The results are in and Raleigh is getting worse at keeping residents informed instead of better! We asked, do you think the City Council is doing enough to keep citizens involved and informed about Raleigh government or not? Positive responses to this question have steadily declined since we first asked in 2022.
Once again Raleigh City Council is having a Retreat without telling the public when it is or where it is even though it is a PUBLIC meeting. No time, no place and no agenda 2 days before the event.
When a developer asks for support from council, there were to be significant benefits to the community, but we the voters get only Astroturf, artwork, and a bench? Other cities have received ice skating rinks and, at a minimum, public bathrooms. The council needs to get developers to provide infrastructure and get significant benefits as it says in the plan. It seems easy for you to say no to voters, so try exercising some of that courage with the developers.
Nancy McFarlane served on Raleigh’s City Council from 2007 through 2019, as Mayor from 2011 through 2019. She sent an email to the current City Council expressing her views on the proposed rezoning of North Hills. “Now comes the difficult part for the city council. They have a staff report that claims the proposed rezoning is compliant with the comprehensive plan. One of the tenets of the plan is the transition from dense areas to the single-family homes around them. This request does not comply with that. It does not comply with the Small Area Plan.”
I am very concerned with losing the current firehouse at the corner of Rowan Street and Six Fork Road. I googled a map of all the Raleigh fire stations, and there really is no other fire station anywhere close to the North Hills area. The removal of this station will put lives and property in significant danger as the timing to attend to fire and life emergencies will be greatly lengthened.
The rezoning has three critical inconsistencies with the Midtown area plan and the Comprehensive plan that Raleigh is supposed to use for policy guidance that is intended to shape how the city grows and develops through the year 2030. However, recent approvals by Council indicate that they follow their own rules and create greater building heights without considering consequences.
Poll results show that Raleigh is failing miserably in community engagement. Allotting an extra four minutes per side at the public hearing was insignificant compared to the potential impact of the proposal. Discussing Six Forks Road traffic issues on January 29, more than a week after the proposed January 20 vote on the rezoning proposal, is a real slap in the face to Raleigh residents. What good does it do to hold further discussion AFTER a decision has been made? The neighborhood meetings held by the developer did not meet the requirements of neighborhood meetings as outlined on the City’s website. An Open House style meeting does not allow the public to consider all input from all attendees. This case is just the most recent example of shutting the people out of the process in favor of developer/donor interests.
Ignoring the current Small Area Plan should not be an option under any circumstances. It’s very easy to say as some councilors have that it’s just a guide and has no real meaning. If you really believe that then why bother having a Comprehensive Plan?
If you weren’t able to attend our Community Conversation on January 7, 2026 for the discussion of Raleigh’s Election Changes and Polling Results, the video and slides are now available on our “Community Conversations” page where you can find all of our previous events as well.
As the downtown Raleigh skyline continues to grow upward to meet housing demand, a group of downtown neighbors is asking a judge to step in, arguing the city ignored its own rules and residents’ concerns when they approved a controversial rezoning in Glenwood South in October.