Raleigh City Council Public Comment Session - September 9, 2025
Raleigh City Council Public Comment Session - September 9, 2025
The Raleigh City Council held a public comment session on September 9, 2025, where 18 speakers addressed a variety of topics including land use and development, public safety, city services, and international affairs. No formal council discussions or votes occurred during the public comment period.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Lisa Hewitt opposed the Planning Commission's approval of the West Street Tower, arguing that the approval disregarded neighborhood transition policies, failed to provide meaningful public benefit, and that the proposed 360-foot wall would loom just 167 feet from historic homes. She asked the council to objectively compare applicable zoning guidance.
- Octavia Rainey described an incident with security personnel at a previous council meeting, accusing them of wrongly detaining her pocketbook and demanding an apology. She criticized the culture of security under Mr. Taylor and called for change.
- Eddie Watson, a roller skating instructor with Raleigh Parks and Recreation, requested more dedicated roller skating spaces, noting that the current streets are too rough and that the average age of participants is 35 and up. He cited examples from other cities.
- Chris Crewe urged the council to demand balanced and impartial analyses from the planning department on zoning cases, especially Z-2525, Z-3125, and Z-1225. He emphasized that the planning department's role is to help the council understand proposals in context, not to advocate for them.
- David Ray (as identified by the speaker) opposed an 18-townhouse development proposed by Kentucky-based Fisher Homes near Six Forks and Anderson Drive, citing traffic safety, congestion, and flooding concerns. He noted 48 crashes in the last five years and argued the development would not meet the goals of the missing middle housing policies.
- Hanati Ali called for a ceasefire resolution regarding Gaza, presenting statistics on civilian deaths and displacement. She urged the council to act locally on the issue.
- Alexis Kennedy criticized the council for not acting on a ceasefire resolution and described her community work downtown. She read from a resolution passed by the International Association of Genocide Scholars recognizing crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.
- Asma Abu Dahab, a licensed clinical social worker, urged the council to pass a ceasefire resolution, noting that cities like Durham and Carborough have done so. She also offered a land acknowledgment and argued that local tax dollars contribute to the violence in Gaza.
- A speaker who identified as a mother of two (name not clearly stated) called for an immediate ceasefire, stating that her husband is from Gaza and her family was displaced in 1948. She urged the council to end U.S. complicity.
- Mamakai Sanders encouraged the city to fill the gap in diversity in planning and design, proposing that the amphitheater and convention center expansions be moved to Triangle Town Center and current facilities be turned into multicultural centers. She also noted concerns about storm risks to existing renovations.
- Woody Biggs opposed the proposed 30-story tower at Peace and West Street, arguing it would overpower the neighborhood. He also criticized the lack of enforcement of the city's noise ordinance by RPD, citing conversations with Captain Morrison and Chief Boyce.
- Sharlan Parker, a crew leader for Raleigh Solid Waste Services, alleged toxic leadership, corruption, lack of accountability, and safety risks in the department. She called on the city council and city manager to address the issues.
- Andrew Tattersall opposed the 18-townhouse development and a proposed greenway connection, citing severe flooding on his property on Big Branch Creek. He said he has lost 4-6 feet of land and faces $50,000 in personal costs to protect his home. He also expressed safety concerns.
- Joshua Bradley urged the council to pass a ceasefire resolution, noting that the Democratic Party had passed a resolution for an arms embargo. He also called for a focus on affordable housing, proposing a building guild model.
- Laura Harris opposed the recently approved ordinance prohibiting panhandling in public medians, arguing it criminalizes homelessness rather than providing care. She linked the policy to broader patterns of violence.
- Helen Tart criticized the planning department for consulting only businesses on proposed changes to Fayetteville Street, and expressed outrage over a council member's suggestion that the digital billboard industry should have a say in the council's decision. She urged council to represent residents.
- Alex Brissett expressed gratitude for the installation of bike lanes on Brookside Drive, noting increased usage and calmer traffic. He also praised recent improvements in greenway maintenance after heavy rain.
Key Outcomes
- No votes or formal decisions were taken during the public comment session. The council heard a range of requests, including calls for a ceasefire resolution, enforcement of the noise ordinance, and investigation into Solid Waste Services leadership. The next steps on these topics were not announced.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to the public comment period. We have eighteen folks signed up for this evening, so we'll be doing three minutes each, and I will start uh with Lisa Hewitt. Good evening. I'm here tonight because I oppose the Planning Commission's approval of the West Street Tower. That approval was based on selective policy emphasis, a disregard for neighborhood protections, and a failure to provide meaningful public benefit. Let's begin with neighborhood transitions. This site is a designated neighborhood transition zone formally codified in February twenty twenty four and creates specific requirements for new development to be compatible with existing residential areas. Transition zones are clearly defined and protected throughout the UDO, the comprehensive plan, and the EDOT. These policies exist specifically to buffer neighborhoods from intense development like this. It's bonkers that staff completely omitted this from their analysis. But that claim falls apart under scrutiny. The so-called step down, it's a mirage. The height decreases north to south, not east to west where the neighborhood sits. Plus, the site's topography erases any step-down illusion. This isn't a transition, it's a 360-foot wall looming just 167 feet from historic homes. So I ask, how are we weighing policy consistency here? Are we just counting which policies are convenient for a project and ignoring the ones that aren't? If you objectively compare the applicable zoning guidance, it's clear this rezoning violates the intent and spirit of multiple city policies designed to protect neighborhoods from exactly this type of overreach. Perhaps it's a convergence of unintended consequences when the realities on the ground necessitate a reexamination of following a short list of policies. Next we have Octavia Rainey. Good afternoon. First of all, I would like to say at the last city council meeting, I did not discuss what I should have discussed, but I am going to tonight. Saying it was a solar diaper. Now, by being a fan housing investigator with 50 years of experience, if this is a soil diaper, I want you to show me a sore diaper. When you open up somebody's pocketbook, a sore diaper smells. You had on gloves. When you was filling in my pocketbook, it should have felt wet. When I questioned her, why are you detaining my pocketbook? She didn't say a word, a word. She called the supervisor down from wherever he was. So when he got down there, you know the first thing he said to me? Well, you got to take your soil diaper out. And I said, unleash my pocketbook right now. Unlease it. I do not have a saw diaper in my pocketbook. Give me my pocketbook right now. I said, I want it right now. So you better call the police because I want my pocketbook. Because I knew it was no sort of diaper in it. I am an Fairhouse investigator. So I knew that was wrong. It was wrong. So he said to me, he said, You got to take your store diaper out. I said, You do better go ahead on and call the police because they ain't taking out Jack Doody Squat and give me my pocketbook. And I was not playing. I was ready to go to jail. I was not playing. But when I came in here, you would have never known it because I didn't act like it. So he said, and I said, I don't understand it. She got on gloves.
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