City Hall – Week of January 13, 2020
This is only a partial listing. Go to RaleighNC.gov to find links to latest meeting agendas and materials and also for updates on meeting cancellations.
All meetings are held at Raleigh Municipal Building, 222 West Hargett Street, unless otherwise noted.
Contents
- Recap from 1/7/20 Council Meeting
- What to look for in upcoming meetings
- Meeting calendar
- Surveys
Recap from 1/7/20 Council Meeting
- The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies recognized the city with a “Sustainable Water Utility Management Award” – reconfirming the good stewardship of previous councils despite opposition campaign rhetoric to the contrary
- Individuals wishing to speak before Council may now sign up within an hour of the meeting start time
- David Cox prevailed in scheduling the abandoned Capital Hotel site rezoning for an evening meeting (on February 4) to allow greater community participation
- Applicant for Raven Ridge rezoning was granted two week delay to address height concerns of neighbors – potentially a good sign
- Strickland Road rezoning case set for February 4
- Staff was tasked to move ahead with a text change to eliminate nonresidential parking requirements in the Downtown Mixed Use (DX) District
- By a 7 to 1 vote, the draft Cottage Court text change will now propose allowing cottage courts by right in R2 and R4 as well as R6 and R10 and will allow as many as 30 units per cottage court; opportunities for community input will be available during future Planning Commission meetings and City Council public hearing
- Economic Development and Innovation Committee (EDI) (chair Jonathan Melton) will meet on the fourth Tuesday of the month, from 1:30-3pm. No meetings are currently scheduled as no items have been referred to EDI.
- Growth & Natural Resources Committee (GNR) (chair Nicole Stewart) will meet on the fourth Tuesday of the month from 4-5pm (previously GNR was scheduled to meet for two hours, twice a month). Next meeting is January 28th.
- Safe, Vibrant, and Healthy Community Committee (chair Mary Ann Baldwin) is still working out permanent schedule, but next meeting will be at 11am on January 28th. May switch to 5:30pm on the fourth Tuesday. Need to coordinate with other scheduled meetings to meet in Council Chambers, allowing recording and broadcasting
- Transportation and Transit Committee (chair Corey Branch) will meet on the fourth Thursday at 3pm. Also coordinating with other scheduled meetings to try to meet in Council Chambers, allowing recording and broadcasting. Next meeting will be January 23rd at 3pm.
- Important to insist that all meetings be held in Council chambers to allow community engagement via recording and broadcasting which are not feasible from other building locations.
- During Council concerns, Saige Martin questioned the switch to more energy-efficient LED lights in historic neighborhoods, Corey Branch asked Raleigh Housing Authority to report on operations given the situation with Durham Housing Authority and MacDougald Terrace carbon monoxide issues, Jonathan Melton asked for discussion on whether greenways should be managed under Parks or under Transit, David Cox asked that council structure (# of council members, term length, etc) be added to the retreat agenda, Patrick Buffkin asked the Parks Board to provide input on a Parks bond and David Cox raised concerns about lack of plans for public engagement, Mary Ann Baldwin asked for a staff report on 2019 crime activity, appointed Patrick Buffkin to be Council liaison to the Midtown Raleigh Alliance, and discussed the need for a liaison to the League of Municipalities.
- Many appointments and nominations made to various boards and commissions, including many reappointments of members with poor attendance records. Mary Ann Baldwin nominated Dickie Thompson for reappointment to the RDU Airport Authority despite his purposeful failure to keep other Council members informed on the quarry issue for over a year. David Knight nominated Dee Freeman. The vote will take place at the next council meeting.
- Many spoke during the public comment period on topics including tree preservation (Baldwin asked for a staff report), council structure (task force will be appointed), rules of decorum, police oversight board, abortion, and environmental concerns. Saige Martin walked out on the final four speakers in order to follow up with one of the anti-abortion speakers.
- Four rezoning requests were approved. None particularly contentious.
- Text change TC-7-19 regarding infill subdivisions and recombinations was defeated 7 to 1, David Cox being the lone supporter. The previous council had asked staff to investigate this as an option for reducing the number of NCOD (Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District) requests. The NCOD process can be lengthy and time consuming for staff and for community members and was often invoked to prevent lot splits. However it has long been a tool offered by the UDO to preserve neighborhood character in support of the stated intent of the UDO’s Infill Compatibility standards: “The intent of the residential infill compatibility standards is to accommodate and encourage compatible development in existing neighborhoods, while reinforcing the established character of the neighborhood and mitigating adverse impacts on adjacent homes.” Nicole Stewart, who has gone on record as wanting to eliminate single-family zoning through the City, announced that the Growth & Natural Resources Committee will be studying whether NCODs should remain as a tool under the UDO. Not sure whether any potential changes would impact existing NCODs.
- Text change TC-13-19, Building Height, was approved 7 to 1, David Cox being the lone dissenter. This removes the height cap measurement in feet for buildings seven stories and above and clarifies that structured parking counts toward the maximum number of stories. Mary Ann Baldwin asked that Planning Commission consider also increasing the height of four story buildings from 62’ to 68’ and of five-story buildings from 75’ to 80’. Note that this does nothing to increase density but can negatively impact nearby residential structures.
- The News & Observer coverage of the meeting had at least one factual error in saying that “the council voted to start the process of allowing cottage courts in residential areas…” Cottage courts are currently allowed by right in R6 and R10 and by limited use in R2 and R4.
- INDYWEEK coverage, as usual, was biased in favor of the development community, lacked historical context, and included numerous factual errors.
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What to look for in upcoming meetings
- Planning Commission at 9am Tuesday, 1/14 – numerous rezoning requests
- City Council work session at 4pm on Tuesday, 1/14, featuring update on Residential Infill Development Report
- Leesville Road Improvement Project on Tuesday, 1/14 at 6:30pm
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Monday, 1/13
- 1pm – Board of Adjustment, agenda includes
- BOA-0038-2019: 603 S. Wilmington Street and 112 & 114 E Lenoir Street
- A-148-19: 603 S. Wilmington Street and 112 & 114 E. Lenoir Street
- BOA-0042-2019: 9331 Fawn Lake Dr
- BOA-0045-2019: 519 E Edenton St
- BOA-0048-2019: 500 Hoke Street
- BOA-0064-2019: 5101 Six Forks Rd
- A-160-19: 8 W. Peace Street, 605 Halifax Street and 5 Seaboard Avenue
- A-164-19: 301 W. Cabarrus
- BOA-0044-2019: 708 E Hargett St
- A-165-19: 708 E Hargett St
- BOA-0049-2019: 3304 Glen Royal Road
- A-166-19: 2201 S. New Hope Rd and 5125 Rock Quarry Rd
- BOA-0052-2019: 2501 Pine Village Road
- A-167-19: 2501 Pine Village Road
- BOA-0053-2019: 518 W South St
- BOA-0054-2019: 327 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.
- BOA-0059-2019: 702 E. Franklin Street
- BOA-0062-2019: 3088 Wake Forest Rd
- A-168-19: 908 New Bern Avenue
- 6pm – Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission
- Midtown/St. Albans Updates
- Results from the Downtown North-South Connector Open House
- Call for Annual Retreat Discussion Items
- 7pm – South CAC, Sanderford Road Neighborhood Center, 2623 Sanderford Road, agenda includes
- Bailey Drive Greenspace Project
- 2020 US Census and job recruitment
- 7pm – Southwest CAC, Carolina Pines Community Center, 2305 Lake Wheeler Road, agenda includes
- Homeless shelter and Transitions for Men
- Lake Wheeler sidewalks – Engineering Services presentation
- Census job opportunities
- City Council updates
Tuesday, 1/14
- 8am – Planning Commission Transportation Committee
- 9am – Planning Commission, agenda includes
- Comprehensive Plan Amendment CP-6-19 Blue Run Lane
- Text Change: TCZ-5-19/3708 Rock Quarry Road
- Rezoning Z-6-19 Davie, Harrington, Martin, and West, located in the block bounded by the titular streets.
- Rezoning Z-36-19 Poole Road, located in the northwest quadrant of the Poole Road and New Hope Road intersection
- Rezoning Z-37-19; 0 Page Road (Northwest CAC)
- Rezoning Z-39-19: 1031 North Rogers Lane, near the intersection of North Rogers Lane and New Bern Avenue
- Rezoning Z-41-19 Millbrook and North Hills, northwest quadrant of the Millbrook Road and North Hills Drive intersection.
- Rezoning Z-42-19: 5709, 5712, & 5716 Norcrest St, at its north end, 500 feet north of W. Millbrook Rd (North CAC)
- Rezoning Z-43-19: Leesville Road. The northwest quadrant of the I-540 / Leesville Road interchange (Northwest CAC).
- CP-12-19 Kindley Street
- Rezoning Z-44-19 Gresham Lake Road and Litchford Road, west of Nichols Road (North CAC)
- Rezoning Z-46-19: Willow Run South NCOD. The properties along Willow Run South Drive and connected cul-de-sacs roughly between Newton Road and Van Thomas Drive (North CAC)
- 12n – Raleigh Convention Center Commission
- 4pm – RHDC Nominations Committee
- 4pm – City Council Work Session, agenda includes
- Wake County 2020 Real Property Reappraisal
- City Planning Program & Project Updates (including update on Residential Infill Development Report)
- Civic Campus update
- Solid Waste Route Balancing
- 4pm – Arts Commission Executive Committee
- 5pm – Bicycle Planning Committee
- 6:30pm – Leesville Road Improvement Project Public Meeting, Leesville Road High School, 8410 Pride Way
- 7pm – Forestville CAC, Abbotts Creek Community Center, 9950 Durant Road, agenda includes
- 2020 Census job opportunities
- Thornton Road Townhomes
- Leadership Vacancies
- 7pm – North Central CAC, Tarboro Road Community Center, 121 N. Tarboro Road, agenda includes
- Fisher Street Park update
- Carver Park/Pender Street Park/John Stokes Memorial Garden Park update
- Black History Month program
- Sweetheart Dance
- 7:30pm – Mordecai CAC, Mordecai Historic Park Visitor Center, 1101 Wake Forest Road, agenda includes
- Looking for a new co-chair
Wednesday, 1/15
- 7:30am – RHDC Executive Committee
- 12n – CAMPO Executive Board Meeting, CAMPO Office, 421 Fayetteville Street, Suite 203
- 12:30pm – Fair Housing Hearing Board
- 7pm – Raleigh Citizens Advisory Council
Thursday, 1/16
- 9am – Raleigh Civil Service Commission
- 9am – Planning Commission Strategic Planning Committee
- 12n – Mayor’s Committee for Persons with Disabilities
- 4:30pm – Appearance Commission
- 6pm – Parks, Recreation, and Greenway Advisory Board
- 7pm – Atlantic CAC, Green Road Community Center, 4201 Green Road, agenda includes
- US Census
- Brentwood Park Update
- New Hope Church Road, Green Road, and Brentwood Sewer Construction project
- 2020 Property Reappraisal Update
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Downtown North-South Bicycle Facility survey
Through noon on February 3
