Let’s not replicate the mistakes of Glenwood South on the New Bern BRT

Let’s not replicate the mistakes of Glenwood South on the New Bern BRT

As we look back at the changes of Glenwood Avenue over these past twenty years, it would be wise to reflect on the decisions that created this Frankenstein monster that can no longer be controlled.  The Glenwood entertainment district did not just pop up organically, it was nurtured through rezoning.

Limited equity housing cooperatives offer a solution

Limited equity housing cooperatives offer a solution

I would like to see the city of Raleigh aggressively pursue opportunities for limited equity housing cooperatives. Additionally, I think the city should look for more opportunities to purchase existing apartment complexes for conversion to limited equity housing cooperatives to provide more ownership opportunities to home buyers in Raleigh.

City Council Meetings September 12, 2023

City Council Meetings September 12, 2023

Huge needs for public housing. 

Public Comments focused on public safety, Mine Creek Greenway relocation, GoRaleigh, TOD/BRT, Missing Middle, and housing and homelessness

BRT Transit that Benefits All and Displaces None

BRT Transit that Benefits All and Displaces None

New Bern Avenue is living proof of the bigoted depredations our country and city have imposed on Black Americans. It is also living proof of Black Americans’ determination to fashion lives and communities of faith and hope in the face of overpowering forces of greed and racism. Of all projects which have the potential of restorative justice and to make good on Raleigh’s pledge to dismantle the city’s policies and systems of racial inequity and oppression with equitable transit, this is it.

Raleigh’s Zoning Code, It’s not a BUG, It’s a FEATURE

Raleigh’s Zoning Code, It’s not a BUG, It’s a FEATURE

Let’s stipulate a couple of points up front. Missing Middle, done well, is a good thing. But….What the previous Council produced is MM done deviously, and sloppily. Much of it, in fact, undermines the whole premise of MM, which is to offer an increased number of affordable-housing options than would exist without it.

What’s really Missing from Raleigh’s Missing Middle policy?

What’s really Missing from Raleigh’s Missing Middle policy?

City Council is on Summer Break. So, we are re-running this blog as part of our Missing Middle Week. There has been a lot of talk about missing middle housing since the city council approved a text change to legalize it (duplexes and townhomes) city-wide. This is...

Yolanda Taylor replies to being labeled a dissenter by the media

Yolanda Taylor replies to being labeled a dissenter by the media

Well, as a labeled dissenter of the Mayor of Raleigh by a newspaper, I would like to congratulate the grassroots groups that worked hard to ensure a check in power on the way Raleigh grows going forward. It was disheartening to see journalists and certain nonprofit groups describe the fight to be included in development decisions as “anti-growth.” These anti-democratic statements came often from ostensibly progressive / liberal people who even called those demanding affordable housing NIMBYs.

Fewer Homes, Fewer Choices

Fewer Homes, Fewer Choices

This development illustrates, once again, the misapplication of the Missing Middle in Raleigh. It reflects the conclusion of the nonprofit Urban Institute that Missing Middle type zoning changes, in cities across the country, do nothing to increase the housing supply for middle, or lower-income citizens. Nor do they reduce rents. The changes have proven to have only a small effect, which is to increase housing supply for the most affluent.