The Raleigh City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, with an afternoon session at 1:00 PM and an evening session at 7:00 PM in the City Council Chamber, 222 West Hargett Street. The meeting covered a consent calendar, planning commission reports, special items including the Capital Boulevard tolling study, an affordable housing project adjustment, the 2024 community survey results, public hearings on zoning cases, and approvals of schematic designs for two park projects. Mayor Janet Cowell presided.
Planning Commission Report – Staff presented three items:
Special Items –
City Manager’s Report –
Parks, Recreation, and Greenway Advisory Board –
Committees – Updates from Growth and Natural Resources (May 27, tree items), Safe, Vibrant, and Healthy Community (May 27, nightlife/residential intersection), and Transportation and Transit (May 20, street closure process).
Note: Meeting adjourned after closed session at approximately [time not specified].
Oh, no, no. He's got the cut thing, it's not a four pair. That's got the cut thing, they don't get it. All right. Good afternoon. We will call the meeting to order. And first item of business is the Pledge of Allegiance. I'll ask with Councillor Harris. I move in to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which you stand one nation under God and indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Okay. Consent agenda. I do not believe we had any items polled. Turn to staff. Is that correct? Move for approval. Okay. Second. Aye. All opposed, nay. All right. So that completes that. All right. Next we have the report and recommendation of the planning commission. Yes, ma'am. Good afternoon. By them Walter, Riley Planning and Development. With the report and recommendation of the Planning Commission. Review of upcoming holidays for you through May and June. I don't believe any of Shavuut uh the end of Chivut uh conflicts with your upcoming schedule. Um you do have some items already scheduled for public hearing at your next meeting. There are a couple of demolition of unfoot building questions, a petition annexation and three rezonings already scheduled for the one p.m. meeting uh on the 20th. And then in June, I believe these are actually at the 7 p.m. meeting. I apologize for the error. The proposed budget for the new fiscal year will be in front of you, as well as the contract for services for both of the municipal service districts in the city. We have three items coming out of planning commission. Two of them are being recommended for public hearing. The first is a text change about cottage garages and cottage court development. That's being suggested for a May 20 public hearing. And then the other item coming out with a recommendation for public hearing is a rezoning on Athens Drive. That's being suggested for an evening public hearing on June 3rd. So let's dive a little deeper into those. The Athens Drive request is two lots. This is under three acres. It's going from residential four with the special residential parking overlay district to residential three mixed use with some conditions and the overlay would remain. It is consistent with the plan, but inconsistent with the future lanes map. Planning commission recommended approval by a split vote with an additional recommendation that council consider additional set packs, again, suggesting a public hearing here of June 3. The votes in opposition here were largely concerned about conditions that were applied to the property when it was rezoned previously that are not being changed that prohibit uh this property being able to take advantage of FTD, the frequent transit development option, which would allow a little bit more density if affordable units were included. And generally would prohibit really limit the density that could be achieved on the transit corridor.