May 2 City Council Meetings

May 2 City Council Meetings

HIGHLIGHTS Unanimously approved moving public comments to the second Tuesday of the month at 7pm, following a 4-6pm work session, starting in September  Unanimously approved funding for 292 affordable units at $7.05M Fund reallocation and donations for Dix Park...

Supply, demand, and poorly focused density planning are causing a shortage of truly affordable housing – not zoning.

Supply, demand, and poorly focused density planning are causing a shortage of truly affordable housing – not zoning.

Missing Middle will not repair our history of racist redlining. With all the discussion of zoning’s racist past, there is surprisingly no discussion to ensure that zoning changes will result in more equitable and truly affordable housing choices. It appears that our racist past has been weaponized to support changes that in the end may do nothing to repair it other than providing more opportunities for the building industry. 

April 4, 2023 City Council Meetings

April 4, 2023 City Council Meetings

HIGHLIGHTS Councilor Patton absent and excused Voted unanimously to appropriate $10,000 from Council Contingency to support the United Arts Council's Annual Gala Voted unanimously to approve $492,231 from ARPA funds for Legal Aid of North Carolina,...

March 21, 2023 City Council Work Session and Afternoon Session

March 21, 2023 City Council Work Session and Afternoon Session

HIGHLIGHTS Longtime City Clerk Gail Smith was honored at her last meeting upon her retirement Public Comments focused on negative impacts of Missing Middle and other rezoning actions that will harm existing neighborhoods, difficulties in engaging with the City,...

The Dix Edge Study: Let’s Hope City Council Can Save It With Corrective Surgery

The Dix Edge Study: Let’s Hope City Council Can Save It With Corrective Surgery

As it stands, the Dix study would do little more than say to developers, “Keep doing what you’re doing” and the city will help grease the wheels. We don’t need a study for that. The wheels are fully greased. What we do need, and fast, is a thoughtful revision of the study that puts the brakes on pernicious development while it puts in place – in the zoning code and related policies – a strong set of policies to insure that development will henceforth serve the broad public interest, and not just its investors.

FEBRUARY 21, 2023 CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS

FEBRUARY 21, 2023 CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS

HIGHLIGHTS Mayor Baldwin absent from both meetings Work Session provided detailed review about cost of providing City services during annexations Public comments centered on Affordable Housing, gentrification, police accountability, and racial justice Solid Waste...

FEBRUARY 7 CITY COUNCIL MEETING

FEBRUARY 7 CITY COUNCIL MEETING

HIGHLIGHTS Mayor Baldwin and Councilor Melton both absent and excused from afternoon meeting; Mayor Baldwin also absent and excused from evening meeting $50k unanimously approved for Wake Legal Support Center One community center in each District will be made...

3 Years Ago a Sneak Attack on Raleigh’s Community Engagement System took place: Residents Lost, Developers Won.

3 Years Ago a Sneak Attack on Raleigh’s Community Engagement System took place: Residents Lost, Developers Won.

Three years ago on February 4, 2020 Mayor Baldwin and her City Council majority voted to stop supporting Raleigh’s Citizen Advisory Councils (CACs). Three years later that void still exists. There are no new community organizations run by Raleigh residents with City support. Fortunately for Raleigh residents there are quite a few Citizen Advisory Councils that survived the sneak attack on February 4, 2020. Even without City funding and support, these survivors have continued on with their mission of two-way communication between Raleigh residents and their City government.