An independent analysis of this data suggests that Raleigh and Wake County may lack the long-term water supply necessary to sustain their current rate of population and economic growth. Slowing growth should be seriously considered because it is doubtful that conservation measures alone can provide the water needed if growth and water demand continue on their current trajectory.
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.
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.
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.
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.
IS THIS HOW YOU WOULD WANT YOUR MOTHER, FATHER, GRANDPARENT, OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE WITH A DISABILITY TO BE TREATED?
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.
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.
South Park neighbors deserve to know what we are being asked to give up before we know exactly what will replace it. Removing the overlay first – without a specific development plan showing our neighbors what will actually be built – asks our community to surrender protections now and evaluate the consequences later.
honor the process, honor the public plan. Protect our publicly identified Historic and Neighborhood Character districts. Stay off of the thin ice of spot zoning.