ComingUP: More Raleigh City Council Candidate Forums, a Series on Gentrification, and Fare Free Transit on Election Day
This is our weekly series where we highlight a few of the important public events, meetings, and forums happening throughout Wake County during the upcoming week. For a full listing of events, check out the WakeUP Community Calendar. And if you know of any events or meetings coming up that we might have missed, feel free to let us know, either by commenting below or by emailing us at info@wakeupwakecounty.org.
Here’s what’s ComingUP in Wake County Monday, September September 16th – Friday, September 20th. To add an event listed below to your Google Calendar, just click on the calendar icon above the event description.
Monday, September 16th
What: Wake County Voter Education Coalition Candidates Forum for Raleigh City Council Districts A-E, in Raleigh
When: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Where: St. Matthew African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1629 Bennet Street, Raleigh, NC
What’s Happening:
This is another free opportunity to learn more about the candidates running to represent YOU on Raleigh City Council. The Raleigh municipal election is coming up on Tuesday, October 8th. The event is being organized by the Wake County Voter Education Coalition, in partnership with Sigma Xi Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., The Raleigh Alumnae of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., El Pueblo, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC of Wake County), and Raleigh PACT
Tuesday, September 17th
What: Raleigh City Council Regular Meeting, in Raleigh
When: 1:00pm-3:30pm
Where: Raleigh Municipal Building, 222 West Hargett Street, Raleigh, NC
What’s Happening:
The following items are included on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting. To view the complete meeting agenda, click here.
- Rezoning Z-16-19: Fayetteville Street, on its west side, between W. Martin Street and W. Hargett Street.
- Approximately 1.52 acres are requested by Alamance Associates II LLC, Briggs Building Restoration, First Empire Telex LLC, McPaulWorth LLC, MOMA 208 LLC, Odd Fellows Landlord LLC, PMC Inc., Carter M. Worthy and Thomas J. Hester, XINREN Empire Landlord LLC, and You Bet Your BP LLC to be rezoned. The area consists of ten parcels, many of which have historic facades. Among the buildings included in the rezoning request is the historic Briggs Hardware Building located at 220 Fayetteville Street.
- The request is to rezone these parcels from their various present zonings — Downtown Mixed Use-5 Stories-Shopfront (DX-5-SH), Downtown Mixed Use-7 Stories-Shopfront (DX-7-SH), and Downtown Mixed Use-12 Stories-Shopfront (DX-12-SH — to Downtown Mixed Use-40 Stories-Shopfront-Conditional Use (DX-40-SH-CU).
- Various conditions have been requested, including that the ground-floor facades be preserved, there be no vehicular access on Fayetteville Street, and that the request include a requirement for affordable housing.
- This rezoning case comes on the heals of the Raleigh City Council’s recent approval of another 40-story tower at the intersection of W. Peace and N. Harrington.
- An update on the Avent Road Corridor Study, including an overview of proposed amendments to the 2030 Comprehensive Plan and a custom streetscape plan.
- The key recommendations of the study report include:
- Area-specific zoning and land use guidance for key focus areas along the corridor.
- New public streets and greenway connections to strengthen connectivity within the area.
- The proposed amendments to the 2030 Comprehensive Plan include:
- The addition of a new area plan section for the Avent Ferry Corridor Plan and the removal of the Mission Valley Area Plan.
- Changes to the Future Land Use Map
- The addition of new streets to the Street Plan
- A custom streetscape design for Avent Ferry Road will take the place of standard streetscape cross sections and incorporates:
- Improved bicycle infrastructure including nearly 4 miles of protected bike lanes from Western Boulevard to Tryon Road
- Improved pedestrian infrastructure
- Street tree planting areas and planted medians
- The key recommendations of the study report include:
- Affordable Housing Bond Referendum Advocacy
- At the August 20, 2019 meeting, Council directed staff to meet with the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and WakeUP Wake County to discuss the possibility of either organization serving as an advocate group for the affordable housing bond currently under consideration for the March 2020 ballot. Staff will report on the outcomes of those discussions.
- GoRaleigh Fare Free on Election Day
- Transportation staff will present a draft resolution that will provide for fare-free transit by authorizing staff and the Raleigh Transit Authority to waive fares for all riders for the municipal elections, Tuesday, October 8, 2019, beginning one hour prior to the opening of polls and concluding one hour after polls close.
Also on Tuesday…
What: Candidate Forum for Raleigh Mayor & At-Large Candidates, in Raleigh
When: 7:00pm-9:00pm
Where: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh, 3313 Wade Avenue, Raleigh, NC
What’s Happening:
The League of Women Voters and co-sponsors are hosting a forum for the candidates running for Raleigh Mayor and City Council at-large. This is free public event, and all interested Raleigh residents are welcomed to attend. For more information about this election, go to the League of Women Voters’ 2019 Elections page. WRAL news anchor Gerald Owens will moderate the forum, and WRAL intends to film the event.
Co-sponsors for this event include:
- Zeta Phi Beta Sorority
- NAACP Raleigh-Apex Branch
- WakeUp Wake County
Still More on Tuesday…
What: Gentrification Series: Preservation Not Displacement
When: 6:00pm
Where: Shaw University, Estey Hall Auditorium, 118 E. South Street, Raleigh, NC
What’s Happening:
This series on gentrification and displacement is being organized by The North Carolina Black Alliance, a statewide nonprofit that promotes systemic change in the areas of voting rights, gerrymandering, criminal justice reform, health and wellness, economic development, and education by working closely with elected officials representing communities of color and other grassroots organizations.
Wednesday, September 18th
What: Public Meeting on White Oak/Ackerman/Hebron Church Roundabout Project, in Garner
When: 6:00pm-7:30pm
Where: Town Hall, Training Room (2nd floor), 900 7th Avenue, Garner, NC
What’s Happening:
The Town of Garner is holding its second public meeting for the proposed intersection improvements at White Oak, Ackerman, and Hebron Church Roads. The project design is approximately 65 percent complete. It features construction of a partial dual-lane roundabout to provide additional capacity in this growing area of southeast Garner and to improve the current intersection configuration of these three major street corridors.
The public meeting will provide citizens a final opportunity to review the design plans and their associated impact on adjacent property owners. Town staff will receive feedback for consideration prior to final design and construction.
For more information and future updates, residents are encouraged to contact Town Engineer Chris Johnson at cjohnson@garnernc.gov or at 919.773.4420.