![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.raleighpublicrecord.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/meeker6-300x205.jpg\" "\\"meeker6\\"")
In the 10 years Charles Meeker has served as mayor of Raleigh, its population has grown by 46 percent.<\/p>\nIn the 10 years Charles Meeker has served as mayor of Raleigh, its population has grown by 46 percent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe city is a very different place than it was 10 years ago,\u201d said Meeker, who steps down this year. \u201cWe\u2019ve had lots of development in suburban areas; we\u2019ve had two major bond issues to increase greenways and develop downtown. The amount of growth was not anticipated 10 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a result of that surprise growth, Meeker said, Raleigh residents have gained more housing, employment and entertainment options. On the downside, growth has placed added demands on the city\u2019s infrastructure, particularly on roads carrying swelling volumes of traffic.<\/p>\n
Meeker said, however, that he didn\u2019t see growth as an issue in the upcoming election. Instead, he said, the economy will play a dominant role. The three candidates to succeed Meeker \u2014 City Councilor Nancy McFarlane, Billie Redmond and Dr. Randall Williams \u2014 say there\u2019s no way to separate the two.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowth can be a good thing,\u201d McFarlane said. \u201cIt\u2019s all how we manage it and plan for it. It\u2019s tied into jobs; it\u2019s tied into increasing our tax base. Good planning is what makes all possible \u2014 I think it\u2019s going to be key.\u201d<\/p>\n
The candidates all say they\u2019re also aware of the challenge Raleigh\u2019s projected growth poses to city roads, green space and established neighborhoods. According to the city\u2019s comprehensive plan, population will surge from the current 390,000 to 600,000 residents by 2030.<\/p>\n
If Raleigh plans well for\u00a0growth, Raleigh Chief Planning and Economic Development Officer Mitch Silver believes the city can handle the 2030 population.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can certainly absorb that over a period of time,\u201d Silver said. \u201cWe have maintained a historical 3-percent growth rate since the city was founded.\u201d<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s comprehensive plan is the key to managing growth, Silver said. \u201cWe want to make sure that as we grow, we can support that growth with infrastructure and not overwhelm taxpayers.\u201d<\/p>\n
To do that, Silver said, the plan concentrates development into a number of growth centers and corridors that already have the roads and other infrastructure to handle greater population density. Higher density linked with a good transit plan, he said, will make it easier for people to travel around without their cars, which will reduce traffic.<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s future landuse map, developed with the 2030 Comprehensive Plan, spells out the acceptable density in greater detail. City councilors turned down four out of the 13 rezoning requests last year. Three of the four would have rezoned low-density residential areas into retail.<\/p>\n
City officials are working on a new zoning code, but pushed a scheduled July public hearing back to this fall, which will delay its until next year.<\/p>\n
To cope with new development\u2019s demands on city services, Raleigh levies road and park impact fees. Road fees range from $347 per 1,000 square feet of mini-warehouse to $4,954 per hole for a golf-course.<\/p>\n
The fees are among the lowest in North Carolina, but the mayoral candidates say increasing them in an economic slump might be a mistake.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you get people in those houses or apartments long-term the great impact is they increase your tax base,\u201d Williams said. \u201cI think you have to take that into consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBack in the height of our economy, it was a different conversation to have,\u201d Redmond said.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, it\u2019s almost like tying one hand behind your back and asking you to go to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
All three candidates agree city officials have worked hard to plan for growth rather than just reacting to it. However, Williams said he wants to see more of a \u201cprivate sector with government facilitation approach\u201d instead of a centralized, government approach. Williams added that by promoting redevelopment, the city government can help preserve Raleigh\u2019s greenspace and natural habitat as the population grows.<\/p>\n
Redmond said when some people talk of balanced growth, they mean \u201cmake it careful, make it slow, we\u2019re after perfection.\u201d<\/p>\n
In today\u2019s economy, she said, that\u2019s a faulty strategy. She said balanced growth should mean \u201cmake it brilliant, make it positive.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Raleigh to keep growing and continue winning Best City rankings, Redmond added, the city will have to make sure that growth doesn\u2019t hurt the quality of life. To do that, the city will have to continue to invest in infrastructure to keep up.<\/p>\n
McFarlane said planning for transit is essential to handle the population influx without overburdening the city roads \u2014 greater density and alternative forms of transportation will make it possible for more residents to dispense with cars if they wish.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember going out on [Interstate] 40 and there was no traffic,\u201d said McFarlane, who has lived in Raleigh for 28 years. \u201cObviously we\u2019ve seen a huge increase.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the 10 years Charles Meeker has served as mayor of Raleigh, its population has grown by 46 percent. \u201cThe city is a very different place than it was 10 years ago,\u201d said Meeker, who steps down this year. \u201cWe\u2019ve had lots of development in suburban areas; we\u2019ve had two major bond issues to increase […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24028,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[378],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8559"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24028"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8559\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}