People want to believe that eliminating single-family zoning restrictions will significantly increase housing supply for middle and lower-income families. But the building body of real-world experience and increasing research is showing this simply isn’t true or the effects are minor and often just benefit the most well-off.
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
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,...
Raleigh facing issues similar to Durham
As density increases, the need for conscious, deliberate stormwater and other utility planning also increases. Instead, three years ago, the city decided to allow individual developers to do as they please “as of right.” Now the city denies any responsibility for the predictable mayhem that is resulting. My neighbor’s flooding is just one real-world example of the problems that occur when the city abandons its responsibility for strategic growth planning and oversight, and instead deregulates development.
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,...
A framework for building affordable housing
In the More Homes, More Choices presentations, Patrick Young admits that the Missing Middle will not create housing that becomes affordable until at least one to two generations after it is built.
Tonight, I have given Council members a draft framework for creating housing that will be more affordable than what is being built under the guise of the Missing Middle.
Missing Middle Mistakes
One of the former council members personally told several of us that Missing Middle would include mistakes. I asked how those mistakes would be fixed, since they would be buildings. He had no answer.
If It Matters, It Gets Measured
My request is simple: for the council to ask for a staff report on the affordability of the missing middle developments under administrative site review since the ordinance has been introduced in Raleigh. Please include both approved and in process developments.
Missing Middle Myths and other Filtering Fantasies
Frank Hielema points out problems and inequities in the application of the Missing Middle learned from attending Missing Middle “More Homes, More Choices” presentations.
Do the Right Thing!
I urge you finally to do the right thing, in the right way: declare a moratorium on the Missing Middle until it can be repealed and start over or make major changes that address serious unintended consequences.