Raleigh City Council: Jonathan Melton AMA

[John]

That’s a good question that I’d also like to know. I wouldn’t want to put anyone’s political career in jeopardy.

[JonathanMelton]

Hi everyone, thanks for having me back to answer more questions.

[John]

Thanks for joining us today!

[JonathanMelton]

@colbyjd3

Welcome back, we’re glad to have you!

Alright, so you probably can’t say too much here, but a lot of us are dying to know: what changes do you expect to see from this new council? Do you anticipate anything that the previous council worked on being reversed, or do you expect continued progress in terms of density, transit, and the like? Again, I don’t want to put you in a compromising position, so feel free to say as much or as little as you like.

I’ll follow that with something more pleasant: what are you most excited about with this term?

Thanks for coming back, wish more city leaders would do this!

I think we’ll see some new structure for neighborhood-based meetings. I’ve had discussions with many of the new members about their ideas and goals, as well as mine. I want to provide a menu of engagement options: online, in-person, and direct person-to-person (to help bring city issues to areas and folks who have traditionally been disengaged, the Community Engagement Bus will help with this issue).

I don’t anticipate reversing any previous decisions. Overall, I feel we all agree on many issues and there’s consensus on continuing work to address housing affordability, affordable housing, and transit. We did a lot of zoning reform last terms, I think the next step is incentivizing construction of the types of housing we made “legal” and working to find ways to encourage and ensure affordability. I think that will be a focus you see this term. I look forward to more discussions at our retreat.

I’m excited to be in more leadership positions this term; serving as our representative to the League of Municipalities https://www.nclm.org/ and as Mayor Pro Tem in 2024.

[JonathanMelton]

@John

Congrats on your reelection! For reference, I came by and introduced myself when your campaign had that meet-n-greet at the NC State Football tailgate.
My question is in regard to public sidewalk access during construction of new buildings downtown. As the city grows, more and more folks are walking to their destinations (as we had hoped). However, construction projects continue to close vital pedestrian infrastructure for months if not years. In some cases like the 400H project, the sidewalk is closed on both sides of West St., making north/south walking particularly challenging and annoying through this vital N/S corridor on the west side of downtown. It didn’t use to be this way. I specifically remember when 510 Glenwood was being built, the developer maintained a protected walkway through the construction site along Glenwood Ave. Today, I never seem to find a protected or even designated pathway along construction sites. Even a simple jersey barrier separation would be good to have vs. having nothing for pedestrians.
So, my question is…What should the city do to prioritize pedestrian access during construction projects as the city center grows more walkable? I am attaching two photos of the sort of access that I think the city should be requiring. The first of the two photos is similar to what 510 Glenwood provided during their construction.

I remember!

These reference photos are helpful. I also typically walk (or scoot) to my destinations. When walking, I of course rely upon sidewalk access. To be honest, I haven’t noticed this issue personally, as the projects I walk by have extended sidewalk access in some manner similar to the photos you sent. I believe this is a requirement of our city code. If you know of any projects in particular (you referenced 400H) I can flag for staff for review. Please send via email to jonathan.melton@raleighnc.gov

[John]

Thanks. Will do! There are actually a lot of projects that don’t have any pedestrian access around their sites.

[JonathanMelton]

@GucciLittlePig

Congratulations on your reelection! I think pretty much everyone on here supported you.

We’ve noticed a lot of the planning commission meetings, council meetings, and public hearings for in progress rezonings have been deferred and delayed recently. Is there something bigger going on, or was there just too much on everyone’s plates?

On a related note, we’re hearing a lot of projects that were approved for rezonings have gotten stuck for months (or even a year) with backlogs due to city staff shortages. Is there a plan to actively reduce these backlogs, and when do you think this might be noticeably improved?

Thanks for coming back on here to engage with us again!

No, for the Council public hearings there were staff errors with the notices in both December and January. Our planning director has implemented a new program in his department to address this issue and (hopefully) prevent it from happening again.

I don’t really follow the Planning Commission workflow that closely. At times they will ask Council for additional time to review a case (usually 30-90 days) and we usually grant the request. We had 1-2 of these asks at our last meeting. There’s just been a lot of rezoning activity the past few years.

Regarding backlog, I asked the planning director about this issue recently and this is what he said:

“Thanks very much for sharing – we have hired new intake staff since November and have reallocated other staff to assist with intake to reduce the referenced backlog. We’ve also moved additional permit types to “self-service” (ie: you can load the application yourself into our review system rather than having an intake tech have to do it) – please continue to share any/all feedback you get and thanks again, it really helps us improve – regards, Pat”

[JonathanMelton]

@ahops0428

Just out of general curiosity, any updates on the proposed ‘Waterfront District’? Feel like I remember reading there was going to be another study or something of that sort.

It’s part of the Midtown-Saint Albans plan as an idea/guidance for future development in the area. I believe the Exchange project (formerly Midtown Exchange) which is under construction has plans to incorporate this waterfront into their development, and I think Kane’s Innovation District does as well.

[JonathanMelton]

@Francisco

Has the city considered adding a library/civic center to the City of Raleigh campus plans or anywhere else?

Is it too much to ask for the basics like a library? Cary has a new main library, Durham has a new main library, Charlotte is building a fancy new library in their downtown. Downtown Raleigh has a tiny basement library at Wake County Office Building.

I mean the library system being county-wide is no excuse–the new Cary library is right in their downtown and is part of the same system. I mean we’re not investing in anything at the moment–no sports facilities, barely funds go to transit projects, and yet we have no money for even a library/civic center?

Forum Groningen is a good example of the type of library/civic center I would love to see in Raleigh–preferably as part of the Civic Campus.

This is really a question for the County/a County Commissioner as they build and maintain our library system. They do have a library in the County Building on Fayetteville Street next to the courthouse, but it’s not very big.

On the city side, I know the planned new Civic Tower is intended to serve as a community gather space, with places to work/hang out, etc.

@GucciLittlePig

Speaking of the Civic Tower, is there a confirmed date it’s supposed to break ground? I feel like nothing has happened with it in a long time since it was announced.

I haven’t received an update in a while, I’ll ask. I know last spring the plan was to see if material costs come down to avoid any value engineering. They were also still finalizing all the technical details. They did some of the underground infrastructure upgrades last year too. But the city can’t demo the old police HQ until they’re ready to move dirt on the new Civic Tower. When you see that building demo you’ll know the tower is incoming.

@OakCityDylan

Unfortunately I won’t be able to join the live AMA but I’ll drop some questions below, and congrats on your re-election! The effort you put forth as a counselor for our city is much appreciated and I’d love to see that level of effort from all sitting counselors, though I know it’s rough carrying a full-time job AND serving the city.

This was touched on earlier/above, but is the city looking to something to help push some of these ASRs/permits/etc through the funnel? I’m not sure I know exactly what the issues are, so I wouldn’t be able to speculate on a solution, but it’s been suggested city staff is the bottleneck. If that’s not the case, would love to know more!

Can you provide any information on what the DRA has planned in '23? I believe they’re looking to expand their territory which has a direct impact on the residents in those territories. For the record, I FULLY support any expansion and the associated tax to bring the DRA services to more downtown residents. If that needs to be more of a DRA answer, perhaps @dtraleigh can get an AMA set up with them.

I think the micro-mobility we have with Cardinal Bikeshare and the scooters is great, but as John spoke to, Raleigh could be much safer for those modes of transportation around downtown and beyond. I’d love to hear what continued improvements are planned for '23 around this.

Please tell us more on Smoky Hollow Park! I know we need to be patient. Thank you for helping get that amended in the Parks Bond so it was more palatable and gained approval from the other counselors. Also excited to have the skate park in place, though you won’t see me out there except as a spectator perhaps.

Have a great new year!

I think I’ve answered most of these. On non-car infrastructure, I hope to see an increase for those projects in our city budget this year (I think 2% from transportation department budget was allocated there this fiscal year; we can do better).

Smokey Hollow Park was mostly funded in the parks bond. I believe the city is also seeking some private funding (we might have an opportunity with the developer of the adjacent properties). In the meantime, there’s a crowd-funded skate park that will activity the north end of the property while work gears up on implementing the park master plan!

[JonathanMelton]

@Yimbyforlife

Can you ask Jonathan this question for me here it is. Jonathan I recently visited Austin, Texas and I saw a traffic light specifically for bike lanes would you consider implementing that here.

Also why are you guys not working to Merge the Raleigh-Cary Durham-Chapel Hill MSAs. It really crucial both Metro being reunited. Are you guys working with government?

Last question: Why not work with the chamber of commerce to incentivize developers to attract companies here? Or at least partner with them.

That’s awesome! I’ll ask transportation department about plans/opportunities to implement here. Our West Street cycle track might be a good place to start.

I don’t have any information about the MSA, and there’s been no discussion about merging. We do take a regional approach on many issues, like business recruitment and development, and transit (big focus on commuter rail right now).

We do.

[JonathanMelton]

@colbyjd3

One more question, sorry if someone else asked already:

How confident are you that the TOD rezonings will pass? A lot of us are certain that BRT will fail without them, and it sucks seeing us lose key parcels like the abandoned Kmart. I know the city has to be super careful with this process, as it has the potential to leave a lot of interest groups feeling alienated or unheard, but I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t a little worried.

I think the planning department and community engagement office are doing a great job engaging with the affected residents and businesses. Ideally, all issues are resolved before it comes to council for the public hearing. That said, I agree, the land use around transit is critical and we need to push through any of these growing pains. I think there’s consensus on this Council to get it right, and I believe we will also touch upon this issue at our retreat.

[John]

What is the city specifically doing to attract more retail? We seem to have the housing game running on autopilot, but retail is sorely lacking and storefronts remain empty.

[JonathanMelton]

@keita

And following up to Colby’s question: how do you balance the need to protect specific parcels for big investments for the far future versus bringing new developments and amenity upgrades to Raleigh as soon as possible? Do you think your newly-elected colleagues are aware that those interests could be diametrically opposed?

I ask because that’s a big philosophical debate for TOD rezoning cases, but there’s also a similar need to think about this for commuter rail and the Southeast Corridor/SEHSR. For example, 501 N. West St. was bought by investors in 2020, and they’re expected to submit an ASR for a new boutique hotel (according to the Triangle Business Journal). The hotel seems really nice, but it would directly block the right-of-way that the state would have to buy for the future rail corridor. Despite this, many users on this forum seem to think that it’s not worth it to preserve the corridor when the trains may never come.

This sort of short-term pessimism also extends to other big investments, including BRT lines, Dix Park, and densifying the PNC Arena area. In light of this, how do you wrap your head around these sorts of dilemmas?

I think it’s a both and… There’s some key parcels along New Bern Avenue corridor that the city has addressed (duplex village) and hope to address (DMV). As for land that is privately owned, unfortunately at times land use planning doesn’t keep pace with private development. We saw this issue with the old KMart site on Western. Decades ago the state did buy some land in the Glenwood South area for a proposed rail line that wasn’t funded. They’re actually selling that land now (it’s a vacant lot near the West Condos as well as some mostly vacant warehouses across the street near Mulino). If a private developer owns other land and plans a hotel, I assume they’re building with the known risk that sometime (in the likely distant future) that the land/building could be subject to imminent domain (but I guess that could be said for many properties as plans often change/shift for infrastructure).

[John]

How can the city do a better job of managing its own brand? It seems to me that Raleigh has woefully neglected its brand by letting others define it.

[JonathanMelton]

@apbassett

Hi Jonathan, thanks for doing this!

Two quick questions for you.

1. Much of our completed and upcoming bike infrastructure is in the form of paved “multi-use paths” adjacent to the road. Would you consider raising an effort to start marking the multi-use paths, maybe like the one on each end of the Gorman St. bridge? I think that making sure new bicycle infrastructure is recognizable is an important part of getting new folks out of their cars and onto bikes, especially for those who aren’t actively looking for it. The “bike + ped” markings and/or the striped median would go a long way to help people realize it’s not just a big sidewalk and “hey, look, I can ride a bike over there.”
2. I’ve heard talk of a potential urban street protected bike lane UDO text change; I know one for large streets was already passed, but are there plans for smaller urban streets too? Do you have any updates on its status, if so?

Thanks again!

1. Yes, I believe this issue was partially addressed in our updated Greenway Masterplan. More work to be done there as well.

2. I’ll check with BPAC on this issue. They really help lead policy on these text changes. I’m supportive!

[JonathanMelton]

@evan.j.bost

Hi Jonathan, thank you for joining us here.
Today we received a call from a consultant working on behalf of Wake county Planning, Permits, and Inspections to ask what feedback we have for the departments and what they can be doing better. Our feedback was mostly positive, because Wake Co. Planning/Permits is actually running extremely smooth right now. Are there any efforts to share improvements from the county offices to the city offices? Is CoR considering a consultant to help with staffing/training/process development in the Planning/Permits departments?

I recognize that having 3 rounds of review in the county vs. ~10 in the city is a huge advantage for their processes… Maybe we are trying to juggle too many processes? Thoughts on that?

I’ll flag this issue for our planning director; I talk to him often about these issues and shared his response to a similar question above. We’re fortunate that in Raleigh we have (in my opinion) one of the most urban progressive planning directors. I know he’s receptive to reducing barriers to construction and improving processes.

[JonathanMelton]

@CTT

Thank you for taking questions!

I think one of the most valuable things we have in the city and area as a whole is the greenway system. I live right off the Crabtree Creek greenway and it is a useful tool for walking to and from SOME places, but there are restaurants and breweries I would love to get to, but the greenway connection just isn’t there. Downtown should be about an hour walk and North Hills a 30 minute walk, but currently the sidewalks are either nonexistent or dangerous.

I think about Charlotte’s Rail Trail and how busy I’ve seen it on weekends with people walking between apartments, breweries, and restaurants. Is there any plan to prioritize urbanizing the greenway to make it a destination in itself? Linking between up and coming areas inside the beltline. Right now most of the expansions seem to be focused outside the downtown area, signaling to me that the priority is recreation and commuting.

Yes! I raised this issue early during my first term, and I know a lot of work went into addressing some of these points in the updated greenway masterplan; we need to position the greenways as transportation corridors and connectors, which includes updated wayfinding, markings, lights, etc. Unfortunately, unlike Charlotte, we don’t have a rail line to follow for a “rail trail” but BRT will bring a similar environment along those corridors with a 15-foot multiuse path and art planned along the New Bern route to start.

[keita]

@JonathanMelton

We do take a regional approach on many issues, like business recruitment and development, and transit (big focus on commuter rail right now).

Do you have any thoughts on better synchronization between Triangle cities’ policies (should we do that, how you’d ideally go about it, etc.)?

It’s starting to strike me that there can be negative feedback loops that can emerge at a regional level because different municipalities approach things differently. For example, Orange County has a rural buffer that puts a geographic barrier for how much new housing can be built without very targeted and drawn-out rezoning cases, which has the downstream effect of straining housing supplies in Chatham and Durham counties. And now that Durham’s mayor is acknowledging her hesitance (bias?) against approving new single-family homes in southeastern Durham, it’s not a stretch to expect that this can also impact housing developments in Raleigh, too.

As a non-public servant who still loves policy issues, my first instinct is that our cities’ planning agendas, standards, and incentives need to be harmonized across our borders. Do you think the city-by-city approach (plus informal, working relationships between select agencies) is enough, or could there be more done?

[JonathanMelton]

@paytonc

Does the city’s gift policy prohibit me from sending educational books to council members? Many seem to have good intentions, but might need some wisdom.
(I’m having trouble reading Jenny Schuetz’s book because I keep having to take notes!)

Folks have sent/mailed books to the Council office and we’ve all received them.

[JonathanMelton]

@John

What is the city specifically doing to attract more retail? We seem to have the housing game running on autopilot, but retail is sorely lacking and storefronts remain empty.

Downtown Raleigh Alliance works on this issue constantly, and they’ve had many successes, but there are also a lot of challenges. There are many empty retail spaces in most new developments; I believe once we hit a certain population density the scale will tip and we’ll see a lot more activity. We’re getting there! A lot of residential units under construction now. Retail follows foot traffic.