INDY Week published a story about the recent City Council decision allowing CACs access to meeting space in 5 specific city community centers. We respond with a few points of clarification. The highlighted statements are quotes from the INDY Week article.
I urge you finally to do the right thing, in the right way: declare a moratorium on the Missing Middle until it can be repealed and start over or make major changes that address serious unintended consequences.
Raleigh’s policing tactics should not be similar to one that was proven to be racially discriminatory, unconstitutional, and a failure at stopping crime.
An out of control police department with no accountability or functioning leadership creates a real and present danger to Black and brown people in southeast Raleigh. You were elected to run the city in a way that is ethically and fiscally responsible. Allowing RPD to run roughshod over an entire community, with impunity, satisfies neither of the aforementioned responsibilities.
If you need to discuss an issue, be brave enough to do it in public view. I’m happy to hear any justification you may have for meeting secretly and yield back my time for your response.
In the three years since their abominable vote, the City has continually promised to bring forth new and revolutionary citizen engagement opportunities. We’re still waiting. But now we have some reason for hope. With your help, four new council members were elected in November who value restoration of community engagement as a high priority.
Three years ago on February 4, 2020 Mayor Baldwin and her City Council majority voted to stop supporting Raleigh’s Citizen Advisory Councils (CACs). Three years later that void still exists. There are no new community organizations run by Raleigh residents with City support. Fortunately for Raleigh residents there are quite a few Citizen Advisory Councils that survived the sneak attack on February 4, 2020. Even without City funding and support, these survivors have continued on with their mission of two-way communication between Raleigh residents and their City government.
Livable Raleigh wants to call special attention to how the presence of Raleigh residents and the information presented by speakers impacted the outcomes of the items on Council’s agenda. Never doubt that showing up and speaking out can have a strong impact on the decision-making process of our elected officials.
Putting affordable housing for low-income and working class predominately Black and Persons of Color adjacent to a flood zone is eco apartheid.
Most rezoning cases were sent to committee or held for further discussion.
To say the Dix Edge area study is long-awaited is like saying that Wolfpack football is a little overdue. The fact is that this study by the city’s planning staff of how to manage growth in the Dix Edge area – the large swath of land and neighborhoods east and south of Dorothea Dix Park – is 10 years late.
The false dichotomy that one must be either pro-growth or anti-growth serves no one. A sensible and balanced approach to development would promote growth that is equitable, environmentally sustainable, supported by adequate infrastructure, and compatible with existing development.
Raleigh’s highly promoted public information sessions about Missing Middle Housing rules got off to a rocky start last Wednesday evening, being held a year and a half late, after the city’s neighborhood densification rules began going into effect.