Raleigh must demonstrate it can deliver projects already promised

Raleigh must demonstrate it can deliver projects already promised

by | Oct 26, 2026 |

Raleigh has legitimate transportation needs, and I support responsible investment in roads, sidewalks, and safety. But the City should first provide a transparent accounting of the 2017 bond, demonstrate better project-cost and schedule management, and explain the expected benefits of the proposed spending. I’m not against transportation improvements. I am against approving another $101.5 million before the City has made a sufficiently convincing case for how it will spend the money and deliver the promised results.

This is the power of Universal Design

This is the power of Universal Design

by | Oct 21, 2026 |

What if Raleigh had an opportunity to become a national leader in accessibility, safety, and inclusion by adopting Universal Design as a citywide policy? The goal is not simply to meet the minimum requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is to create a city where accessibility, safety, and inclusion are considered from the very beginning of every project rather than after problems have already occurred.

Don’t Let Kane Realty Trash Midtown Raleigh!

Don’t Let Kane Realty Trash Midtown Raleigh!

by | Oct 19, 2026 |

When you’re a billionaire developer and want something from the public, why bother with obeying the law and showing due respect for your neighbors when it’s easier and more profitable to dispense with public review and successfully lobby the General Assembly to change the law? This is a story about a betrayal of our Midtown neighborhoods, but there is a message here for all our neighbors in Raleigh. I urge all residents of all the diverse communities within the City to read and take note.

An open planning process encourages buy-in

An open planning process encourages buy-in

by | Oct 18, 2026 |

Two recent development issues have drawn a lot of public attention, the future of our water supply, and how we are to manage requests to bring data centers into our community. These are terrifically complicated issues, and during my career in public service working with all 100 counties and 99% of the 553 municipalities, I found that the best chance to make wise decisions depends on listening to both the professionals and the lay people who come before you. In many cases there is far more to know than any single one of us knows, that is why the input of the public is so important. An open planning process encourages citizen participation and buy-in. A closed process engenders suspicion and lack of compromise. Keep both of these processes in the daylight and allow the public to help you make wise decisions.

The Highest Form of Public Engagement Isn’t a Meeting

The Highest Form of Public Engagement Isn’t a Meeting

by | Oct 11, 2026 |

There’s a reason cities cling to this model which has little to do with genuine participation. Public meetings are risk management. They give agencies something to point to later: “The public had every opportunity to provide input,” or, “This design reflects what we heard through our engagement process.” The meeting was never meant to change the outcome. It was meant to protect the decision-maker. That’s not engagement. That’s preemptive deflection.

Offsides: is this development getting ahead of infrastructure?

Offsides: is this development getting ahead of infrastructure?

by | Oct 4, 2026 |

Before approving Z-43-25, I respectfully ask Council to require a meaningful examination of emergency access, overflow parking, Johnsdale Road capacity, school-event traffic, pedestrian movement and evacuation conditions. The question is not simply whether the proposed development can accommodate its own residents under normal conditions.

Raleigh: Asphalt Jungle?

Raleigh: Asphalt Jungle?

by | Sep 30, 2026 |

The issue of persistent toxic pollution at abandoned industrial sites is not a site design problem. There is simply no way that rezoning for high-density residential development – of any type or design – should be allowed on asphalt plant sites until probable threats have been scientifically assessed and addressed, using modern methods.