RaleighForward Roundup | Volume XXIV

Articles we found interesting this week:

1. The Housing Shortage Affects Everything, via The Atlantic.

2. Participatory budgeting is about to Blow Up Across the Country (including among NC local governments). Read more here.

3. The Rise of the Millionaire Renters, via Bloomberg.

4. Here is an article exploring why using a Housing Choice Voucher (formerly Section 8) is so difficult across the Country, from The New York Times.

5. In Montgomery, MD, a local elected official proposed legislation that requires the local government to consider building affordable housing every time it develops or redevelops publicly-owned property, via Yahoo News. Here is an article about such a redevelopment: An Artful Compromise over Density and Housing (for redeveloping a former fire station), from Bloomberg.

6. This article raises an interesting economic impact issue of remote work. Cities will need to learn how to adapt by encouraging more residential development in downtowns: Remote Work is Costing Manhattan $12.6 Billion per Year, from Bloomberg.

7. Washington DC to Provide Tax Abatements for Conversions to Residential Properties. Read more. 

8. City Council Continues its reimagining of its Community Engagement Program, from IndyWeek.

9. Here is an essay from The Atlantic exploring how the push for electric vehicles further exposes income inequality across the country: The Inconvenient Truth about Electric Vehicles.

10. A Highway that Does not Exist is Strangling a Black Neighborhood, from Bloomberg.

11. Many housing advocates tend to support inclusionary zoning without taking into consideration its modest impacts in communities where it has been implemented. Here is an opinion piece by Harvard researchers about a recent study examining the issue: The problem with using inclusionary zoning to build affordable housing. Read it in the Boston Globe. The complete study can be found on the RaleighForward site here.

12. When Suburbs go to War with Transit, via Bloomberg.

13. The Economic Resilience of Walkable Communities, via Bloomberg.

Council Meetings and Other Items of Interest:

1. Council met on February 20 to conduct the first work session on Raleigh’s FY 24 Budget. Staff focused on introducing the new Council members to the municipal budgeting process and the City’s budget in general. Each budget work session typically focuses on 1-3 substantive areas. This session focused on human resources since it is one of the largest components of the budget. Click here for the human resources presentation provided to Council by staff. Starting in 2021, Council set a policy of paying all full-time City employees a “living wage.” This slide from the staff’s presentation shows the City’s living wage progression since 2021 through FY24:

2. Council held its regular work session on February 21. The work session involved a general discussion of the City’s annexation policies and a specific discussion of service delivery policies and issues (fire in particular) associated with newly annexed areas.

3. Council’s Growth and Natural Resources Committee meets on February 28, 2023, to discuss two matters. The first is the Dix Edge Area Study Final Report. Planning Commission voted 8-0 to recommend approval of the Study, subject to modification to align with Planning Commission’s recommendation for rezoning case Z-53-22 (because Planning Commission voted 5-3 to recommend approval of 2 of the properties being rezoned per the Dix Edge Area Study Recommendations and 8-0 for the third property being rezoned). A public hearing on the item was held during the City Council’s special meeting on January 24, 2023. The hearing was held open and the item was referred to Council’s Growth and Economic Development Committee.

The Committee will also discuss Z-53-22 because there was concern raised during the public hearing held by City Council on January 24, 2023. This rezoning involves City-owned property being rezoned in order to develop a future Request for Proposal for the purpose of building badly needed affordable housing. The public hearing was held open and the rezoning case referred to the Committee because portions of 2 of the subject properties are located in flood zones. Residents and at least one Councilor suggested that placing affordable housing on these properties raised environmental justice issues despite the fact that City Code does not allow the construction of new buildings in flood plains.

4. The Safe, Vibrant and Healthy Community Committee meets on February 28, 2023 to discuss rezoning case Z-54-22. The case involves approximately 2.6 acres of land located at the intersection of Peace and West Streets. The rezoning seeks to change the zoning from Industrial Mixed Use-12-stories to Downtown Mixed Use 30-stories. Despite the fact that the property could be developed currently at 12-stories for a range of industrial uses, neighbors expressed concerns about the request for added height. Based on these concerns, Council referred the case to Committee for further consideration.

5. Planning Commission met on February 14 to consider a number of rezoning cases. Rezoning Z-59-22 is one of the most significant rezoning cases working its way through the review process. Shaw is one of the oldest HBCUs in the South. It recently embarked on a multi-year strategy to leverage its sizable real estate assets in the heart of Downtown to better serve the University’s mission.  Many universities are using similar public-private-assets to create state of the art facilities.  They do this by often entering into long-term ground leases with private developers.  For example, a developer might build new student housing above retail uses such as a grocer or pharmacy to serve the community.

To enhance the value of its real estate assets, Shaw is rezoning nearly 26 acres, including removing properties from the Prince Hall Historic Overlay District.  The rezoning request seeks to increase the development intensity of these properties by requesting Office Mixed Use and Downtown District Mixed Use District with heights ranging from 3 to 30-stories. Zoning conditions focus on transportation-related commitments such as improvements to MLK Boulevard, bus facilities, shared parking and interconnectivity through campus.  Conditions also preserve the historic buildings on the core campus, including Estey Hall.  Shaw has received sizable federal grants to assist in the refurbishing of these historic structures. The zoning conditions would allow Shaw to relocate two historic houses it recently acquired to locations beyond its core campus.  

The Raleigh Historic Development Commission recommended against the rezoning based on the removal of the Prince Hall Historic District and potential relocation of two houses away from their current locations.  The Prince Hall Historic District remains controversial in the Black community.  

Shaw has encountered substantial pushback from a group of alumni. Speakers came as far away as New York and Atlanta for the meeting.  However, the Planning Commission kept the discussion focused on matters related to the rezoning, asking for adjustments in height and uses.

Planning Commission will continue evaluating Z-59-22 during its February 28 meeting.

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