Living in Absurdia

The voices of reasonable people looking for reasonable solutions.

Our present, older, often historic, neighborhoods are so popular because their very characteristics are nurturing.

Raleigh needs development standards that will allow for innovation, creativity and change as the city becomes more urban, but in a way that is context-sensitive and respectful of the character of existing, older neighborhoods.

Please stop the madness. Our neighborhood has already suffered a significant loss of its original character with the frenzied building of wildly out- of- proportion McMansions ... [t]heir developers demonstrate little concern for maintaining any cohesiveness of design or scale in keeping with the neighborhood. Retired neighbors on fixed incomes, state and university employees, and others with modest incomes that make up this neigborhood are unable to keep up with the already soaring property taxes. ...

There has to be a reasonable way for neighborhoods to maintain the intimacy of smaller houses and softness of older trees and shrubs, while allowing people to make an appropriate return on their property.

Raleigh's character is at stake.

When a medium-to-small sized home is torn down to be replaced by a huge home, middle income people are robbed of the chance to live near work and family activities.

The lack of direction is causing more and more divisive actions among neighbors.

It is not only the character of neighborhoods that is at risk by current practices in Raleigh, but whether our development activities affect the environment and resources that service us all.

Upgrades that destroy the fabric of neighborhoods do not benefit the community, but rather create monetary wealth for those who who seemingly do not care about their neighbors and thus impoverish the quality of life in the neighborhood.

We do not object to removal of obsolete structures and replacement with appropriately scaled new homes.

I grew up in and around Raleigh. I am stunned and worried to see these ugly cumbersome house behemoths ... creeping into the charming and pleasingly proportioned neighborhoods of Raleigh.

I bought an older home with the intent to preserve history not erase it!!

What kind of city does Raleigh want to be--one that looks like all other nouveau cities, or one that retains its character?

This issue is NOT about homeowners revitalizing their homes as the opposition would claim - this is about developers rebuilding our established neighborhoods without any respect to "neighborhood rights."

I am less concerned as to who does the redevelopment than I am that they are held to a set of standards that respects the rights of everyone, respects the environment (trees and green space), is considerate of existing neighbors privacy and quiet enjoyment of their home, respects neighborhoods by building to scale and with architecture and lot coverage that is not excessive... .

I think the older neighborhoods need to be protected in the sense that they are part of the 'Commons' that is the neighborhood and individuals should not be allowed to 'over graze' to make a quick profit.

I bought in this neighborhood because of the character of the homes, not because I wanted to use it as an investment tool.

This is outrageous!

Once these quaint, older neighborhoods with mostly modest homes are demolished, they cannot be replaced. Thank you.