City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening, everybody. I'll go ahead and start the meeting. Before we start, because we have had a little bit of confusion still from the public comment on Litchford Road that we could not hear last time. I just want to read a little comment there so in case anybody is here about the process going forward on that case. So council could not by law open the public hearing on June 2nd due to an error in the published notice by the News and Observer. At that time, Council was faced with two legal options, reschedule the Council public hearing to a future date, or two, refer the case back to Planning Commission for additional review. Given that the applicant had indicated plans to revise their conditions, Council chose the second option, which is to send it back to Planning Commission. This option provides residents with two additional opportunities to provide public comment on the rezoning request rather than one. So you'll have the option to go before planning commission and then again at council. As a result, residents will have multiple opportunities to review and comment on any changes the applicant may propose before a final decision is made. So just wanted to clarify that because it has understandably been very confusing. All right, so we will go through three minutes each. First speaker is Eugene Myrick. Oh, yes, and Jonathan Lambert-Melton is absent and excused. Thank you.

Good evening.

I want to start by first thanking Council Member Fort for bringing the transportation folks to the Biltmore Hills meeting. Just like we said to them, they can't do anything without coming to the city council. And one of the things that the transportation departments mentioned was that there were multiple accidents on Crosslink. They said the first option is to put up stop signs that are $300. The second option is to put up roundabouts that's $700. And the third option is a stoplight that's $100,000. And I said to them, we're talking about life and death situations. We're talking about multiple accidents. And I'm sure some of you know, because many of you probably voted for the $100,000 dog park that's downtown. The gate with the mulch, $100,000. So I don't think it's too much to ask for a stoplight that's going to prevent multiple accidents on Crosslink. Additionally, I wanted to mention There are several issues, and it might have been five o'clock this morning that I heard gunshots in Biltmore Hills Park. I came up here several times to say, asking can we get cameras in Biltmore Hills Park. Nothing. There was a case that I saw on the news of somebody saying that someone exposed themselves. I took my garbage out. I took my neighbor's garbage out. I saw a gentleman walking down with no bottom in Biltmore Hills Park. They literally sent me a subpoena. They told me I was a victim. I didn't know I was a victim because I saw somebody walking around with no bottom. And the thing is, I didn't know what to do. I didn't know to call the police or call to ask for help. because I was concerned. I didn't want the police to come and hurt somebody who could have been having a mental crisis. I didn't know exactly what to do. But either way, it's not a safe situation. For me, as somebody with a two-year-old granddaughter who loves to run around in the backyard and play around, it's just not a safe situation. So once again, I am coming to say the buck got passed around a couple times in regards to us needing more cameras for safety in Biltmore Hills Park. Thank you.

Thank you. Keisha Monk.

Today I want to address my public comment directly to you, the public, because there's something I need for you to know. A couple of years ago, the city proposed traffic calming measures in my neighborhood, which sounded really good, until we learned that they wanted to install bike lanes. You see, Biltmore Hills is a little different than most neighborhoods in Raleigh. It's a historic community. It is not a transient neighborhood. It is home to seniors, families, bus riders, school children, and people who have lived here for generations. We repeatedly explained that bike lanes are not a one size fit all solution in every neighborhood. And it would not solve every traffic challenge. So we asked for alternative traffic calming measures. And you know what they said? Or you know what they did? They installed the bike lanes anyway. They installed a two-way bike lane, taking up nearly half the road, adding bright green paint markings for cyclists, as you can see, narrowing driving lanes and leaving drivers in complete confusion. So if you're riding a bike, the city made it crystal clear where you belonged. But if you're driving a car, you were left largely to guess. Sorry. Can't do video anymore. So after that, I sent emails. I took pictures. I tried my best to explain how horribly dangerous this was. I even contacted DPTA at Fuller Elementary, which is literally on that corridor. I created a survey, got feedback where everyone said it was a problem. And I emailed the results to the council. Crickets. But if you drive through other parts of Raleigh, you can see they ensure that these bike lanes are safe and that there are lots of markings in the middle of the road for drivers, right? And then this happened. A head-on collision that occurred on the very roadway where residents repeatedly, where we repeatedly warned the council this would happen. So I'm asking you, I'm talking to the public, to pay attention. Pay attention to who listens. Pay attention who dismisses concerns. Because the people in this community did everything that they were supposed to do. We spoke up, we participated, and we warned them. So why would you care? Because I'm asking you to make a mental note in November. Remember who listens to you, and more importantly, remember who didn't. Thank you.

Thank you. Octavia Rainey.

Good evening. First of all, I would like to say our neighborhood, we had our very first night last Friday at Washington Terry's Shopping Center. We had food trucks. We had vendors. We had children's play area. We had spoken word. We had close to 400 people. And this was our first time ever doing first night. I was so excited. I was so proud of my neighborhood. I just didn't know what to do. So I'm just proud of my neighborhood and we're going to be doing it again in July again. First night is very important to us. So we are joining in the crowd and celebrating our neighborhood. I love College Park. I love Washington Territory and I love Idlewild. I just love my neighborhood. The second thing I want to talk about, on the corner of Swain and Hoggart Street, as you know, and I'm going to give a quick quiz. History lesson, that used to be the old YMCA, 1944 Sojourner Truth. What I want to say, this infield development came through there and made all of that a private development. And do you know, there's no sign up, even close to that was the YMCA. You know, we've got to be careful about how we do infield development and how we erased black neighborhoods. That should have never, ever happened. Notice, I'm doing a tour in July, and I'm doing a tour of all of the infield development in Southeast Raleigh. excuse me, in the inner city. I'm just going to focus on the inner city. I want to prove my point, and I'm going to ask Kay Crowder to come, because we had plenty of disagreements about the infield, and I'm sticking to my guns, because my point is proven now. Infield development, you don't even recognize black neighborhoods no more. And to be honest, they are gated, Marshall. They just haven't put up the gates yet. When I was on the corner of Swain and Hoggett, you know the lady asked me, are you lost? I started to say, do I look like I'm lost? I don't look like I'm lost. Because I'm black, I'm lost in this white area here? And then I paused. I said, no, ma'am, I'm not lost. I said, I'm just amazed at all of what I'm seeing back here. And I really, really was. You know, they got houses starting at 600,000 to 800,000. Now I know that's good for your tax base, but it's not good for the community. It's not good. They are being pushed out. And you don't leave anything that we even recognize or know what it is. So I'm going to help y'all a little bit with that in July with my tour. And I'm sending my invitation to Kay Crowder because I got a special letter for her.

Thank you. Next, we have Lisa Hewitt. Good evening.

Good evening. I'm here tonight to talk about affordable housing. My frustration isn't with the issue itself, but with how difficult it is to find clear and clean metrics on the city's progress and understand the challenges standing in the way. I want to be an informed advocate, but I don't have the time or the tolerance for frustration required to constantly monitor council agendas and sift through meeting materials just to learn what the city is doing. Right now, that's effectively the only way to do it versus putting all of this information on an affordable housing webpage. There are legitimate reasons affordable housing remains a challenge in Raleigh. Many have been discussed in your meetings. Rapid population growth, rising construction costs, reductions in federal funding, and legal constraints. The research, data, and innovative ideas presented by Ken Bowers, Pat Young, and Emma Sutton on these topics have been eye-opening, but they're lost. They help residents ask better questions, develop realistic expectations, and contribute meaningfully to the conversation. The problem is that the information is often buried in work sessions that most residents will never find. Whether intentional or not, the city makes it extraordinarily difficult to access meaningful housing data, understand the barriers to success, and evaluate proposed solutions. Recently, I wanted to know, How many affordable units were created in the city during the current fiscal year? Go to the dashboard, right? Nope. Those numbers are misleading. Metrics such as home buyer assistance are grouped with housing production. You can't find out what the total number is. Ironically, I found housing updates reported by news agencies that were easier to access than information on the city's own website. Now, as we approach a new $100 million housing bond referendum, accountability matters. Residents should be able to see, in one place, which projects received funding, how much was invested, how many units were created or preserved, and the affordability levels reached. After the last housing bond, the city promised such transparency. Instead, there are two web pages, one largely devoted to defining what a housing bond is, There is still no simple public accounting of where the money went or what outcomes it produced. Can you understand why residents are so skeptical? Affordable housing is difficult enough. Finding information about it shouldn't be. And one final request is that the city update the city's affordable housing rezoning condition to reflect the current data that the housing department has done from $40,000 to $54,000. Thank you. Thank you.

Chris Crew.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, Madam Mayor. Missing Middle is a 21st century equivalent of trickle-down economics. It's magical thinking. A 1,550-square-foot, two-bed, one-and-a-half bath house built in 1950 by its owners on East Lane Street, sold one year ago for a little over $350,000. The current zoning is R10HS, indicating that there's some historic value placed on the property. The average price of a home in Raleigh is $459,000. And today, thanks to developer-friendly zoning concessions, Realtor.com values that property at $1.79 million. It's now unclear what will replace this charming mid-century home, but it's unlikely to be anything close to affordable. and highly likely to be a quickly and lightly built luxury unit of some source. We can't tell because plans are not required to make these changes. Next week two hearings will help secure the future or hasten the demise of historic resources in Raleigh. Z526 and Z3925 have already taken an inordinate amount of our time as the city seeks to entice development on the parcels that represent 5% of properties in the city that are protected by historic or neighborhood character overlays. Is this development going to be neighborhood compatible? Is it going to preserve the historic character of the districts? Is it going to increase the availability of affordable housing? Our housing crisis is not going to be solved by the wanton demolition of naturally occurring affordable housing to turn it into luxury housing. Our public transportation goals are not going to be supported by creation of more luxury housing with large off-street parking pads and two or three car garages occupying the first floors. Our housing crisis can be mitigated by preserving the stock of densely packed, economically sized, and historically relevant structures that exist in Raleigh's older and established neighborhoods. Roughly 25% of the parcels in Raleigh are already zoned for three- or four-story mixed use. Our city is dotted with moribund shopping plazas along existing and planned public transportation routes. Our efforts to update the comprehensive plan should be directed toward improving these properties in support of our housing and transportation goals instead of continuing down the path that will erase the charm, the culture, and the history that makes Raleigh such an attractive place. Place character over profit and preserve that which makes Raleigh unique. Follow the plan and do your part to redirect development efforts into areas that will allow continued growth. Thank you.

Thank you. Alex Lewis.

Madam Mayor and city council members, thank you very much for providing this time to speak about a pressing issue in our gem of a neighborhood. Roanoke Park Historic District in Five Points. Hanover Street and the streets bordering the park, Greenwood and Cherokee, comprise just 50 lots. Surrounded by Bickett Boulevard, Fairview, Roanoke Park Drive, and tucked a few blocks off of Glenwood, this is a community where neighbors support each other through life's joys and challenges. Children ride their bikes and play with events that play in the park year round. Our neighborhood is a microcosm of Raleigh's traditional neighborhood values married with new development. It's regarding one such development, Trophy Brewing, that we seek your assistance in addressing issues created by the removal of minimum parking requirements. Trophy, located directly across from this historic neighborhood, has been a welcome addition, transforming a vacant warehouse into a vibrant, family-friendly microbrewery next door to the award-winning restaurant Aja. However, its success has created unintended but predictable impacts as a direct result of the elimination of minimum parking requirements. To better understand these impacts, A core group of neighbors conducted a survey over this past Memorial Day weekend. The survey results included in your packets achieved a 50% response rate, with most replies received within the first 12 hours. Hanover Street, like the neighborhood, is a mix of craftsmen, post-war cottages, and scattered new development. Unlike the rest of that neighborhood, 40% of the residents on that street do not have a driveway. 28% have a driveway that supports a single car. So 68% of the residents on Hanover Street rely on on-street parking for access to their homes. Trophy's 250 plus seats plus their planned expansion quickly consume all available parking. Residents often return home from work unable to park near their homes or unable to leave their homes in an evening because for fear of not being able to find a space. Other adjacent streets face different challenges. Greenwood and Cherokee border the park. and are heavily used by residents as well as visitors. There are no sidewalks on these streets. Since Trophy has opened, increased traffic and speeding from patrons frantically searching for parking has raised safety concerns, particularly for the children, walkers, and pets in and around the park. Speeding and related traffic issues have increased on Bickett Boulevard and along Roanoke Park Drive. The closer the residence is to Trophy, there has been a severe...

I think if, yeah, since you've hit your three minutes, but thank you, and that was thorough, and you've sent us a package, so.

Thank you.

Next, Misa Seltari. Okay, not here. Whitney Hill.

Good evening, Mayor and City Council. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. Growth should pay for growth. My name is Whitney Hill, longtime resident of North Raleigh. I'm here to speak tonight about affordable housing in Raleigh. I believe Raleigh needs more housing. We need housing that working families, seniors, young professionals, teachers police officers, firefighters, and service workers can actually afford, which is the old Raleigh I used to know. But affordability cannot just be a slogan. It has to be real. It has to be measurable, measurable being the key. And it has to reach the people that are being priced out of our city. But we also need to be honest. Not every project that adds density creates true affordability. Affordable housing should not just mean slightly less expensive market rate housing. We need housing that reaches people below medium income. We also need to preserve the affordable housing that we have, that we're tearing down. Older apartments, starter homes, naturally affordable housing are disappearing and being replaced by expensive homes and rentals. The most affordable home is often the one that we already had. I went to college here, never had problems getting affordable housing when I was in school. That is why I believe Raleigh needs preservation first mindset, especially in areas facing pressure from redevelopment. At the same time, Growth should help pay for growth. When rezonings create significant new value, the public should receive real public benefit in return. That may include affordable housing commitments, sidewalks, stormwater improvements, and other public infrastructure improvements. Growth should not be a blank check for developers or a tax burden on existing residents. We can build more homes and still respect people that already live here. So my message is simple. Build homes, not excuses. Respect neighborhood voices. Our local residents should not be burdened with paying for the growing local economy with tax increases. My name is Whitney Hill. Growth should pay for growth. Thank you.

Thank you. Hannity Ali is in here. Okay. Mamakai Sanders.

Good evening y'all, it's another amazing day in paradise. I just wanted to say thank you for your service. Congratulations on passing the new budget yesterday. I don't always agree with your decisions, but I respect what you do. And it's unfortunate that Jonathan's not here because I was on my Facebook yesterday and had a He was one of the people that it suggested I connect with. And I went onto his page and I was just scrolling through and I was really shocked by something that he shared on there about somebody that had been stalking him and making threats towards him and other people in the LGBTQ plus community. And it broke my heart.

And it made me think of the things that you guys go through that I do and don't know about just to sit in that seat. And so while I don't always agree with you, while you are forced to face a lot of voices on things that you can and cannot control.

I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you.

And that as the summer comes, I know y'all are taking a break, but I know that's gonna ramp up election season. And for some of you, that might be a really challenging time again. And so... That's been on my heart. I think part of it is because the Obama Presidential Center just opened. And just to imagine what he went through on a national level, you know, and he has security. So I just want to say that, you know, politics doesn't have to be as nasty as it is. And we can agree to disagree. We don't have to get along and be best friends. But we can at least respect each other at the end of the day.

And so I just wanted to say that what I've learned is while I can't necessarily rely on what I say here creating change in this room, and a lot of that has to do because you may not have the power to do anything about what I have to say. But I'm grateful I've had the opportunity to speak and you will continue to hear from me. And I just want to say, please continue to watch me make change because it's coming. What you can't do, I plan on doing. And with the support from the community. So just pay attention. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. So thank you once again and have a great summer. Thank you.

Matthew Brown.

Good evening, thank you for your service, and thank you for letting me speak. I know we are trying to ameliorate the shortage of affordable housing, but some of the city's methods are counterproductive. Case in point, over on East Lenora Street, across from Lincoln Middle School, were two beautiful historic houses. They had been affordable rentals for many years. They were small, but they were fine houses. Lenore Street used to be a really fine street for the black upper middle class. These were good houses. They were on small lots. They were zoned R10. There was no incentive to demolish them until the city put them in a frequent transit district with an affordable housing density bonus, which means that you could put twenty-one units where those two houses were. This created an incentive to destroy these affordable houses. And a developer did that and is building a huge black and white box that will have twenty-one units. Nineteen of those 21 units will be condos selling for between 395 and $530,000. Two of the units will be affordable to someone making 60 percent, a single person making 60 percent of the area median income, which is $93,000. And those two units will be itty-bitty. They'll be half the size of the condos and will have no balcony. And the rent will be about the same as what the rent was on those two houses that they tore down. And if I were a person or couple or family, I would much rather rent a small house with a yard and trees than an itty-bitty unit and a box of condos. So in reality, this was a loss for affordable housing. It was definitely a loss for this historic black neighborhood. But it's a win for this developer. He will sell 19 units for half a million each. He will do very well. Now, some will say, well, we want the density because it's on the bus line. That is a total joke. Nobody paying half a million dollars for a condo will ever set foot on that bus. They'll just get in their car that's in the parking garage in the building. I bet even the people in the tiny units that make 60,000 a year, they won't even ride the bus. We are being scammed, y'all. We are being scammed and they're knocking down our beautiful old neighborhoods, knocking down our affordable houses. Please help if you can. Thank you.

Thank you. Next, Curtis Casevang.

Hello. Curtis Casevang, 519 Polk Street, Raleigh, part of Oakwood. Many of you know me from my time on the Historic Districts Commission. I did eight years on the commission, four as chair, all eight on the COA committee. Some of you actually know me as a theater consultant. I design theaters and concert halls all over the U.S., Canada, and into Europe. But today I'm gonna talk to you about Preservation Raleigh. Preservation Raleigh is a new but old non-profit that was created in response to a comp plan work item to encourage the development of a preservation advocacy organization in Raleigh and it was created out of the bones of a dead not-for-profit that was the forerunner of the Raleigh Historic Districts Commission. We are here to provide you with fact-based information on preservation in Raleigh and to help the community pursue goals of community neighborhood which we call neighborhood stability. To date, we've been commenting on Section 106 reviews, working with developers and the community to find common ground on changes in these areas, providing competent testimony for the COA hearings, answering questions from the community, and offering support to RHDC staff, which RHDC is terribly understaffed. We've also been conducting some highly successful awareness things like the Hidden Gems tours we've been doing throughout the city, one of which included the toilet tour, which was quite a big thing where we went and found historic toilets in Raleigh. So lastly, we're available to you as a resource. So please reach out if you have any questions, want any assistance with any of these things. That's why we're here. Thanks for seeing me.

Thank you. Leon Reich.

Good evening, Madam Mayor and Council. I'm Leon Reich. I am a 23-year resident on the Ravenhill Drive, the only cul-de-sac off of Johnsdale, the area we're dealing with. I was a bit surprised to be returning to appeal for our community of neighbors and families on Johnsdale. The people of this community who are without the financial means to get lawyers to do battle have poured their hearts, and you have received information over the many times we've been back, to hear their hearts and appeals for you to consider the damage and danger such a proposed large development would mean to all of our quality of life. The efforts by the developer to offer changes only after it appears he won't maybe be successful is an insult to us and really in the process. Do the changes to application change the conditions on the ground? Do the changes to the application give the city a reason to disregard our valued concerns? Tonight we are all here, yet another neighbor with concern we have not yet covered. The perspective of those whose homes will be directly abut the super silt fence. The people close to this development will be impacted in further ways that the rest of us might not. We are here in numbers again to support Seth's message specifically. You will hear about more wells, more septic tanks, more yard flooding, more creek erosion, more traffic concerns, in general the disruption to the environment that we have right now. What is new is the impact this poses as scale. This development is being dropped right on top of or in the middle of existing protected by covenant homes. The privacy invasion, light disturbance, noise disruption, land disturbance affected the properties next door to these people in a special way. Would you allow your neighbor to subdivide into 16 feet wide properties alongside your property? This is not asking one person to have a next door neighbor. This is asking one person to potentially have 15 balconies, windows, and garages overlooking their entire property. Is this compatible with the existing neighborhood? What are the cumulative impacts? I appeal to you who have the power to make this decision to help maintain at least some level of this precious quality of life for these, our family and friends, and to vote to deny the rezoning of 6309 Litchford. Thank you.

Thank you. Seth Wells.

Good evening, Mayor and Council Members. Thank you, Leon. That was solid. My property is next to this property on Johnsdale, on Lynchford, the Z4325 case. I'm here to talk in opposition to it. This is literally next to my home. Two doors down from me is my mother and father. My mother is legally blind. My father is older as well. I have a seven-year-old who loves to play on the street and ride his bike. the proposal to turn this into R10 and be literally in between multiple homes. I sent you all an email in opposition, as well as a video that I put on Google Drive for you. If you got a chance to watch it, wonderful. But it's very close to four different houses on Litchford and on Johnsdale, and then two other houses on Johnsdale. Its backyard would be right there. We've drawn up some AI images just to see what could this even look like. We've not seen the outcome of the possibility of this. But there's going to be 30 homes looking into my backyard. I have a small child. Again, I have a family that I'm concerned about their safety and what the difference is. Now, that doesn't mean I'm not for development. I would love to see more housing and more homes. Our houses are all pretty affordable for the Raleigh area, especially for where we are. The home my parents bought was $400,000. It's brick. One story, three bedrooms, two baths. You can still get a nice home in North Raleigh for a normal price. This area should be developed with single family homes, normal residential size lots. Make it into the spirit of the community, which it all is. If you haven't had an opportunity, before you vote on this, please come down our street. Come say hello, at least drop by, see what it looks like. Going down Litchford is insane. Getting out in the mornings on traffic, very crazy, very dangerous. Our street is not very wide. Even passing each other on Johnsdale is crazy to get out in the mornings. We have the school traffic, which you've probably heard about, which is going into the high school. All those kids, listen, when I had my license at 16, 25 miles an hour, that's awesome. That's where we started out at, right? There's speed bumps. It doesn't help. Kids fly through the stop signs. It's not good. So think about it. When you're going to vote for this, think about my kid, my 7-year-old on his bike or on his power wheels going down the street. We have a bike night every Tuesday. All the kids get together. If we end up having 50, 60 more people, families living in traffic coming in and out, think about the impact there. We don't have sidewalks. We have no curbs. It's very dangerous for us and our families that are there. Thank you all.

Thank you. Eva Verlinden.

Hi there. Thank you for having us this evening. My name is Eva Verlinden. My husband and I started looking at homes in 2009. We gave our realtor some pretty strict criteria. We wanted a ranch house in an old neighborhood with good bones, larger lots and trees. After months of searching, we found our house on Johnsdale. Perfect little neighborhood. And a surprising bonus for us was that the majority of the homes in the neighborhood still had wells and septic, which is very unusual, but it was wonderful for us because that's what we had been used to in our previous two homes. I'm here tonight to ask you to deny the rezoning case Z4325 because I'm concerned about how these additional homes are going to affect our wells and septic systems. I'm not the only one that has those concerns. Our neighbor Liz Palizzo spoke very eloquently on May the 12th at this meeting about how this development could affect her family's health and safety. I'm going to try to reiterate some of the things that Liz said along with some new things because what she said was so important. We already have issues with standing water on our street and yard flooding. Additional homes will only increase the runoff, which is going to be a burden to the yards north of the property, including mine. Standing water near wells and septic could create a contamination risk. If the developer moves forward with the plans for 6309 Litchford Road, they're going to destroy a majority of the trees and they only are going to have to leave 10% green space. Mature trees provide shade. They're a natural filtration and absorption system. They also slow runoff, reduce standing water, and protect the groundwater that we drink. They protect our wells. Removing them increases the volume and speed of stormwater reaching our wells and septic systems.

Now, you say, well, connect to city water and sewer.

Well, that's unique for us, and it could be very cost prohibitive. Our homes have very large setbacks from sewer and the meters. I mean, my house sits back probably, when we looked into having it done, they said it could cost upwards of $50,000. That's cost prohibitive for most of us. Many of the homes sit below grade and would require a pump. Connections on the east side of Johnsdale would require digging up the street. The existing residents should not have to shoulder this burden and the cost and impacts of this development.

Thank you. Vicki Reich.

Good evening. I'm Vicki Wright. This is my third time to come and speak to you. This whole process is new to me. personally it feels like an insult to you that we keep coming and telling you the same thing over and over because i know you're smart enough not to forget what we said two weeks ago but you do you do very well in listening to us you don't look like you're falling asleep which i might do uh... or start my grocery list you know but you you do very well so it's very important please do really listen Being a parent and a middle school teacher all my life, I've had many times of repeated convincing talks with teens about something that I didn't think was wise. I remember telling my own teenagers, you just can't see the whole picture. They can't. Even though I can't see the whole picture of what you have to go through to make these decisions, I do understand the importance of adhering to the city planning policies. As they are described in that 600 page, has anyone read it, comprehensive plan written in 2005 that goes to 2030. The purpose of a city planning is to rely on professionals and citizens to shape our future. The comprehensive plan covers it all. It gives many perspectives, policies, goals, you know all that. I feel it's necessary for Raleigh to hear some quotes because the words are being manipulated to support development. If you flip the perspective, the same words are available to support our efforts as to deny this rezoning. I'll read just a couple. Land use 2.6. All amendments to the zoning map that significantly increase permitted density should be carefully evaluated to ensure that impacts in infrastructure capacity resulting from the projected intensification of development are adequately mitigated. Number eight, five, new homes within residential neighborhoods should respect the existing scale. Residential neighborhoods that currently consist of largely detached homes can accommodate additional housing types, but these housing types should be similar scale to existing detached homes. Number 8.3, recognize the importance of balancing the need to increase the housing supply and expand neighborhood commerce with the parallel need to protect neighborhood character, preserve historic resources, and restore the environment. I do respect your decision. I trust you. And I'm not gonna be mad at you, no matter what you do. But I do believe that you see the obvious reasons to deny the rezoning of 6309 Litchford Road. And our community will stick together no matter what happens. Thank you.

Thank you. Nikki W.

Evening. Today I want to express my thoughts on the studios at 2800 AKA Junction Point Studios. I was placed there a while ago after mistreatment at the shelter, having no knowledge of it, being refused to be placed or assisted to go elsewhere. Over time, I've experienced a broken elevator, a tremendous road intimidation from neighbors, I've been influenced by substances I don't even use, harassed to the point that I don't feel comfortable changing my clothes in my own home, and my phone has been hacked. How can you expect one to thrive in this environment? The city said that they acquired these apartments to save affordable housing, not having done much research. As a result, it's been assessed that it's thrown away money that could have been or should have been used for reconstruction. As a tenant, I'm disappointed at the safety and maintenance of the building and the response to insured. You continue your first initiative was to save homes, and while I can appreciate that, I don't understand why you wouldn't have made more of an effort to insure something that belongs to you exists in a positive state. Affordable housing, is a means to gaining stability, some see it as a permanent solution. Whatever the case, all have the right to safe and well-maintained conditions, free from discrimination and harassment. As expected, there is a diversity of personalities and attitudes. And while some understand this and respect it as a shared space, there are others who see it as their personal turn to do as they see fit. And they have infringed upon the peace and safety of others so much so that it seems as if their ill behaviors have been protected. I've asked the questions why and how. Why have they been allowed to operate this way and how are they able to get away with it for so long? It's unacceptable when a call for safety and security gets brushed off because these things happen everywhere. Crime and abuse should never be allowed to thrive. People should not be abused, their homes should not be overtaken by cuckooing, and people should be listened to in all neighborhoods. The main focus seems is the facelift of the building and the property, but other things more important need to be attended to. Police have become more present there in the past, but activity still takes place. When creating affordable units that tend to the population, children don't deserve to be around drugs in a world of crime. The elderly don't deserve to become hostages in their own homes. The recovering don't deserve to be pressured into using to give another an illegal payday for rent. Less money does not justify a lax attitude towards maintenance, safety, and security. Affordable housing is beneficial and cannot be allowed to exist in this way. Please note that poverty does not equal criminality, and people of all backgrounds thrive more in a community where their input is earnestly received. If crime occurs, it should be treated as crime with any property because people don't deserve to have their futures ruined by those who thrive on creating nightmares. No matter how much money... Former users have dreams, black babies have dreams, veterans have dreams, formerly unhoused have dreams, low income families have aspirations.

Thank you. Lorraine Snyder. Is Lorraine Snyder here? Okay, Sheila Reed.

Hello, thank you for the opportunity to speak. I am one of the many neighbors here tonight to talk about the rezoning at 6309 Litchford Road. This is my first opportunity to do so, and I'm happy to have that. I'm very concerned. I've been a homeowner in the neighborhood on Ravenhill, which dead ends into Johnsdale, so we depend on Johnsdale for access to the outside world. My husband and I were attracted to this neighborhood for the character, the large mature oak trees. Some of the largest oak trees I've seen in the city are in this neighborhood and also on the property in question. We were attracted because of its walkability, because of its neighborhood character, and also because my husband and I talked to each other, and we were like, we're glad to find a neighborhood in which there's already been development around us. There's no way there's going to be additional development coming in, and we were sorely mistaken on that. One of my biggest concerns is about the oak trees. I mean, as you all know, we are the city of oaks. That is key to our city's identity. Dozens of businesses use the oak tree in their marketing and branding. This property has at least a dozen mature oak trees, many of which are almost as big as the ones across the street in Nash Square. So we're not just talking about like ordinary sized trees that will be lost. Oaks are a keystone species, meaning that they're essential for wildlife, and they also provide the ecosystem benefits that my neighbor described in terms of especially absorbing hundreds of gallons of water during storms and mitigating soil erosion and runoff, which is a huge issue already. There's standing water at the intersection of Ravenhill and Johnsdale after even minor rainstorms. There's standing water in the ditches. and we're gonna be losing a property that basically has a fairly small house and a barn, and then taking it to 10% green space from what's maybe like 10% now is gonna be a potential for enormous amount of runoff and erosion. So, and I know I've been looking at the City of Raleigh planning documents and seeing numerous references to finding opportunities to preserve mature existing tree stands. Well, we have one right here, and I invite any of you before this vote, if you haven't already, to go and see this site. on the stand of mature trees, especially on the southern boundary of the site. And I would like to, at least with whatever type of development does happen, to be sure that there's a plan in place for conserving as many as possible of these mature trees on the site. I'm also concerned, as other people have said, about a change in zoning that seems incompatible with the development plan's emphasis on providing orderly growth with adequate infrastructure, including drainage.

Thank you. All right, final speaker, Larissa Green.

Hello, Madam Mayor and council members. Every time a rezoning comes before the city, it has the power to reshape the streets we drive, the creeks that run behind our homes, the safety of our kids walking to school, and the character of the places we love. These decisions happen in public. The people who live here have a voice. I'm asking all of Raleigh, as a neighbor, as a parent, as someone who cares about the future of Raleigh, please pay attention. Decisions that affect neighborhoods, families, and property owners should be guided by integrity, not by influence or a desired result. When you look at the roads surrounding Z4325-6309 Litchford, not a single one is even near a city standard. The homes that will be impacted by stormwater use wells and septic systems. There is no stormwater infrastructure to serve this development after the water leaves the retention area. The amount of increase in impervious surfaces poses a serious risk. My own home sits less than 15 feet from the creek bank. Forget about R10 and R6 numbers, just look at the impacts that are already entitled at R4. Even that is out of scale with the existing neighborhood. There are 59 homes with driveways on Johnsdale Road spread over 49 acres. R4 is 32 homes on 3.79 acres, which will increase Johnsdale residences by 54% on only 7% of the total land. Litchford Forest has covenants intended to protect our neighborhood scale and character. The shape of the lot line surrounding 6309 Litchford presents a significant ethical burden. The proposed density asks one property to potentially absorb 16 new neighbors along their entire sideline, imposing a severe invasion of privacy and a decline in quality of life on property owners with covenants specifically meant to protect against such intensity. Furthermore, unlike standard detached homes that position windows to avoid intruding on neighbors, the townhomes anticipated by this density lack side windows, concentrating the visual and auditory impact. Rezonings aren't just about land. They're about quality of life. They're about safety. They're about protecting what works and fixing what doesn't. They're about making sure growth doesn't come at the expense of the people already here. We believe that thoughtful growth and respect for neighborhoods can coexist. We believe that our voices are being heard. The right decision for Z4325 is to deny. Does Raleigh care about neighborhoods and its long-term citizens over profits when the opposition is clear, documented on public record, and properly presented? I have hope that we are cared for. Thank you.

All right, that concludes tonight's public comment, and we are adjourned.