I know that the election is on your mind, but if you live in Raleigh, life will continue to move rapidly on Wednesday. The Raleigh City Council meeting normally held on Tuesday will be on Wednesday and serious issues will be on the agenda. The City Council meeting on...
City Council’s Code of Conduct Demands Respect for Citizens
The Raleigh City Council has a formal "Code of Conduct" which defines acceptable behavior for the councilors. One section of the code defines how the councilors are expected to behave in interactions with the public. CONDUCT WITH THE PUBLIC Public meetings and...
CBS 17 – Advocates speak out on potential effect of ‘Downtown South’ on nearby Raleigh residents
Livable Raleigh's Sade Gilbert was interviewed by CBS 17 for a report on the effects the proposed Downtown South project would have on the local neighborhoods and the environment. RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Plans for a stadium and entertainment district in...
Downtown South – My Letter to the Mayor and City Council
Susan Maruyama, a resident of Raleigh, sent the following email to the Mayor and City Council on Wednesday, October 21. Dear Mayor and City Council members, I listened to the City Council meeting yesterday and was struck by the cavalier attitude of Bonner...
Give It Up for John Kane: His Downtown South Plan is a Power Grab, Money Grab and Tax Grab
What do we know about Kane Realty's Downtown South (DTS) plan after a 3-hour long Planning Commission meeting on Friday? The answer is, we didn't learn one thing on Friday that we didn't already know; and going into Friday, all we knew about developer John Kane's...
Raleigh Community Engagement: Where’s the Beef?
It has now been 260 days since the Raleigh City Council abolished its support of Raleigh's CACs (Citizen Advisory Councils). This was done in a surprise vote on February 4th that was developed in secret, with no community engagement, and with a demand for no...
Kane’s Downtown South Up-Zoning Case Z-13-20: A Primer. (Short Version: 40 Stories, Could Be Anything, Starts Thursday)
Affordable housing included? No. Enhanced Stormwater Controls? No. Low-impact Development promised? No. Is there a Community Benefits Agreement? No. Are ANY design or details offered? No. None.
Community engagement: where are we after 3 months?
On Tuesday, September 15th I spoke with the City Council about Mr. Mickey Fearn’s community engagement presentation from September 8th. I watched Mickey's presentation to City Council that day, and then watched it again several more times during the following week....
Council Plans an Environmental Disaster to Benefit a Construction Conglomerate
Despite overwhelming evidence that this upzoning should not go forward, this Council seems determined to approve the destruction of our most precious environmental assets for the insignificant benefit of one of the largest construction conglomerates in North America.
City Council “Acts” to Fix the Affordable Housing Bond. Their Action Was Little and Very Late.
“My quick analysis is that the recommendations are better than nothing, but they fall far short of what’s needed to help those in the greatest need. … Raleigh, we STILL have a problem.”









