Archive for the ‘Trailwood Drive’ Category

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New American House Project Previewed at West CAC

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008

Phil Szostak (pronounced Shaw-stack) owner, developer and architect for the new green single family subdivision on Trailwood Drive joined the West CAC (Citizens Advisory Council) meeting on July 22, 2008 at Powell Drive Community Center to preview the New American House Project.

A quick introduction from Elizabeth Byrd reminded CAC members in attendance of the lengthy process that started out as a normal rezoning case, but morphed into a complicated PDD (planned development district). Why did a simple, 12 home subdivision go with a PDD? Well, there was nothing like it before. Nothing this green. So new, that the City of Raleigh Planning didn’t have definitions at the time.

New American House Project ThumbnailPhil took the audience through a very brief slide presentation describing the 12 home, modern, green subdivision located right off of Avent Ferry road behind the day care on Trailwood Drive. The homes will range from 1,800 – 3,000 sq. ft. in size. Lot sizes will range from 1/2 acre to about 1/4 – 1/6 of an acre.The plans are complete and he expects to start construction in the early fall (“September-ish”) time-frame, starting with 3 homes. There was a one-page handout available with a brief introduction to the project, contact information, and a few images of Lot’s 2 and 5, with an overview schematic of the property. The project will be “one of the few private developments in the Triangle to adopt rigorous sustainable development guidelines” and will meet “market demand for energy efficient, custom-built housing.”

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Posted in DDNA, Trailwood Drive | 1 Comment »

SWCAC Recap for July 14, 2008

Saturday, July 19th, 2008

The South West Citizens Advisory Council (SWCAC) met on July 14, 2008 at Carolina Pines Park. Here are my notes:

I was late to the meeting and missed the police report and Parks & Rec update. Generally, from RPD, robberies are up all around the city and that is their main focus right now. The rest of the meeting consisted of a review and vote of rezoning case Z-37-08 and an overview of the bicycle plan for the City of Raleigh.

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New Green Development Coming to Trailwood Drive

Thursday, July 3rd, 2008

Phil Szostak, owner, developer and architect for the new green single family subdivision on Trailwood Drive (just off Avent Ferry, across the creek from the daycare on the corner) is finally ready to break ground. Phil has requested to attend the July 22, 2008 West CAC (Citizens Advisory Council) meeting so he can reintroduce the project and present the final plans and drawings. It has been a long process and it’s exciting to have Phil share more about the first development of this type to be built in our area.

Meeting Information:

  • July 22, 2008 at 7:00 PM
  • Powell Drive Community Center (heading west on Western Blvd, turn left on to Powell Drive just past Pam’s Farmhouse Restaurant. Park is +/- 1 mile on the right.)

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RPD Works Speeding on Trailwood Drive

Saturday, February 2nd, 2008

Over the last two weeks, RPD – District 26, has been helping the Trailwood Drive community with some increased enforcement.  Captain Mise provided the following update:

  • Speeding: 134 charges
  • Other Traffic Related: 72 charges

In other news….

Unfortunately, neighbors are still seeing parking violations in Trailwood Hills.  For safety reasons, the HOA requested No Parking on certain streets in Trailwood Hills and a few people think they are above the law and can still park where they want.  Neighbors have noticed that there are a few cars here there that have been in violation.  RPD helped out and monitored the illegal parking and has reported that after issuing several parking tickets, they are now seeing voluntary compliance.

Posted in Lineberry Alliance, Trailwood Drive | Comments Off

The Battle over Infill

Monday, January 21st, 2008

For those of you that have been following the infill debate in Raleigh, the lines have been drawn and citizens from both sides are taking their stands. I first become educated on the issue from some Five Points residents forming Community SCALE.

Recently, another group of citizens organized around the issue and went more public with a new website: Renew Raleigh. Their mission? The website claims the following:

Renew Raleigh is a group of concerned Raleigh citizens —including homeowners, property owners and small business and service providers—who have grouped together to stop the City Council from adopting new policies that will take away property rights and diminish the property values of Raleigh’s homeowners by imposing significant restrictions on new and renovated homes.

I am actually intrigued with the issue. When I try to understand the bottom line, I say the debate over is the following: Property Rights vs. Neighborhood Rights

When you think about it, any property owner is entitled to their property rights. So where do neighborhood rights come in? I think their is a certain, unspoken expectation, that when you move into a neighborhood, you have a certain vision of what the neighborhood will look like for years to come. I believe that property owners have a right to improve their property, who wants to see a property deteriorate? I think the real issue is the teardown trend that people are seeing and the houses that push the zoning restrictions to the limits.

After all, according to the North Carolina Legislature, Planed Zoning Districts are the law. Any rezoning has to make a very good case if it doesn’t fit the current zoning. Hence, one of the main reasons why Raleigh is putting so much effort into the Comprehensive Plan.

This is a really interesting debate, Infill. City Council has a tough decision on it’s hands. Overall, I’ve found that there are many benefits to the right kind of infill, however, the teardown component probably needs to be addressed. For this to be resolved, I think both sides of the argument need to be willing to discuss the issue and come to resolution. Raleigh should address this issue now before it becomes just another growth issue like is has in so many other cities in the United States.

On a final note, I think that the Lineberry area probably isn’t too concerned with this issue right now as most of the homes here are fairly new. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t pay attention. The only area’s here that (I think) would be subject to infill are the older lots in Pleasant Ridge & Ramsgate and Trailwood Drive homes. Other than that, our area is pretty dense as it is.

Posted in PRR-Watch, Raleigh City Council, Trailwood Drive | Comments Off

No Parking Means No Parking

Saturday, December 15th, 2007

Trailwood Hills Drive & Lineberry Drive have been No Parking zones for quite a while, however, a vicious cycle of violators lead to No Parking Tow-Away Zones this past April. Tickets are still being issued to abusers and motorists now have a safer intersection at Trailwood Drive and Lineberry Drive. The curvy Lineberry Drive has stayed clear of no-parking violators with the exception of a few landscapers and moving vans here and there.

The Trailwood Hills neighborhood got a new look this week, a number of streets in this neighborhood now have limited parking to one-side only. Many residents returning to their homes this week found the No Parking signs posted on Laural Falls Lanes, Appalachian Drive, and Beach Cap Court, and parts of Trailwood Hills Drive (near the intersection of Lineberry Drive). A number of no parking tickets were issued to violators on Saturday morning, December 15, 2007.

The Trailwood Hills HOA requested the changes to increase the safety for the entire neighborhood and Raleigh City Council approved the proposal submitted by various city departments, including an evaluation performed by the Fire Department: “Parking on both sides of the street will prohibit access on these streets by emergency apparatus when meeting other vehicles head on. Parking only on one side may still affect fire ladder company operations. It is advised to prohibit parking at least on one side of this street and preferably both sides of each street as the minimum unobstructed width required in the NC Fire Code is 20 feet.”

Spurred by an influx of additional cars in this family neighborhood, some homes boasting 6-8 vehicles flooding the streets others choosing to convert their garages to semi-living space, the HOA has been looking for solutions when residents had trouble getting down their streets in their own vehicles on a daily basis. Over the past four years, the topic has come and gone, a number of meetings were held, and a variety of solutions discussed.  Even after all the meeting and discussions, some neighbors were still surprised this week. “When I got home last night I found a sign saying ‘No Parking’ in front of my house.” one neighbor emailed me.

The City of Raleigh likes street-side parking as it helps with traffic calming, another problem being felt throughout the Lineberry area, but the ability for emergency access far outweighs the need to park in front of ones home.  As neighbors adjust to the new parking rules, some will still find it convenient to park wherever they please.  As I learned through following this issue, the HOA is dedicated to the safety of their neighborhood and has the support of the Raleigh Police Department to enforce the new rules.

Posted in Lineberry Alliance, Trailwood Drive, Trailwood Hills | Comments Off

Trailwood Drive Safety Reinforced

Friday, September 7th, 2007

“Speed reductions to enforce safety on Trailwood Drive. Trailwood residents consider changing street rules.” An article by Brandi McElveen in NC State’s Technician reminds us about the Trailwood Drive speed limit changes over the summer.  Safety is at the heart of the change that residents asked City Council for back in December 2006.

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Issue with State Trooper

Thursday, August 9th, 2007

An article in the August 9th, 2007 News and Observer Newspaper reported that a Superior Court judge scolded state trooper Scott M. Harrison on Wednesday for targeting young, female drivers in his traffic stops.  The article states that Harrison generally worked the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift and concentrated most of his efforts on a quarter- to half-mile stretch of Trailwood Drive.  The article can be viewed at the link below. 

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/664827.html

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Technician Coverage of Lower Trailwood Speed Limit

Thursday, July 26th, 2007

NCDOT, City of Raleigh lower Trailwood speed limit
After a series of accidents, the speed limit on Trailwood Drive has been reduced.

Becka Huvard from NC State’s Technician covers the new Trailwood speed limits.

Posted in Lineberry Alliance, Trailwood Drive | Comments Off

Trailwood Enforced

Tuesday, July 10th, 2007

Last week, Raleigh Police Department put plans into action and stepped up enforcement efforts on Trailwood Drive.  By now, frequent travelers on Trailwood Drive have noticed that the speed limit in the city limits is 35 MPH and the limit in the NCDOT jurisdiction is 40 MPH.

A happy Fourth of July for some – over 25 speeding tickets were issued and 10 other violations were found during the enforcement efforts.  Over the rest of the week, RPD collected data and are using the results to implement future enforcement efforts.

Reports from the neighbors indicate a noticeable difference in speed for the majority of vehicles.  However, there are still some motorists testing the swiftness and handling of their automobile on the hills and curves of Trailwood Drive.

Lastly, NC State’s paper, The Technician, is planning on running a story about the reduced speed.  It’s been suggested that the story be run closer to the August timeframe when school is in session for the Fall Semester.

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