NECAC MINUTES
November 14, 2013
A meeting of the Northeast Citizens Advisory Council (NECAC) was held on Thursday, November 14, 2013, at the Marsh Creek Community Center, 3050 New Hope Road, Raleigh. First Vice Chair Lillian Thompson presided. The meeting was called to order at 7:09 pm.
Parks and Recreation Report: Heather O’Brien reported on various activities currently underway and upcoming. The January – March LeisureLedger is available. She said The City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department has begun a detailed citywide process that will guide the design, development and delivery of the city’s parks and recreational service for the next 20 years and citizens were invited to participate.
On the city’s web site raleighnc.gov, go to www.YourParksYourFuture.com to learn more. Also, she mentioned the public is invited to the Mordecai Holidays Open House December 13-15. Rooms will be Christmas decorated to represent colonial days through WWII. Admission is free.
Police Report: Crime Prevention Officer George Porter reported that motor vehicle and home burglaries were continuing and again strongly urged citizens to remove or hide valuables and lock their vehicles and to have security alarms installed in their homes. Also, stenciling a driver’s license number on valuables and/or taking photos of valuables will facilitate identification of recovered items and return to property owners.
There have been several burglaries in the Stowecroft subdivision that have involved perpetrators with a gun approaching homeowners as they return home. He again reiterated that citizens should call police – 911 – immediately when anything like this happens and/or when they observe strangers or suspicious individuals in the area. The bottom line is to always be cautious of your surroundings and report things out of the ordinary to the police! It was also noted that people can go on line to spotcrime.com to learn about current criminal activity in their neighborhood.
Community Inspections: Chris Boyd, City of Raleigh Inspections, Housing and Environment Division, talked about various public nuisance issues to which he and other city inspections respond, including such things as debris and over-grown grass, deserted vehicles, junk, etc. Complaints may be registered on line (search SeeClickFix) or by calling 919-996-2444.
Community Services: City Staff Liaison Kevin Smith noted that the city has Neighborhood Improvement Funds and other resources that may be used to improve/beautify neighborhoods and for stimulating neighborliness and communications in a community; also in organizing group activities benefiting the community.
Minutes of the October 10, 2013 NECAC meeting were approved.
Neighborhood Reports: Lillian Thompson presented a paper (copy attached) proposing the development of a Small Area Plan, citing the impact of the recent rezoning case Z-3-14 which was inappropriate for the location. She also noted there were other properties within the NECAC territory that fit the same profile and development probabilities and that current zoning and ordinances were quite broad which would allow similar unwelcome scenarios.
A motion was made that a petition be prepared and presented to the City Council requesting that the Planning Department prepare ordinances that more clearly define the nature of development appropriate within residential neighborhoods. Michele McIntosh will prepare a draft of a petition and communicate with other key NECAC people for assistance and support and will then present the petition and concerns of NECAC property owners to the City Council prior to the Council’s December meeting.
Adjournment The meeting of the NECAC was adjourned at 8:16 pm
