NECAC MINUTES
October 10, 2013
A meeting of the Northeast Citizens Advisory Council (NECAC) was held on Thursday, October 10, 2013, at the Marsh Creek Community Center, 3050 New Hope Road, Raleigh. Secretary Erika Rosenberger presided. The meeting was called to order at 7:16 pm.
Parks and Recreation Report: Jud Dunlevy reported on various activities currently underway and upcoming. Skateboard instructors are being hired and art classes are being offered. Among upcoming activities are a Zumba’ween Glow Party for kids of all ages October 30, 6-8pm, and the annual Holiday Express at Pullen Park December 6-8 and 13-15. Details are available on line at raleighnc.gov under Arts & Parks.
Police Report: Officers John Bardham and Tim Privette noted ongoing burglaries of unlocked vehicles. The best deterrent is to keep valuables out of sight and lock vehicles. In light of recent robberies in the city, they strongly encouraged citizens to always be aware of surroundings and practice caution when at ATMs. There was discussion about an abandoned house on Donna Road.
Citizens should call police regarding any unusual activity. Call either 911 or the non-emergency number 919-831-6311. Both are answered by the 911 operators. Trespassing laws were discussed. No Trespassing is valid when posted on individual private property. No Trespassing is not valid on city property or in a subdivision as a whole.
Community Inspections: Chris Boyd, City of Raleigh Inspections, Housing and Environment Division, talked about various public nuisance issues to which the city Inspections Department responds, including 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 reported the Neighborhood Exchange held in September was a huge success, noting the greatest interest was in the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) session, in which Paul Brant participated.
Smith invited citizens to attend the annual Raleigh Neighborhood Recognition Awards program to be held October 16 from 6 to 8 pm at the Five Points Center for Active Adults, 2000 Noble Road (at intersection with Whitaker Mill Road). Among those to be recognized is Michi Vojta for her work in organizing citizen reaction to a rezoning request not in the best interest of citizens in the Northeast CAC community.
Minutes of the September 12, 2013 NECAC meeting were approved.
First Presentation: David Eatman and Aaron Hair of the City of Raleigh Public Works Department spoke to the group about public transportation provided to Raleigh’s citizens. During the State Fair, buses will provide transportation from three locations to the fair and return every 15 minutes for $4.00 per trip. They noted that fares collected were sufficient for this service to the public.
Eatman and Hair described various changes and improvements the Raleigh Transit Authority will be implementing throughout the city, including extension of routes, additional services and improvement in operating efficiency. Handouts were provided detailing specific changes.
In November NCDOT will begin a complete reconstruction of parts of I-40 to correct its deteriorating base. Bus routes will be adjusted accordingly. As new routes and additional services are added and extended in FY 2014, additional buses will be required and Eatman indicated 11 new buses are currently on order.
Second Presentation: Raleigh’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), a 459-page document, became effective September 1, 2013. Paul Brant provided visual instructions on how to access all details of the ordinances on the city’s web site raleighnc.gov. He noted the format was quite simple and easy to navigate. Beginning at the home page, click on Departments, then scroll down and click on Planning and Development. Under News, click on Unified Development Ordinance.
This will open the entire document, beginning with the Table of Contents.
It was noted that if a developer meets all the UDO requirements, adjoining property owners must be notified but public approval is not required.
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:55 pm.
