District D Neighborhood Alliance Saturday, February 21, 2009
A well-attended meeting of the DDNA that talked about the 2030 plan, the Planning Commission, front yard parking, Community services, and neighborhood organizing.
Attendee’s
- Alice Penny, Penmarc
- Marion Penny, Penmarc
- Connie Crumpler, Caraleigh
- Linda Brafford, Collegeview
- Ana Duncan Pardo, West Morgan, RCAC Chair
- Mary Belle Pate, Fairway Acres, SWCAC Chair
- Marsha Presnell-Jeanette, University Park
- Jim Paumier, Fairview Acres
- Shelby Gainer, Roylene Acres
- Philip Poe, Glenwood-Brooklyn
- Jason Hibbets, Lineberry Alliance
- Jamie Ramsey, University Park
- Thomas Crowder, District D City Councilor
Meeting Notes
We talked about the conflicting events that were occurring today, a design / sustainability for cities event is at the Convention Center. The event is focusing on lots of the principles discussed at DDNA and have similar concerns such as balance, parks, sustainability, etc.
We jumped right into recapping the 2030 focus groups. District D lead five focus groups (leaders): Urban Form (Bob Mosher), Parks and Greenways (Jamie Ramsey), Arts and Culture (Renee Bethea), Environmental Protection (Mark Vander Borgh) and Transportation Systems (Jason Hibbets). Comments from the group were entered in at the Limehouse portal at http://raleigh-consult.limehouse.com/ Citizens are able to add comments up to February 28, 2009.
Thomas helped organize a joint Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) meeting which included focus group leaders as part of a panel to discuss the 2030 plan with Planning Director Mitch Silver and Deputy Planning Director Ken Bowers on Wednesday, February 19, 2009. The meeting was a hit. It was well-attended and allowed citizens to ask the panel questions. Comments at the forum from Betsy Kane were well-received and resonated with the audience.
Next steps involve DDNA drafting a whitepaper. Topics would include a summary of the original comments submitted, top level concerns, and might include recommending that the new development code be synchronized with the adoption of the 2030 plan. Major elements that are missing from the plan are SHOD (Special Highway Overlay District) yards (which provide protection, buffer, wildlife habitats around highways), transitions, transects, boundary of downtown (Central Business District), and a few others.
We talked about the next steps for the 2030 plan and noted that there is a joint public hearing on March 19, 2009 with the planning commission and City Council. There were questions about how the planning commission is formed and if there are any requirements for the people that hold those positions.
Update on matters before city council include:
- Any site plan 2-acres and under now required City Council approval
- The City Council approved the Pawn Shop Text Change in its second reading. The vote was 5-3. The approval of this text change will now limit the location of new pawn shops to Thoroughfare and Business Zoning Districts. Previously pawn shops were allowed in Shopping Center Zoning Districts. Thanks to all of you who lobbied Council for this change in our Zoning Code.
- Front Yard Parking (FYP) is back on the agenda. The Public Hearing should be in April. There was a lengthy conversation about this with the DDNA group.
The FYP issue turned into conversation about the PROP and student rentals. Previously, suggestions were submitted to NC State. You can read more at this post: How to Solve Off Campus Housing Issues in our Neighborhoods.
We talked about Community Services and informed the group about the interim director, Kristen Rosselli (read more). Everyone raved about all the positive interactions they’ve had with her so far. We also talked about the Roylene Acres and Fairview Acres neighborhoods. They are struggling with building a neighborhood organization. We think a good topic at this years Neighborhood Exchange would be “how to build a neighborhood organization” and talked about the different stages it might exhibit and the different options that are available.
Ana Pardo provided an update on the Raleigh Citizens Advisory Council (RCAC) which includes all the chairs of the CAC around the city.
Action items:
- 2030 team leads to meet again.
- Send out information about the Strategic RPD meeting scheduled for March 23.