I thought I’d start a new thread to follow TOD in Raleigh as it looks like the New Bern Ave rezoning (Z-92-22) is going to be a long one to follow here in 2024. I want to try and keep updates going here so stay tuned.
At the same time, did you know that the southern and western BRT corridors already have the TOD zoning applied? I’m not sure that’s talked about enough. So here it is in a map I made in iMaps. I wonder how the public engagement process went for those corridors?
Just think, someday all you cool downtown people could take the BRT to the Fenton!
For those corriders, I was under the impression the TOD overlay was applied, but no properties were actually rezoned, compared to New Bern where they’re applying the TOD but also rezoning a large portion of the corridor. This is based purely on memory though, does anyone know if that’s accurate?
Here’s the TOD rezoning memo for the New Bern BRT route:
Hmm she’s from Atlanta a big city it’ll be surprising if she’s a NIMBY, I watch her every day her middle name is Dawn by any chance did you spot that in the disapproval row? Because with that we’ll know, if it’s her or not.
I wanted to drop some upcoming, in-person events for your calendars. You certainly have the opportunity to binge on public meetings related to transit over the next few weeks. I have them sorted by date and time. Keep me honest if you see a mistake.
For confirmation, is this thread for all transit or just BRT? 
This thread is about the Transit-Overlay District rezoning which is applied along the BRT corridors. They go hand-in-hand so talking about one is likely applicable. More short-term, the New Bern Station Area Planning rezoning will be the talk of the news in the coming months most likely so we can discuss that here.
Relevant meme:
The voters of Wake County chose in 2016 to build a BRT line on New Bern Ave. Indeed, anyone who pays Wake County sales tax (including many non-Raleighites!) should want the New Bern BRT to succeed, because they’re paying for it. Too many transit construction projects have failed to deliver on their promise because supportive land uses never emerged, notably in Los Angeles and Denver:
https://www.cpr.org/podcast/ghost-train/
The federal government has recently said that it’s only interested in funding transit if supportive land-use policies are in place, because they want maximum public benefit from public-works projects.
I have yet to watch it but looks like the planning commission voted to recommend denial of the New Bern TOD rezoning case, 3-4. More thoughts after I hear the discussion.
…more studies (to understand whether policies to mitigate displacement / define neighborhood transitions + heights / incentivize density bonus criteria for affordability are in place) to better define what we’re attempting to do with the TOD policy citywide
Incoming, 20 years from now: “wHy ArEnT mOrE pEoPLe uSiNg BrT???” 
Incoming, a few years from now: FTA denying future phases money because Raleigh is wasting federal dollars running empty BRT buses past detached houses on 2+ acre lots.
Gosh why do we have forons in our government? Change that f to an M, If you don’t understand what I mean. The feds like there money I’m so done with NIMBYs. On my blog which is launching I’m gonna unload to on them it will be nasty. I created my blog because I have to be a little nice here, no offense Leo I respect that, but in my blog I can be unfiltered.
You should absolutely devote all of your efforts to that unfiltered nasty blog. In fact, you might not even need to post on here if you’re too busy.
I wish you the best but do be careful. There really is no such thing as a NIMBY. No one IS a NIMBY. People can have opinions on particular developments or plans, but they have their reasons and that is only one minute aspect to who they are as a person. In the end, they have that opinion because that is what they think is best, be it for them personally or for their community. We can disagree and we fall on a spectrum of how hard we disagree, but it is critical to realize that those on the other side of the aisle are also only trying to do what they think will achieve the best outcomes. There’s a lot of “us vs them” in our society today. Best to prevent it from seeping into as many matters as possible. Anyways, hope it goes well and cheers on your blog journey!
Thanks I appreciate it now I’m considering toning it down now.
In situations where there is right and wrong, I think it would be wrong to not try to inform wrongdoers of the problem they are perpetuating. I’m not saying NIMBY minded people should be vilified but their actions, at times, should be. Their actions are preventing local businesses from opening, people from finding housing, among many other things.
There are always losers and winners in planning but these decisions are creating more losers than winners. The losers are low-to-middle income families or individuals, local business owners or aspiring entrepreneurs, etc. The winners are homeowners and already established business owners.
Good posts from RaleighForward on the TOD rezoning for New Bern, which comes up at the January council meeting and why and how (including direct link to Council’s email and the voice message line you can use close to the meeting date to have your comment on record) you can support the rezoning. This can set an important precedent for future development around transit and imo, I think the New Bern rezoning could go even further in scope. I live in this corridor and the relative low density so close to downtown is not ideal if we’re to have a sustainable, affordable city.
I walk up and down the downtown-to-Tarboro portion of the corridor a lot, and I’ve noticed that at least half of the signs protesting the rezoning are placed in yards of rental homes, some that are even vacant and have been so for a while. Curious to know if some existing landlords are trying to preserve their future pricing power. Some of the other signs in front of owner-occupied homes are ironically built at densities that the New Bern-Edenton Historic Overlay and old zoning wouldn’t have allowed.
I’ve never considered speaking to the city council before but THIS is probably the most motivated I’ve ever been in all the years I’ve lived in the city. I just bought a house a year and half ago, just a few steps from where the Trawick stop will be. (With a lovely view of the dilapidated Tower Shopping Center hellhole.) I’ll definitely be signing up. This could be the first time East Raleigh sees any substantial investment in decades and just watch these Liveable Raleigh Nimbys ruin it for all of us. Sigh…
