The Planning Commission is still looking at it, and City Council was not scheduled to meet again until January. You know, "Deck the Halls?" Until, that is, Mayor Baldwin and her band of Council followers stepped in to fast-track developer John Kane's "Downtown South"...
The Wake County Housing Justice Coalition gives voice to Raleigh residents threatened by a perfect storm of pandemic-magnified racial, environmental and economic injustices
Kudos to the Wake County Housing Justice Coalition (WCHJC) for their Virtual Public Forum on November 23, lifting the voices of those who would be most impacted by John Kane‘s Downtown South project. With the decline in local, independent investigative news reporting,...
Taxpayer Subsidies: Not Needed Then, Not Needed Now.
Taxpayer subsidies to developers are rarely, if ever, a good idea. John Kane is asking for public money to fund his proposed "Downtown South" development. Because of my concerns, I spoke to the Raleigh City Council during the public comments period of the November 4th...
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...
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.
Disinformation in Local Elections
On Tuesday, October 20, Raleigh's News and Observer is hosting a webinar, "Disinformation in Local Elections: How to spot it and what you can do" I decided to write to the N&O on the eve of their webinar because I have three examples of the role disinformation has...
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.
Courtney Napier Challenges Raleigh’s Affordable Housing Bond
In the current issue of INDYWeek, Courtney Napier challenges the Raleigh City Council to center their Affordable Housing Bond on our city’s most pressing housing needs rather than on development profits.
David Knight, Trying to Have it Both Ways on the Quarry, Fails His Constituents and His Convictions
As a candidate for City Council, David Knight campaigned on opposition to the RDU Quarry. He made his position clear in statements to both INDYWeek and the News & Observer. To INDYWeek he said: INDYWeek Candidate Questionnaire - David Knight To the...
Weasel Conditions: A Zoning Tool for False Council Promises
Weasel Conditions. This is a case study of how the Z-41-19 zoning applicant and complicit Councilors falsified the meaning of zoning condition #8 to create a misleading narrative, suggesting it offered significant environmental protections, when in fact, it did not.