RaleighForward Roundup | Volume XXIV

Articles we found interesting this week:

1. There has been a lot of talk about converting empty office buildings into housing. This Assembly article explores how that is happening in some of NC’s largest cities.

2. Continuing with the conversion of office buildings into residential uses, here is a Washington Post article discussing barriers to making conversions possible.

3. Americans are Returning to Cities after Remote-work Exodus. Read it in the Washington Post.

4. NIMBYs Threaten a Plan to Build More Suburban Housing, in the New York Times.

5. Raleigh recently amended the regulations to reduce the barriers to building cottage courts. Here is a short video from Bloomberg’s CityLab of a similar concept, but with a unique approach to open space.

6. The national trend of cities eliminating exclusionary zoning continues with Arlington, VA. Read about it in the Washington Post.

7. Given the national trend to eliminate exclusionary zoning, here is an interactive tracking resource that follows zoning reforms across America.

8. Wake County Median Real Estate Price Drops $16,500 to $435,000, according to the Wake County Register of Deeds.

9. Most people argue that money drives politics, and that is often true. However, this article discusses how effective organizing can also be very powerful. 

10. Here is a great explainer from the NC Planning Journal on the racial underpinnings of exclusionary zoning.

11. Triangle Housing Shortage Continues to Escalate Since the Onset of the COVID Pandemic, IndyWeek reports.

12. Some in Raleigh argue that BRT will accelerate displacement and gentrification. Here is research that suggests the impact of BRT on residential property values could be overstated. 

13. There is often skepticism about reforms designed to make it easier to live car-free in car-centric cities. This Bloomberg article explores how Charlotte and Houston are trying.

14. Raleigh, like most cities, uses online surveys to gather resident input. Unfortunately, that often leads to overrepresentation of older, wealthier, white homeowners. This Citizenlab video explores effective online engagement strategies.

Council Meetings and Other Items of Interest:

City Council meets on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. There will be public hearings during the afternoon and evening sessions. Here are the items of particular interest:

1. Council will consider reforms to the public comment period by moving one opportunity to its monthly work session agenda and allowing all speakers 3 minutes to comment. Other matters to be considered are whether and how to implement time limits for the total amount of time to be dedicated to public comment during each meeting. Here is a link to the agenda materials.

2. The Dix Edge Area Study Comprehensive Plan Amendments will be considered by Council. Planning Commission recommended approval of the amendments unanimously. The amendments address affordable housing issues, Lake Wheeler Road pedestrian enhancements, as well as other issues. Here is a link to the agenda materials.

3. Council will continue the public hearing for rezoning Z-43-22 involving an existing 56-unit apartment complex near the Mordecai neighborhood. The rezoning will allow up to 280 units to be built on the property. Council continued the public hearing from March 21 to allow for amended zoning conditions. This is a prime opportunity to add additional housing near downtown. Here is a link to the full agenda package.

4. Council will continue considering rezoning Z-53b-22 which would rezone approximately 25 acres of City-owned property so it could be used for affordable housing. The Growth and Natural Resources Committee recommends denial of the rezoning and it is back before Council for final action. If Council denies the case, it will likely remain undeveloped and a missed opportunity to add affordable units near downtown. Planning Commission recommended approval with a 5-3 vote. Here is a link to the agenda materials.

5. Z-55-22 is another rezoning case the Council deferred in order to allow for further discussion between the developer and nearby residents. At the prior meeting, the neighbors requested that the developer reduce one of the proposed buildings from 8-stories to 12-stories. This demand came after the developer agreed to wrap a proposed parking deck on another part of the development with active uses. This additional request to reduce building height by 4-stories will eliminate a substantial number of proposed residential units. As the discussion proceeded, Councilor Melton expressed a desire for the applicant to allow outdoor seating on the site and also to consider increasing the height of a proposed parking deck (located on another street) to offset the potential loss of residential units on the other building. The potential loss of a significant number of residential units will do nothing more than exacerbate the City’s ongoing housing affordability crisis. It will be interesting to see what Council will do. Here is a link to the complete agenda package.

6. Next up is rezoning Z-75-22. The request seeks to rezone approximately 2.3 acres from Residential-4 to Residential-6. Under the current Residential-4 zoning, the owner could build 16 houses while the requested Residential 6 Conditional Use district would allow no more than 25 townhouses. District E Councilor Christina Jones asked that the case be deferred on February 7 to get more information on traffic impacts. The case came back before Council on March 7. Instead of acting on the rezoning request, Councilor Jones again asked for the case to be deferred until staff completed additional analysis. It seems unlikely after all of these delays that Councilor Jones will support the case. Here is the link to the agenda package.

7. Shaw University seeks to rezone 17 of its downtown campus properties (approximately 26 acres). This rezoning case is particularly interesting because of its potential impact on downtown. Shaw hopes 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 40-stories. The goal is to align the zoning of each parcel with Shaw’s long-term plans, as well as to enhance the University’s financial stability. The rezoning has generated a significant amount of debate and controversy among Shaw University students and alumnae. It is going to be interesting to see how this plays out before Council. Here is a link to the agenda package.

8. Rezoning Z-67-22 is an effort to reposition an existing shopping center located in the Brier Creek area off of Glenwood Avenue to allow a more diverse mix of uses, including office and residential. The rezoning allows for up to 890 residential units and 200,000 square feet of office uses, in addition to retail uses. The case also contains a condition requiring some affordable housing units if and when more than 400 units are built. Here is a link to the agenda materials.

9. Rezoning Z-72-22 could have a significant impact on the development of the area South of Downtown. It seeks to rezone almost 32 acres located in the vicinity of Lake Wheeler Road and Maywood Avenue. The property is currently zoned for a mixture of residential, commercial, and industrial uses with a maximum height of 3-stories. The request is to rezone the property to Commercial Mixed Use 20-stories with Conditions. Conditions allow for a maximum of 3,000 residential units, 1,500,000 square feet of office and 200,000 square feet of retail, with the possibility of adjustments among those uses. The rezoning also includes the following condition:

   For each gross square foot of office and retail use, $0.50 shall be contributed to the City, and for each dwelling unit and overnight lodging guest room, $100 shall be contributed to the City, in each case to be used to address housing availability in the City. Required contributions for each building's uses, as shown on each approved site plan, shall occur prior to the issuance of the certificate of completion for such building. 

   Planning Commission voted 6-2 in favor of the case. Here is a link to the agenda materials.

10. The last zoning case of the night is Z-87-22 which seeks to rezone just under 2 acres located along W Davie between S McDowell and S Salisbury St. The applicant seeks to go from Downtown Mixed Use 20-stories to Downtown Mixed Use 40-Stories with Conditions. Planning Commission voted 9-0 in support of the case. Here is the link to the agenda materials.

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