Upcoming Raleigh Events
CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Ask the Doc: A Wake County Town Hall Meeting
Ask the Doc: A Wake County Town Hall Meeting
Neighborhood Rezoning Meeting — 120 Rush Street
Neighborhood Rezoning Meeting — 120 Rush Street
Pregunte Al Doc: Reunion Comunitaria Del Condado de Wake
Pregunte Al Doc: Reunion Comunitaria Del Condado de Wake
Mayor’s Committee for Persons with Disabilities Meeting
Mayor’s Committee for Persons with Disabilities Meeting
Downtown South Quarterly Public Meeting
Downtown South Quarterly Public Meeting
Biltmore Hills Park Tennis Improvements Open House
Biltmore Hills Park Tennis Improvements Open House
Read up on our latest news…
Best of Wake County 2024
INDY Week Readers Name Livable Raleigh Best Local Activist Group – Wake County – 2024. Our sincere thanks to everyone who participated in the event. We pledge to continue bringing you the kind of local activism you appreciate.
Don’t Put the Cart Before the Horse
On May 7th, Council will hear from the public about the idea of creating a self-taxing Municipal Services District (MSD) to improve safety, cleanliness and growth in the corridor. Our opinion is that adopting an MSD first puts the cart before the horse. Livable Raleigh recommends that Council follow the precedent of Raleigh’s existing MSDs: Begin by funding and adopting a strong Area Plan vision supported by all stakeholders to guide Council rezonings and investments. Then decide if an MSD is needed to manage safety, cleanliness and the adopted Area Plan vision.
Cease and Desist?
Livable Raleigh has received a “Cease and Desist” letter from lawyers representing Sustainable Raleigh, the new group started by former one-term City Council member David Knight. Ouch! We hope Sustainable Raleigh will “Cease and Desist” making false accusations against us.
Follow the Guidance Provided by the Planning Commission and Vote NO on Z-72-22
Shortly, you will be asked to vote on a Zoning Request involving removal of property from an established Historic District. Z-72-22 requests removal of a lot from the Prince Hall Historic District in order to circumvent guidance and regulations established in State Statute and the City of Raleigh Unified Development Ordinance. Z-72-22 represents the piecemeal nibbling away at protections offered to our culture and heritage for profit.
At-Large Voting — the Oldest Trick in The Book
At-Large block voting has been called the oldest trick in the book. Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg cited this method as a preeminent second-generation way to deny equal opportunity for minority voters and candidates. Congress has banned At-Large voting for all federal elections. It’s been discarded by most states. No voting method has been subject to more litigation for its discriminatory impact on local elections. Yet, while the covers are off the discriminatory impact and intent of At-Large voting, it persists in hundreds of local jurisdictions.
From Wasteland to Wonder
The way we currently manage the suburban and urban landscape is creating a wasteland and harming the well-being of Earth. Fortunately, we have an alternative path: We can work with natural systems instead of working against them. By doing so, we can help heal Earth.
Dear Ned
When elections finally occurred in 2022, Knight was ousted by the voters, and 4 new members of Council were elected, each with Livable Raleigh’s support.
April 16 City Council Meeting
Highlights Work session was not on YouTube for the first 20 minutes or so for some reason. Councilors Black and Branch not present for work session. Councilor Branch not present for afternoon session. Proposed new Public Private Partnership policy will focus on...
This case will come to you in National Historic Preservation Month
Preservation provides context to understand our present and creates a reference library for our use as we plan for the future.
Raleigh Police Officers demand higher pay
We know the men and woman of RPD have met their goals. Now they just want alignment with their peers’ salaries. A 15% across the board raise for all officers would put their salaries in alignment with their peers.
April 8 and 9 City Council Meetings
Highlights from April 8 Budget work session, April 9 Afternoon Work Session, and April 9 Evening Public Comments Session
Your tax dollars NOT at work
Seven years ago (2017) the citizens of Raleigh overwhelmingly approved a $206 million transportation bond to make improvements to 16 roads. How are those projects coming along now that seven years have gone by? Why aren’t Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin and the rest of Council providing any oversight to get our much needed road improvements done?
Mine Creek Update – Ironwood Trail Survives – For Now!
Thank you to all who supported our efforts in protecting our community and saving the historic Ironwood Tail. This is a testament as to what community activism can do; a lesson that sometimes-real people do win; people with no deep pockets, no political clout. What is next? Our community feels we are safe, for now. Homeowners are now making plans to renovate their homes and decks instead of preparing to move. Although celebrating our win, a cloud of doubt still lingers. It is our hope that this vote will secure our future but only time will tell.
April 2, 2024 City Council Meetings
Highlights from April 2, 2024 City Council Meeting
Exclude apartment complexes from MSDs
I think the only way this MSD works is if the Alliance redraws the boundaries such that apartment complexes are excluded, or they go to the state legislature and get permission to implement an MSD on a sales tax basis and not a property tax basis. But the onus should be on the alliance to address the problematic aspects of the MSD BEFORE it is implemented and should not be a burden placed on residents AFTER the MSD is implemented.
Which Meeting Is Raleigh’s Future?
As the new Council leaders work to restore government transparency, integrity and trust, we hope they’ll encourage the Planning Director to take a closer look at his scope of work for the new 2050 Comprehensive Plan. The new scope should seek out the best consultants, the best Comp Plan models (like Minneapolis), and the best practices for empowering resident input.
INDY Week’s Best of Wake County 2024
The readers of INDY Week have nominated us as the “BEST LOCAL ACTIVIST GROUP”. We are humbled. It’s an honor just to be nominated. Also… WE WANT TO WIN. Voting is open March 27 thru April 17
Raleigh continues losing urban trees
As a city, we are currently not doing a very good job on two fronts: having a strong and aggressive program educating citizens and the building industry on the importance of tree preservation/protection, and, having some common sense regulations in place that will result in a better outcome for trees in the city.
Celebration of City Council vote to restore City support of CACs
At the February Hillsborough-Wade CAC meeting we gathered to celebrate and discuss the recent City Council vote to officially recognize and restore support for the Raleigh Citizen Advisory Council (RCAC) and all of Raleigh’s CACs.
March 19 City Council Meetings
HIGHLIGHTS Councilor Branch is absent and excused. Transit budget facing $8.2M deficit, even assuming resumption of fares on July 1, 2024. Several options proposed for addressing. Public comments covered rezoning issues, bus ridership, Prince Hall District, natural...