If their egregious zoning case, Z-92-22, gets a positive vote from City Council, it will usher in the worst kind of Urban Renewal. Affordable homes will be scraped off, to be replaced by luxury apartment buildings that only the affluent can afford to live in. Picture a stretched-out North Hills, replete with restaurants and bars – and parking decks – but with no room for the working-class.
Vote for Livable Raleigh as Best Local Activist Group in the Triangle
Growth isn’t bad; it’s inevitable. Untrammeled growth should not be the default. Another name for that kind of growth is Cancer.
As you weigh the merits of the options of this road project, please note the same parameters that increased land value are the same that have increased the tax revenues to the City. Perhaps it is time to invest some of that revenue back into the infrastructure needs of the community. Let’s continue this discussion in committee. After 12 years, the discussion is long overdue.
I’m aware for some of you, we may not be on your radar, but we are not invisible. We are here to be seen and heard; And we have been. Your decision will reverberate throughout this city. So, I am asking, on behalf of the Ridgeloch Community and of the 1000’s of trail uses that consider Ironwood and its two bridges the “soul” of the Greenway, we ask you to be on our side of the fence.
I know it was not originally Council’s fault that the parade was cancelled. But if you take no action now, you will be responsible for cancelling half of it. Please pass a motion at your next meeting to allow the vehicles, with the new safety protocols.
Highlights from October 17 work session and afternoon session
This is a woman who does NOT possess the requisite demeanor to be mayor. She is unable to deal with criticism from the public nor with a challenge from her peers to her “alpha” position without lashing out in anger.
I quote the Mayor, “Obviously that fell on deaf ears, so that’s unfortunate.” A couple of fitting expressions come to mind. “Welcome to the club!” and, “Now, the shoe is on the other foot.” Do our citizens who feel concerned about the sweeping changes proposed for the New Bern Avenue TOD corridor feel that ears are hearing what they have to say about the risks of gentrification and displacement of Raleigh’s most economically challenged citizens?
I am writing in response to the effort by some Raleigh City Council folks to move the City Clerk’s position into the City Manager’s office. I believe that the Raleigh community is best served by an independent City Clerk, who operates as a sworn City of Raleigh Official. Please honor the intent of the creation of the City Clerk position. The City Clerk is not your secretary!!
I’m here asking that the council has staff go back to the original study goals, look at the budget and rework the project in a manner that improves the roadway in meaningful ways. The voters approved the funding for THAT purpose, CAMPO gave us money for that purpose, and we must honor that trust. I know that greater transparency is a goal of this council – Let’s get serious folks, there are residents and business owners in the ROW acquisition zones, who are living in limbo now, this indecision and constant delays are wreaking havoc with people’s lives.
Highlights from October 10 Work Session and Public Comments Meeting
City Council should provide every neighborhood protection from the unintended consequences of Missing Middle through adopting the reforms which have been proposed by Livable Raleigh and the ad hoc task force, both of which have made sound recommendations for revision. I encourage you to direct City Planning to study these recommendations and for you to take action.
Highlights from the October 3, 2023 City Council Afternoon and Evening Meetings
Every day I see good, affordable, multi-unit housing being torn down and replaced with McMansions or “luxury” apartments. This is going on ALL OVER THE CITY and was put on steroids by the Missing Middle policy changes.
Last month’s move to shorten time for public comments was detrimental to the preservation of good governance. Government works best when multiple and diverse stakeholders participate and share viewpoints and ideas with elected officials.
Staff went on WRAL to say that they discussed this decision with all internal stake holders and the decision was made across the organization. So, you can image my shock when councilor after city councilor made public comments that they were, in fact, not part of the decision making. They were in fact, shocked that this decision was made. So, I am here today on behalf of all local Raleigh businesses and I want to know what is the truth. Did the city actually make the decision across all departments necessary? Did they even bother to reach out to the family of Hailey Brooks before they made these comments?
The difficult question for the Planning Commission and City Council is this: Rather than continuing to chip away at the overlay zoning’s many inequitable impacts, are you willing to call for an alternate staff proposal that puts less emphasis on rapid economic redevelopment and more emphasis on best practices that will achieve equitable revitalization without dislocation?
We are at a crossroad. Let’s slow down, hear more from the affected community members, implement tools and policies that prioritize affordability and displacement mitigation, and establish a robust metrics plan. In doing so, we can ensure that the New Bern BRT upzoning project becomes a model of equitable development that truly serves all residents.
As we look back at the changes of Glenwood Avenue over these past twenty years, it would be wise to reflect on the decisions that created this Frankenstein monster that can no longer be controlled. The Glenwood entertainment district did not just pop up organically, it was nurtured through rezoning.