June 18: The week ahead in Raleigh
Here’s what we’ll be watching this week:
The Planning Commission is seeking more time to review TC-2-23 related to amending Raleigh’s current Transit Overlay District (90 additional days), proposed amendments to the Comprehensive Plan related to the New Bern Avenue Transit Overlay District CP-7-22 (120 additional days), as well as rezoning Z-92-22 which applies a Transit Overlay to the New Bern Avenue BRT corridor (120 additional days). This will give the Planning Commission additional time to review these proposals and to gather additional community input.
Council will once again take up the issue of potential changes to how Councilors are elected, as well as the possibility of using a scientific poll with random sampling to assess residents' views on issues like four-year staggered terms.
Council will review the proposed annual work plan for the Community Engagement Board.
The Shaw University Rezoning Z-59-22 is back before Council after deferring the case for several months to allow for additional resident engagement. Recently added conditions provide for student housing at prices no higher than the average of those of other Raleigh universities. New conditions also impose mandatory community meetings for 3 years to provide updates as development plans are submitted. The Assembly included a detailed article in their most recent edition that does an excellent job exploring the various competing interests surrounding this rezoning case.
Rezoning Z-93-22 seeks to rezone approximately 8.24 acres located on the west side of South Wilmington Street, on the block north of Ileagnes Road and South of Parkland Drive. The request seeks to increase the permitted height from 3-stories to 20-stories but keeping the existing Commercial Mixed-Use designation with Transit Overlay District. The trend since the current Council was elected continues with the applicant including a condition requiring the developer to either provide 10 dwelling units reserved for people making 60% AMI (1% of the total # of units permitted) for 10 years or pay the City a fee in lieu of $40,000 per unit. This proposal will provide approximately 1,000 new residential units, as well as permit additional office and retail uses. While these conditions may appear to address the affordable housing crisis, they will actually do very little in the long run. Raleigh needs to focus on creating permanent affordable housing rather than these kinds of housing options.
The Board of Adjustment met on June 12, 2023, to continue hearing the Hayes Barton Neighbors’ appeal of the recently approved preliminary subdivision for 18 townhomes. At the meeting, the case was deferred and will now be heard on June 29 and June 30. Click here for the agenda material.