Residents of the Northwest CAC raised concerns last week about a proposed rezoning and development of three parcels of land along Shady Grove Road.
Twenty-five residents, city staffers and developers attended the CAC meeting on Sept. 8.
Phil Layton of Market One Realty said during his presentation to the group that the parcels are designated Durham County Residential Rural and the developer is looking to annex the properties into the City of Raleigh and rezone as Raleigh R-6.
Several members of the surrounding Harrington Grove neighborhood said they were concerned about annexing the parcels into the city of Raleigh while they remain in Durham County. Kim Brown, who said she has lived in Harrington Grove for 13 years, said that residents of adjacent neighborhoods that fall within both city of Raleigh and Durham County limits face several complications including paying taxes to both Durham County and the city of Raleigh.
The main concern of Harrington Grove residents seemed to be that the areas would receive Raleigh services but not be able to vote in Raleigh elections due to their address locations in Durham County.
Layton said that wasn’t part of what the annexation and rezoning request was trying to address.
Other concerns related to the development included altered drainage patterns, buffer zone size and sand present in the geology of the properties to be developed. These concerns were noted by Layton and he offered to obtain answers to all questions. There will be an open community meeting on Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. at Andrews Chapel Methodist Church in Durham.
Speeding on Ray Road
Raleigh Police Department Officer B.K. Cochran alerted residents to a recent string of thefts from mailboxes in the area. Although the crime is limited to the Glenwood corridor of commercial businesses, he cautioned that it has happened in residential neighborhoods in the past. Cochran suggested that one way to avoid becoming a victim of theft is to delay putting any outgoing mail into your mailbox until first thing in the morning.
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Ray Road
Resident J. King White asked Cochran for an update related to a request for increased traffic surveillance on Ray Road.
Cochran said he knew a request for monitoring of that area was being processed but that he had no further information. White commented on difficulties of making changes to speed limits and traffic infrastructure on that road because it moves in and out of city limits. Community members echoed White’s concerns about speeding on Ray Road.
Upcoming events
The Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources department shared its fall schedule including the start of youth basketball this month, the Fall Arts Fair on Oct. 3, and annual Boo Bash Halloween on Oct. 30. Department representative TJ McCourt gave an update on the Raleigh Arts Plan, emphasizing community involvement of more than 4,000 citizens. An open house on the Arts Plan will be held Oct. 21, from 6-8 p.m. at the John Chavis Community Center.
A forum for candidates in October’s city elections will be held Sept. 21, from 7-9 p.m., at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church. The voter registration deadline to participate in this election is Sept. 11 at 5 p.m.
The River Guardian Foundation’s fall cleanup of Umstead State Park will be on Oct. 3. Adults and children are welcome, and trash bags and gloves will be provided.
Schmid stepping down
Northwest CAC vice chairwoman Dorothee Schmid will be stepping down in October. A committee has been formed to nominate her replacement, and Schmid suggested the possibility of having two people fill the position to make the workload more manageable.
