LMAO this post is gold
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Itās not just any citizen. Itās Russ Stephenson, an architect who served 14 years on City Council. He was frequently Mayor Meekerās ally in encouraging downtown development and also a darling of the environmentalists. He led the partly successful effort to preserve Azalea Falls along the Crabtree Creek corridor. (Ultimately the City of Oaks Foundation took title to 9 acres along the creek, although Council approved the adjacent apartment complex of 369 units.)
Stephenson lost reelection to Jonathan Melton in 2019 but I would not trivialize his clout.
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Ok but WHAT THE HELL is he smoking, these days???
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Someone should send these concerned citizens (I reserve my prior sarcasm @D-bags ) a pic of the house at 1001 Fuller ā- Doesnāt seem to be a horror storyā¦.
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Lighten up, people. You may disagree, even fervently, with those who hold opposing views. You may be absolutely convinced youāre in the right, and perhaps objectively or politically you are. But donāt contribute to the overall disintegration of public discourse. The opponents, whatever their motivations or logic (or lack thereof), have rights to state and pursue their concerns.
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And we have a right to ridicule their concerns as the baseless rantings of morons
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Certainly not trying to trivialize him or his clout - I went to high school with a Russ Stephenson, but I am not sure they are the same. However, the argument he made in his letter to the editor was the same song and dance weāve heard before. I donāt doubt the sincerity of the opposition, I just just think it is wrong and perilously close to fearmongering. Unfortunately, that is all too common these days from all sides. Still, I would be happy to enjoy a nice spritz or three with these folks and discuss why I am so clearly correct in my own belief that this rezoning should move forward.
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Youāre a gentleman and a scholar.
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You are too kind, sir. Is it wrong to use the on target emoji about a comment that references oneās self?
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Itās admirable of you to defend former councilman Stephenson and ensure weāre all being sensitive to othersā opinions. Regardless of his alignment with former Mayer Meeker and your suggestion he was pro-development, he became an integral part of the ācouncil of noā (their title was deserved) and now as a founding father of āLivable Raleighā, which name I find underwhelming and shortsighted (I think we all want and deserve more than just ālivableā), heās continuing his service of what seems mostly anti-development, even though itās in the city core.
Perhaps ālivableā means taking steps backwards from what I think is currently a pretty fantastic city. So they want to go from Fantastic Raleigh to just livable I guess?
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Wait until the people who wake up after, I donāt know, 8 a.m. hear about this!
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To be clear, I was not sad to see Stephenson leave the Council. He had been there too long and was no longer making a positive contribution. (I felt the same way about Sig Hutchinson on the County Commissionā¦ time to move on). Nor do I disagree with the characterization of the Council of No.
On the other hand, I clearly remember the Republican takeover of the 1990s when the mindset was to let downtown rot away. Heavy lifting was required under Meeker to shift course, and Stephenson was one of that gang - for a while, anyway.
As for Smoky Hollow, unless there is a negotiated settlement my concern is that the intensity of the debate will bring a lot of potential NIMBYs OTB off the sidelines (besides the North Hill neighborhoods who are already stirred up). The OTB crowd will wonder if Glenwood, Wade, Creedmoor, Falls of Neuse, etc are next. Be careful of triggering a citywide referendum directly on unrestrained highrise development. You may not have the numbers to prevail in that scenario. From my point of view, toning down the rhetoric without sacrificing your principles isnāt about politeness. Itās smart politics.
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ChatGPT says the closest houses (I think 2 blocks) would have a maximum of 2.5 to 4 hours of shadow before solar noon on the winter solstice. This would affect about 25 houses at a time and maybe 40-50 houses total) with varying lengths of shadow.
Would this be sacrificing a downtown Raleigh neighborhood?
I would be more excited about the park and nearby development and what amenities they would bring. Douse me in shadow from 8am to 11am for a month when Iām at work and the kids are at school anyways.
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He wonāt need to worry about shadows in the early AM as his graphic depicts because the trees in their yards will already be shading the houses in the same manner. I think that what they really mean is that they wonāt be able to see the Sunrise. Then again, do they even see it now? It all seems rather alarmist to me and a big ole nothing-burger.
That said, I do agree that they should have a voice in the public discourse. That said, Iād advise this community to not disagree with him in our own bubble. Make your voices heard with the city council because THEY are the ones that need to hear your input. Airing grievances here does nothing to move this issue and proposal forward.
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Or write letters to the editor: https://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/submit-letter/. It does not appear that you need to be a subscriber.
Doesnāt the sun rotate? Iām bit confused.
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Yeah, itās a small detail that the NIMBYs like to ignore.
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Galileo is rotating in his grave.
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