Last night was an important step in the process for adopting the 2030 Comprehensive Plan, the plan that outlines Raleigh’s growth and development for the next 20 years. There were over 2 hours of comments at the joint public hearing held with Raleigh City Council and the Planning Commission.
District D was well represented. Bob Mosher spoke on behalf of Cameron Park. Ron Aycock talked about transitions between downtown and existing neighborhoods. He was quoted in the News & Observer article, “Residents talk about how Raleigh should grow”
Ron Aycock lives on St. Mary’s Street near downtown. He expressed concern that the plan calls for downtown to expand west all the way to St. Mary’s.
“We really ought to be clear about the transitions to the existing built-out neighborhoods,” Aycock said. Most speakers Thursday night praised the updated draft as a bold new direction for Raleigh.
Donna Bailey and Jason Hibbets spoke on behalf of the District D Neighborhood Alliance (DDNA), dividing up speaking time between Parks & Rec and Environment and Urban Form / Growth Framework, Land Use, and Transit. Read the full comments from DDNA. (PDF)
Milt Rhodes, who’s been an active member of the focus groups, also spoke – pointing out that support with condition although supportive, still means that there is room for improvements. Rhodes stated that he was not pleased with some of the comments from staff, (paraphrasing) “Nice idea, thanks for your comment. No change needed.”
Jeanine Grissom spoke about transitions between residential and mixed use, expressing concerns about safety with parking areas bordering backyards and not having a good buffer. Phil Poe also spoke providing some of his comments about the plan.
All-in-all, the plan is strong. There was a lot of support for the document, but still room for improvements. Mitch Silver, Ken Bowers, and staff received numerous thank-yous. The time and effort put into this plan from staff and from citizens is countless. Although there was little opposition, there were numerous words of wisdom from citizens.
Former Councilor Tommy Craven even spoke, warning that council about the choice of words in the plan and how there is room for interpretation. Several councilors got a few chuckles from that as I’m sure they were reflecting on past debates over staff’s interpretation of previous zoning cases and other planning items.
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