spoke at the public hearing. In a city of nearly half a million residents, that’s not engagement. That’s evasion.
Speaking to Save Raleigh’s Trees
Studies show that areas with fewer trees and more pavement have hotter and more polluted air than areas with trees. And studies show that downtowns and low-income areas tend to have fewer trees than wealthier areas. This is true in Raleigh as well.
n the 1990s and early 2000s, the City was continually planting trees. But now it seems that we are cutting down more trees than we plant, especially in downtown and lower-income areas.
Raleigh approves over 98% of Zoning Requests – BUILD THEM!
The facts show that of the 303 zoning applications submitted and resolved from 2020 to today, only 5 have been denied including the previous version of the 30-story tower. 298 have been approved. An approval rate over 98.3%.
In the same time council has approved cases for over 110,000 housing units. What is clear is that Raleigh does not suffer from a lack of entitlement to build housing. You approved over 98% of requests, over 110,000 units. BUILD THEM!
City Council Meetings May 13, 2025
HIGHLIGHTS Shared results of Social City Assessment study and Traffic and Safety Study in Glenwood South. The Social City Assessment consultant seemed to be biased toward businesses rather than residents. These issues will be discussed further in May 27 meeting of...
West St Tower Violates Raleigh Downtown Plan
The Downtown Plan specifically notes the recommendation that the North End of downtown would have less large-scale development in contrast to the large-scale redevelopment contemplated on the South End of downtown, the vision for the North End fills the gaps between existing assets to create a complete neighborhood. Furthermore, the plan shows appropriate residential development for the West Street site at 7 and 8 stories.
West St Tower Violates Equitable Transit Development
Key Strategies of Equitable Transit Oriented Development allow for relatively higher densities in mixed-use areas near BRT stations. The density and building height of new developments should respect the existing neighborhood contexts. Transition building height and bulk downward from the station to connect with adjacent, lower density districts and neighborhoods.
May 6, 2025 City Council Meetings
Highlights from the May 6 Council meetings





















