Mixing it up

I just love the wordplay on this title. Exactly what is going on in that bathroom?

Raleigh Needs Renewing?

I am still puzzled by this idea.

If we do renew then we are

Rewarding families and individuals on fixed incomes with increased property values, providing a more secure---and predictable---financial future;

and if we restrict the renewal of Raleigh we will

Impact senior citizens and working families by significantly reducing the appreciation of their homes which they are relying on to move to the next stage of life.—www.RenewRaleigh.org

Excusez-moi, but Fallonia was planning to live in her home in her next stage of life. But she just can't figure out how she will afford to stay in a million dollar neighborhood.

But stay she will. It is her property right to use her land any way she wants.

Even if it will:

Result in the potential loss of countless jobs that rely on the residential construction industry. The impact will eventually trickle all the way down to the local dry cleaners.

She knows how to hand wash.

PS: did they really suggest it was time for some "to move to the next stage of life."

Back to the Future, Raleigh

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING COMMITTEE

1. MP-2-07 – Forty Wade Sign Criteria

The Committee recommends that the City Council approve the unified sign criteria dated September 10, 2007 and revised January 15, 2008, in accordance with the conditions of the approved Master Plan MP-2-07, with the following additional language:

a. Signs B2 through B12 are allowed a maximum height of 7-1/4 feet with a maximum area of 30 square feet, but 36-inch tall signs are allowed a maximum area of 50 square feet.

b. Sign B1 is allowed a maximum height of 10 feet, with a 10% increase allowed subject to Planning staff approval pending final design.

2. Residential Infill Development Proposals

With regard to the Planning Department Proposal to Address Residential Infill Development dated December 5, 2007 the Committee recommends the City Council:

a. Remove Options 1 and 2 from further consideration.

b. Move forward with a text change as outlined in Option 3 to expedite the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District (NCOD) process.

The Committee also recommends the City Council for a stakeholder-based Infill Study Group to review best practices in other cities and develop recommendations that address as many stakeholder concerns as possible.

a. Membership – each side would appoint three (plus or minus) members to the group. The qualifications would be (1) a commitment to work toward a mutually acceptable outcome and (2) a commitment to not let feelings of righteous indignation enter into the conversation. In addition, the group would have a planning staffer to provide support, including researching and presenting best practices from other cities. Finally, the group would have a facilitator/leader who would run the meetings and report to the Comprehensive Planning Committee (CPC). Former Planning Commission Chair Dickie Thompson has tentatively agreed to serve in this capacity and has received broad support.

b. Schedule – The Study Group should adopt a schedule that returns recommendations to the CPC and full Council in time to advertise for the July 15 public hearing. If the Study Group moves quickly to resolution, it is possible that they could present recommendations in time to advertise for the April 15 public hearing. The Study Group leader would provide a progress back to the CPC every four weeks (plus or minus). In addition, the CPC may wish to set a deadline for receiving recommendations.

c. The Infill Study Group shall work with the City Planning Department to refine the scope, timeline, roles and responsibilities of the participants involved.

3. Items Pending

Item #03-14 – Downtown Master Developer Process (4/6/04)
Item #03-29 – Development Standards – Fragile Neighborhoods (6/1/04)
Item #03-79 – TC-10-05 – Surfacing Requirements of Existing Front Yard
Parking for Single Family Detached and Duplex Dwellings
(4/19/05)
Item #03-102 – Conservation Management for Ponds and Lakes (11/15/05)
Item #05-41 – Pawn Shops – Regulations for Location (10/3/06)
Item #05-42 – Sustainable Urban Landscapes and Hillsides (11/21/06)
Item #07-02 – TC-5-07 – O&I Districts/FAR/Density Limitations (12/4/07)
Item #07-03 – Text Change – Prohibit Industrial Facilities in Residential Areas
(12/4/07)
Item #07-05 – Conservation Management/Tree Conservation Requirement (12/4/07)
Item #07-06 – City-Initiated ETJ Extensions – Zoning Classifications (12/4/07)
Item #07-07 – Annexation Policy/ETJ Extension (1/8/08)

More from Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain

Congratulations to Ranch Acres Neighborhood!

The Ranch Acres Neighborhood has been officially named a Historic District and has joined a select group of Tulsa neighborhoods listed in the National Register of Historic Places, which is our nation’s list of historic places worthy of preservation. Tulsa now has 14 listed historic districts, but what sets Ranch Acres apart is its post-WWII architecture.

...

Ranch Acres originally was designed as a luxury neighborhood mainly for young professionals, according to the Historical Society.

The neighborhood consists of ranch-style homes built between 1949 and 1962.

“The listing of properties in the national register helps us to document all aspects of our heritage and helps us to identify a variety of kinds of architecture,” said Melvena Heisch, the deputy state history preservation officer.

The inclusion of Ranch Acres marks the first time a post-World War II residential district in Tulsa has been named to the National Register, according to the Historical Society.

The listing of a property recognizes its significance in history, architecture, archaeology or engineering, according to the Historical Society. For more information, visit the Tulsa Preservation Commission website.

How about that. Does this mean they are soon to become endangered species?

Links in this story are "live" in the Reader Feeder.

Breaking News

The Comprehensive Planning Committee of the Raleigh City Council met this morning. An infill study group was proposed by Russ Stephenson, and after a time of public comments, the members of the committee voted 3-0 to send it to the City Council for next Tuesdays meeting.

Council group seeks peace on teardowns

BY SARAH LINDENFELD HALL, Staff Writer | Newsobserver.com
A City Council committee wants people on both sides of the debate over new homes in established neighborhoods to get together.
The committee today recommended that the full council organize a study group to look at the trend of tearing down homes in older neighborhoods and replacing them with new ones.

It also wants the council to move forward on a plan to speed up the process to create neighborhood conservation overlay districts. Such districts set standards for new construction in established neighborhoods.

The council will consider the recommendations Tuesday ... .

The rest of the written story is available at the News & Observer.

The rest of the infill story will develop over time.

Sign of the Times

This is a "modest" project, as these things go; the price is high executive. At its original price of 1.25 million or so, it was CEO. There is a whole lot of house tucked into this .26 acre lot. This price drop is in the same range as the other recent sales on Anderson Drive. Informal research shows that the morethanamillion dollar houses have lay vacant for months and months (and years in some cases) and sell when they have reached a substantial price drop. The current penalty is about $300,000 below asking price after about 6 months.

Ironically, some of the nicer belowamillion dollar houses have sat empty a long time too. Their starting prices are around $750-850K, which makes them moderate in this neck of the woods. With the Oaks up the way in the same price point, there is much competition.

Note to builders: that river-house style home is not cutting it. All three are still empty. Who knew?

But if I see one more faux stone clad traditional transitional with a 3 car garage in the front yard going up, I will swoon.

Zoning, It's the Law

NCGS § 160A‑383. Purposes in view.

Zoning regulations shall be made in accordance with a comprehensive plan...

Zoning regulations shall be designed to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare. To that end, the regulations may address, among other things, the following public purposes: to provide adequate light and air; to prevent the overcrowding of land; to avoid undue concentration of population; to lessen congestion in the streets; to secure safety from fire, panic, and dangers; and to facilitate the efficient and adequate provision of transportation, water, sewerage, schools, parks, and other public requirements. The regulations shall be made with reasonable consideration, among other things, as to the character of the district and its peculiar suitability for particular uses, and with a view to conserving the value of buildings and encouraging the most appropriate use of land throughout such city. (1923, c. 250, s. 3; C.S., s. 2776(t); 1971, c. 698, s. 1; 2005‑426, s. 7(a); 2006‑259, s. 28.)