Citizens’ Assemblies are not a silver bullet, but they are a powerful supplement to representative democracy. By fostering informed, inclusive debate, they help bridge the gap between the public and policymakers—and reinvigorate democratic governance for the 21st century.
Minutes from the June 24 PC Meeting
2nd Developer Hosted Neighbors’ Meeting. We need to make ourselves heard. It is about all Raleigh neighborhoods and Raleigh’s Future. This is a BAD project for Raleigh and would set a dangerous precedent that will affect all neighborhoods. Wear RED and PACK the ROOM
The city has had noise ordinance rules for years. After a two year process the city introduced a new noise ordinance in January 2024, and then revised that ordinance in January 2025. RPD is not following the city-written, council-passed noise ordinance. They have ceased giving out citations with only two citations being given out in January 2025 for the 161 noise complaint calls total to June 3rd 2025 in the Glenwood Hospitality district.
Highlights from June 17 City Council Work Session and Afternoon Session
The Raleigh Fire Department (RFD) is at least 200 firefighter positions short. When including the current 50 known vacancies, they are 250 firefighters short of the manpower needed to fully protect this City today. Raleigh has not added any new firefighter positions since 2014, while experiencing rapid population growth and development. Let’s be clear. RFD is requesting the same benefit paid between retirement and age 62 that RPD officers have been receiving since 1987.
The West St property is NOT in the Core of Downtown. It is defined by the city as being on the edge of the Central Business District and as a designated Transition Area. If you want to build 30 & 40 story buildings, build all of them you want to in the CORE of downtown. Those properties are already zoned for 40 stories and have been for several years.
Highlights from June 9 Budget work session, June 10 work session, and June 10 public comments section
Anderson Forest residents would like to join with Crabtree Heights residents in opposing all three proposed routes for the Big Branch Greenway Connector. Both neighborhoods share concerns about safety, privacy and environmental impact.
Summary of the May 27 Planning Commission meeting
The “streamside” option along the Big Branch creek would route the connector across city and little used private pieces of land. It already looks like a greenway and avoids car and truck traffic. The two other options the city lists would bring greenway users into regular contact with cars, trucks and service vehicles. If the city selects either of the two options going through this neighborhood, it will be devastating for a long surviving Raleigh neighborhood and it will be a radical, very un-greenway greenway project. Either of these two options would be more of an urban path than actual greenway as the trail would move along roads, across one street, and require the cutting down of many of the currently surviving trees and bushes in the neighborhood, leaving a pavement-centric greenery-bare trail.
In the discussion of the 30-story Tower proposed for West Street, a location in a designated Downtown Transition Area, those opposed to the proposal have pointed out that it violates 4 City Plans and 47 policies. In response, those who are supporting the proposal make the claim that those plans are out of date and should be ignored. The plans are NOT OUT OF DATE. Let’s look at the facts.
Summary of June 3 Council meeting, including the fact that leaf collection will transition to a weekly year-round enhanced yard waste collection service beginning in Fall 2026.
Focus of the budget work session was a separation allowance for Raleigh Firefighters.
The late great James West served on this Council from District C for ten years. Dr. West said “It is not the duty of City Council to ensure developer profits. The duty of City Council is to serve all the citizens of Raleigh, to improve their quality of life.”
HB 765 is currently under consideration at the NC General Assembly. If passed, the bill would eliminate any local control over zoning. HB 765 was written by the Homebuilders Association and creates statewide mandates, eviscerates conditional zoning, and bars council from considering residents’ opinions. Please ask your representatives to OPPOSE HB 765
Rezoning and adding more housing alone will not solve Raleigh’s affordability challenges. To make meaningful progress rapidly, we need a comprehensive strategy that includes building a diversity of unit types and price points, expanding Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH), balancing individual ownership and institutional investment, and incentivizing developers to ensure rezoned projects get built.
Livable Raleigh supports the separation pay for firefighters and we’re disappointed the City Manager chose to leave it out of her proposed budget; Council should correct this mistake.
There needs to be a moratorium on amplified sound from Raleigh businesses until you can come up with a solution to this never ending citywide problem.