Well, we'll do it.

Well, we're not going to be able to do it.

It starts now.

Okay, welcome to the uh city council meeting and uh Councilor Brandt, can I ask you to help lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance?

The United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

I'd like to ask uh Miss Gupta, the director of Solid Waste Services to come up.

We have a proclamation to honor our solid waste services.

Anything that you want to say before we kind of share some of the proclamation language.

Well, thank you all for the work you do every day and also for coming here today.

Um we just I think the entire council and city staff want to thank you for everything you do to keep our city clean, safe, um, the times on the whole East Coast with some of life, and I'm glad that over the practices and we've modernized, I remember what the solid waste services back when I was on council the professionalism you have, obviously, new director now, but just appreciate what you're doing.

And we have a proclamation here, which I will uh present to the director, but um I will just read part of this, but it's uh the National Waste and Recycling Workers' Week is an opportunity for us to express gratitude for your hard work and commitment to support health safety and well-being every single day.

We recognize the contributions of all of you who serve with integrity, um, work as a team and are your dedication to public service.

Um so now, therefore, do I, Janet Cowell, mayor of the city of Raleigh, North Carolina, hereby proclaim June 15th through June 20th as National Waste and Recycling Workers Week.

Can we grab a good point again?

Sorry, I can all come up now.

All right, uh, we have the consent agenda, and there were no items pulled.

Uh, do we have a motion to approve that?

So moved.

Second.

All in favor of that motion, aye.

All opposed, nay.

And that passes.

Uh, and next we have public comment.

And we've got uh six people signed up today, three minutes each.

And the first is Mamakai Sanders.

Good afternoon, y'all.

It's another amazing day in paradise.

Um, thank you for your attendance and listening today.

Last May or June, I spoke about the decade of the child initiative.

You also received a call from Dr.

Dean Dean Diana Fishbine, a colleague of mine and a friend to both wisdom and I, who we refer to as Denny.

We first met, um, we first met when Dr.

Mary Haskett connected us, and she invited me to speak at the nation at the statewide leveraging North Carolina's assets to prevent child trauma conference.

She co-hosted in April of 2023.

Thank you, Megan, for inviting her to a conversation.

I'm reminding you of this because at the beginning of this month, Governor Stein signed a proclamation declaring the month of June, whole child health and well-being month.

I'd like to quote a few statements from it.

Governor Stein starts with, whereas North Carolina's children are our greatest natural resource, it must be our state's priority and state's top priority in civic goals and public policies.

A couple of paragraphs down, he provides some statistics.

Sixty-three percent of North Carolina children experience physical, mental, and or social health problems and risks that threaten their daily functioning, development, and lifelong health.

Only 37% of North Carolina's children ages three to five are on track, healthy and ready to start school.

Only 41% of North Carolina fourth graders read at or above grade level.

One in five North Carolina children have endured two to three adverse childhood experiences or ACEs, and one in ten have endured more than five, which can have lasting negative impacts on health, well-being, and development.

FYI, as a state, as a state, we rank 32nd.

In the 2026 Kids Count data book.

Then the final paragraph states, whereas a roadmap provided by the Decade of the Child Initiative, crucial information based on the knowledge that early childhood experiences change our brains, change our brains in ways that make us more or less vulnerable to health pop health problems is available to guide North Carolina policymakers and the public to strengthen supports and increase the prevalence of positive and protective conditions for every child to be healthy and thrive.

Then he commends the observance to all North Carolinians.

Denny has been busy, y'all, because she recognizes that not that not all adverse childhood experiences happen at home.

It's truly unfortunate you didn't provide any recognition a year ago.

Now, while you might be thinking you're not responsible for creating and implementing policies that affect children, the way the city is developing does impact them, and so does the lack of emotional intelligence and social and emotional learning among some staff members coupled with outdated and oppressive policies throughout the city.

But I'm not going to say more.

I'm honored to say that today you'll learn from a child who asked me to sign him up so he can share his experiences growing up in this city.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And why don't we go ahead, wisdom, since you're number three on the list, we'll just shift you up to number two so that you since you're already here, you can share.

Good afternoon.

This is only my second time speaking in three years.

The first time my mom asked me to speak with her.

This time I asked my mom if I could speak for myself.

I want to talk about some of my experiences in places run by the city of Raleigh.

First, here's something I don't understand or agree with.

Last month, when me and my mom came to the FNN public comment session when she was pulling a cart full of stuff, I had my kick scooter.

We now take the bus since our car isn't working.

My scooter is transportation while my mom walks.

We're being multimodal.

When I got on my scooter to walk it inside, the security guard told me I had to leave my child-sized non-electric kick scooter outside.

I don't have a lock for it because they don't even make locks for scooters like mine.

We were surprised because I usually take it and walk it around in the commute into in the commercial buildings I go to.

My mom asked if we could leave it inside the building by the doorway because we were just going into for public comment, and my mom was one of the first speakers.

They said no.

She asked if she could put it in her cart and bring it in.

They kept saying it wasn't allowed.

She asked to see where it was written, and they showed her.

My mom asked if she could bring her four cart in, and they said yes, as long as they pass the inspection.

This is a part I don't understand or agree with.

How can she bring her cart her big cart that I can't bring in my little scooter?

Well, there's walkers and pool carts allowed, but a child's non-electric scooter is not even allowed in the building.

That does not make sense to me.

Second, I don't like security systems or some of the security staff in this building.

I don't like security systems because I'm not a thief, and I'm not gonna carry any weapons to hurt anyone.

I think you should know that by now.

I don't like security staff because they have been unkind to me, and I I admit that I like to do things to have fun or be curious.

My mom often tells me that some adults don't think children should act that way.

I don't like that.

I don't like that or agree.

I'm a kid.

Having fun is my job.

Have you ever seen a place built for children that wasn't fun?

My mom attends meetings.

It's not always fun for me.

So I'm going to try to find friends and adventures.

I don't deserve, but I don't deserve to be disrespected.

If someone thinks I'm doing something wrong, I'm not stealing anything or hurting a kid, I'm a kid or hurting anyone.

I'm a kid, not a criminal.

When I'm not treated with respect, it's really hard for me to respect those who mistreat me.

Third, I've also had similar problems with the staff at more on more than one of the at more than one of the community centers we've been to.

It's obvious some training needs to be done on how to respect children.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, we will now come back to Jason Cross.

Good evening or good afternoon mayor and council uh I want to first shout out wisdom that's beautiful I love seeing our youth involved in local government um that's that's what it's all about uh my name is Jason Cress I live in Southeast Raleigh District C.

Um I work as the uh town planner for the town of Archer Lodge and um today is actually my uh three year anniversary moving to Raleigh so it's uh it's convenient that I'm here before you today um I'm really here just to express my interest in participating in um the local government here um I would like to uh express that uh my skill set towards um planning and um my quick uh growth and uh loving where we live in Raleigh um has pushed me to push myself out of my comfort zone and try to um do more in my community so uh I am interested in uh really anything that I can help in um but planning commission design review committee board of adjustment are some of the um the ones that I've applied for so um that's kind of it I have uh my contact information and uh I've spoken with Mr.

Branch on numerous occasions and um I just want to say thank you all for the opportunity to give to the citizens thank you for listening um thank you for the community for being as involved as it is and um lastly uh as a fellow public uh public government staff thank you to the staff for all the hard work that you do because it goes um unnoticed and unsaid much of the time um lastly cocaines thank you so much uh miss Octavia Rainey good afternoon everyone I would like to ask the city council and I'm very serious about this it is time that we do a reevaluation of the redevelopment areas I have been involved with the city since 1971 and you know how long that's been but I'm gonna be honest with you I'm sort of tired because I see all these things going on in the redevelopment area and they were born out of slavery and yet you came in with redevelopment you tore them all down there is no affordable housing for the redevelopment areas the part that you tore down because you didn't count those back then you didn't count them and that's not recorded on your records but when I look at the redevelopment areas some of them I don't even recognize anymore I was in Evansbottom I was shocked I was really shocked attaw college park South Park in these areas you don't recognize them and I don't know why the city haven't stepped back and taken a look and say it is time for us to reevaluate what have we accomplished what have we done have these areas ever sunset in the city of Raleigh now I have called hood and I'm going to DC for a meeting with the Black Caucus because I'm concerned about Raleigh's redevelopment area and I'm taking people with me from Durham we've got to talk about these redevelopment areas.

We've got to talk about what we have accomplished.

Being honest, from my from 1971 to now, I don't see much.

But what I do see is what I don't like.

And I don't like it.

I don't like in field development in the inner city.

We have supposed to get away with restricted covenant.

But we haven't you have restricted income.

Income in the state of North Carolina is not a protected class.

So in infield development, we'll build in houses for $500,000 on up.

And all of those houses are carrying in the redevelopment areas.

And I'm going to invite y'all because I want y'all to see it, and I'm going to point out the prices of the houses.

It's ridiculous.

It's ridiculous.

It don't make any sense to me.

When I go down the North Street, it don't make no sense.

It's awful.

Thank you.

Athena Wallen.

Hi, my name is Athena Wallen, and our creeks are thirsty.

One will never quite get used to losing plants that were lovingly protected from erosion and flooding activity because out of all my consideration, drought and the difficulty of keeping the soil damp nearby a creek wasn't really in my strategies until now.

The heartbreak of failure echoes, even though I keep trying.

I continue to advocate for more protective care and conservation of land adjacent to these creeks.

I use my neighborhood on Brookside Drive as an example of what not to do along stormwater creeks with recurring flooding issues and severe streambank erosion.

Every time land is raised, it destroys the ecosystem of the microorganisms that live within the soil, churning out nutrients in which plants rely on to take root.

Every time batches of trees come down, it disconnects the natural biotic pump mechanisms that keep moisture in the roots all the way up through the leaves.

And we rely on that to keep spaces cool.

Planting trees on dead, stressed soil doesn't bode well for success without fertilizer that we don't want washed into our creeks.

It challenges the chemical balance for which we rely on water quality conditions to sustain wildlife.

Developing impervious surfaces right up to easements and sometimes even paving over sewer easements for parking concentrates all that runoff into the riparian buffer, which we know is eroding and disappearing.

Creeks need land with diverse plants and trees to keep moisture in the root systems and in the dirt to assist us through these droughts.

Creeks need more diverse tree canopies to cool the water and the land to enable plants to live and wildlife to thrive.

Creeks need stable stream banks with meaningful root systems to keep soil from being displaced by heavy rain, especially when it's dry and prone to washout.

Creeks need space and land to exist and do their function.

These natural ecosystems require our attention now, not five, ten, fifteen, thirty, fifty years from now when all the land around it has been developed.

All the pretty shiny projects from the Capital Improvement Plan are nice and great and fantastic.

Let's do them.

Awesome.

But what about the residents who can't hop into a car and drive to a destination just to have a moment with nature?

Available areas of calm are being lost, displacing nature even when these creeks meander through our residential spaces.

We are being disconnected from understanding how precious these spaces are for our well-being.

Our bodies strive to maintain a healthy resting heart rate.

And I know you know this because I know you've met Mama Kai.

We live in stressful lives, we live with stressful interruptions and the stressful challenges that keep our stressful thoughts that shrink us in our mind while our bodies keep struggling is stressful.

When standing under a tree is the most affordable, accessible meeting, thank you.

Uh final speaker, Nikki W.

Good afternoon and happy Juneteenth.

I appreciate all who honor Juneteenth as a national holiday and recognize the importance of all being free and how that benefits the world community.

Last week I spoke about the challenges I endured at the studios at 2800 aka junction point COS.

I spoke about the horrible conditions that I've been forced to live under.

And after that meeting, I was served an eviction notice.

When it happened, so many things were attempted to be explained to make it seem that it was necessary.

But after some thinking, I don't think it was a fair assessment.

I feel I've been penalized for combating conditions on a property, or maybe it was a bring for bringing it to comment.

But I spoke with several of you on several occasions and updated you on things that were occurring.

Honestly, I feel putting me there in the first place was a punishment.

I was placed on the floor in a CEO between three different drug dealers.

I knew it was possible that that may come, but I was hopeful that a great outcome would prevail.

Public comment last week was for me about several things: duty, responsibility, advocacy, and standing on my right to live in a space with a feeling of safety and peace, no matter what I paid.

I have a duty to speak up about things when they're wrong.

I have a responsibility to children and people color.

I advocate for the elderly, disabled, recovering, and unhoused, and it's my right to clean air, past-free road and free environment with a door to lock and working amenities.

I told you with people being hurt and for concerns of babies being around drugs and residents being taken advantage of.

And most of all, I just want the babies to have a bright future.

Freedoms are non-existent if you have no excess, and rights are a facade if no one honors them.

You say I shouldn't live there in these conditions, and you even say you're concerned about my safety, but you left me in a very space you had these concerns.

Just this morning, I was awakened by a cursing and a commotion across the hallway that I had to attend to, and then was bombarded with marijuana and cigarette smoke.

Maybe it's because I slept outside that you believe this would be a suitable conditions.

They are not.

The whole purpose of taking someone from homelessness to housing to place them into a more safe, more peaceful, more stabilizing situation, is to help them get up off their feet.

And now you see me an email of a list of the very shelters that you took me from and asked me to place myself in a share system, which you know I will not do because you can't assure me that the bad athletes have been dismissed because wherever you have uprooted them, that I assure you that we still exist.

I made a promise to God that as long as there's breath in my lungs, I'll plan to speak up and speak out about wrongs that exist no matter who was behind it, no matter retaliation, no matter if I have to stand alone because that's what I believe he created me to do.

So please recognize when you come against me on this, you're coming against him, and that's unacceptable.

One is not being ungrateful because they hold you to an accountability for your actions and the expectations that you've given them.

And now there are a variety of people on this premises.

Thank you.

That concludes today's uh public comment.

We're next moving on to the uh report of the planning commission.

Good afternoon, madam mayor, members of council.

I'm by them Walter.

I work in planning and development.

I'm joined today by Chair Dwight Otwell from the planning commission.

Uh review of upcoming holidays over the next 60 days or so.

We have a lot of items scheduled for afternoon public hearing on July 7.

There's nothing currently scheduled on August 18 for the afternoon meeting.

We have one item coming out of report of planning commission.

We are at this time suggesting July 7.

Of course, you have discretion, but we are forecasting that the July 7th report of Planning commission will be very robust, and that that will result in a lot of items on the August 18 agenda.

Again, your discretion.

So the item uh the planning commission is reporting out to you today, is rezoning Z50 24.

This is on the east side of Garner Road, uh, just south of Newcomb Road.

This is just under 10 acres.

It's currently zoned R 10, and the request is to change to commercial mixed use with a five-story uh height limit and some conditions.

While the request is inconsistent with the future land use map, it is consistent with the comprehensive plan overall, and the planning commission recommends unanimous approval.

All right.

Questions or move for approval for July 7th, 1 p.m.

Public hearing.

Second.

Okay, all in favor of that motion.

Aye.

All opposed, nay.

All right.

And that passes.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Otwell.

Okay.

Next, we have special items, and we have Symmetria Jones to talk about Sister Cities.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council.

I come before you today to give you an update on our partnership with Raleigh Sister Cities.

We also have Mary Claire Freeman here, who is the president of Raleigh Sister Cities.

She will provide you a brief kind of update on our active partnerships right now.

But I'm gonna take you through a little bit of our history with the program, with the organization, go over some benchmarking research that we've done of other partnerships across the state and in the region, as well as present some recommendations for you all to consider.

So a sister city is a broad-based long-term partnership between two cities, counties, or states in different countries.

Says that these relationships are to provide mutual benefits to communities far beyond traditional one-off exchanges that reach every part of their community and improve quality of life.

So again, Sister Cities International is a national membership organization.

It was created in 1965 by President Eisenhower to promote peace through people to people diplomacy.

And it's rooted in the idea that personal connections can foster peace and help resolve some of our most pressing issues across the world.

Raleigh Sister Cities, so Sister Cities International granted the City of Raleigh a charter on December 31st, 1985.

Raleigh Sister Cities, the nonprofit organization, was incorporated in 1986.

It is volunteer-led, they do not have any paid staff.

So a lot of the work that you see is done by the generous time and commitment from volunteers.

The organization is responsible for establishing the new sister city relationships that we have.

They also manage the five sister city partnerships that we currently have, and they also develop and support cultural and educational programs throughout the city.

So this is just an image of their board of directors' composition.

You all do appoint three members to their board.

You I think you appointed two last fall.

These ambassadors are individuals who lead the individual committees of the sister city partnership.

So there are five partners.

We have five sister cities, so we have ambassadors for each sister city, they serve on the board, as well as the officers like the president, treasurer, and so on.

And these are just a list of the board members.

You can see the three council appointed board members on this slide as well, as well as our officers.

That is fantastic.

Okay, thank you.

So this is just a slide that kind of shows how the partnership works right now.

So the city of Raleigh, we provide staff support from the parks department and the city manager's office, as well as some financial and in-kind support for delegation visits, office space and office space and equipment storage, as well as in VIT space through parks facilities, and we also pay the dues to Sister Cities Sister Cities International.

And then Raleigh Sister Cities, they manage our partnerships.

They create learning opportunities for staff and council through cultural exchanges and delegation visits, and they also foster community engagement and belonging through programming.

So this is a timeline of our partnerships.

Our first sister city partner was Kingston upon Hull in England, that was in 1986.

Our most recent partner was Nairobi Kenya in 2014, and we had three in between France, Rostock Germany, and Gibraltar.

So over the past year, we've looked at sister city programs across the state and then as across the region as well.

Charlotte has six sister city partners.

They do have an internal city board.

It's called the Charlotte International Cabinet.

They promote exchanges between the city and its sister city partners, and they also advise council on topics related to international affairs, invitations from international delegations, growth of business, and then some others as well.

They also have an external 501c3, the Charlotte Sister Cities Association.

They facilitate the creation of the sister city partnerships with the City of Charlotte.

The Charlotte City Council does not have appointment authority, but the mayor does serve as an honorary member on their board.

Wilmington is another city in North Carolina that has an internal city border commission and then an external 501c3 that they partner with.

Their board is 11 members, also appointed by the City Council, and they support Wilmington Sister Cities programs and coordinates programs and projects with them as well.

And then similarly, their nonprofit organization collaborates with the City Commission to develop exchanges and further the work of the organization.

Richmond, Virginia, another city that has an internal city commission, and then an external 501c3.

And Richmond, there is one council member that actually serves on the city commission, and they coordinate international relationships and promote exchanges as well, as well as activities focused on economic development, education, the arts, and the environment.

Looking a little broader outside of North Carolina, we have Atlanta.

Atlanta has 17 sister city partnerships, but they also have an Office of International Relations that kind of houses their program.

The Atlanta Sister Cities Commission is also a city commission.

They manage the sister city partners, and they provide a platform for residents to explore different cultures and expand academic opportunities.

Miami Beach has even more partners.

They have 31 sister city partnerships, and it's also a city run border commission.

They also have a staff liaison to help with some administrative items.

You'll see on this slide and the previous slides, there are friendship cities as well.

So the Sister Cities International has varying kind of statuses of partners, with Sister Cities being the kind of full partner that you imagine it being.

Kind of makes the communication between the two organizations difficult to continue, and it can make it a little bit challenging.

Currently, we don't have a mechanism or framework between the city or the organization set up to preserve information or to retain kind of institutional knowledge.

So when someone leaves, a lot of knowledge can leave with them as well.

Similarly, the level of involvement and interaction between council and staff with officials from our sister cities have varied over the years, which also makes it difficult to realize the benefit of the actual partners that we have, that mutual benefit that we're looking for.

Raleigh Sister City, sister city has also operated much like a city border commission for quite some time.

As I mentioned, you do appoint three members to their board of directors.

They do have a council member liaison and council member patent, and they do receive city resources and access to staff and personnel over the past several years or decades, even, without kind of the same structure that we have from some of our formal boards or commissions.

Some more examples, they're supported by parks and other city of Raleigh of staff and some of the other in-kind support that I've mentioned before.

So from a fairness perspective, this is some opportunities for improvement there.

So there are some recommendations.

The two that you're going to see kind of are focused on some formal ask from the sister cities organization that you'll hear from Mary Claire, and then some optional recommendations that you all can consider as you please.

So first, Mary Claire's presentation that you will hear very shortly.

She has a work plan that she's going to present to you all that you can approve.

And then last year you all had some meetings about formalizing a new partnership with Gansel District of Seoul South Korea, and they're gonna ask to formalize that as well.

The other recommendations I mentioned are the following.

The first is to request Raleigh Sister Cities to modify their affiliation process.

So in your backup memo, there is a document that kind of compares their affiliation process with the recommended sisters and national recommended affiliation process.

This is really to make sure that the city of Raleigh and you all's voices are incorporated into the process very early on, and to ensure that your feedback on prospective partners is considered at an earlier stage in the process.

The second recommendation is to adopt criteria for prospective sister city partnerships.

Right now, there are no formal criteria that is considered when considering a new partner.

And so if you all have particular interests, council priorities, and what you're looking for when you're when you want to consider developing a new city sister city partner, this will formalize that to ensure that over councils, over volunteers, that there's consistency in how you all are approaching new relationships.

Also, can generate some excitement around new partnership activities or opportunities, and does require consideration and compatibility of alignment with your priorities.

The third recommendation is to evaluate our five current sister city partnerships.

I mentioned that the most recent one was 2014, different council, different staff.

So to take the opportunity to reflect on the current population demographics and industry in the city.

Are they compatible with our current partners?

Do they align with the council's priorities and goals?

Are you interested in keeping them as full sister city partners or interested in placing them in a meritus or a friendship status?

And then the last recommendation is to establish a sister city border commission that will look very much like what we have, what we see in Charlotte, Wilmington, and Richmond as well.

This would be an internal city border commission.

Um Raleigh Sister Cities will continue to operate as a nonprofit entity as they currently do, external to the city.

This will create an internal avenue to liaise between the city and the organization.

It would increase support and oversight, ensure alignment with city priorities, creates an avenue for you all to explore processes and partnerships and related issues that can improve our relationships with our current partners and future partners, and then it also allows Raleigh Sister Cities to continue to focus on their own priorities related to other aspects of their mission and purpose.

So I do have time for questions after Mary Claire presents, unless there are questions that you all want to ask now.

Any questions right now for Ms.

Jones?

Okay.

Thank you for that.

Oh, I do have one more slide, so sorry.

Um, so in consideration for the previous recommendations, the recommendations I just mentioned, if you all choose to move forward with them, some of the things that staff can do is bring back a detailed plan for you all that would consider how a border commission would be composed, appointments, the logistical aspects of that, what bylaws would look like, recommendations for responsibilities for initial tasks that could be developing a work plan, establishing those criteria that I mentioned earlier, working with Raleigh sister cities to reform their affiliation process, programming and other events.

So with that, now I will turn it over to Mary Claire to give you an update on our active partners.

Hi everyone, thank you for hearing us today.

And it's nice to see some familiar faces and new faces, and hi everyone in the audience.

Um I will invite one of our members to come up when we get to the South Korea piece.

Um but right now I will give you all a very high-level overview of the work that we do.

Um, and so I want to start with a quote from Mayor Avery Upchurch.

He was the mayor when Sister Cities was established 40 years ago, and explaining that meeting foreign dignitaries has helped me and realize that the world is really one big community.

Um I work in education research, and I've spent a lot of time in the last year going across North Carolina asking students, especially students involved in global global studies schools, IB schools, and dual language immersion schools, what matters to them the most.

And it's this perspective that the world is more than Raleigh, it's more than the United States, that there are places and people and cultures that they know nothing about until they are learning about them in their schools.

And so we are not up against necessarily something broader and harder, but we are in a world where we are becoming increasingly increasingly more global, but also needing competencies that the Department of Commerce, NCDPI, and really the world sees as beneficial that come from these global competencies, flexibility, communication, collaboration.

And so we see ourselves at Raleigh Sister Cities as these connectors.

So very quickly, who we are, you've already heard from Symmetria.

We are a volunteer nonprofit, a board of 20 plus individuals with diverse backgrounds.

We're representing our diverse communities, but also professions, stages of life, places they've lived.

We are currently eight global sister city partnerships.

So we have five formal and three sort of what we call in process or under application process that represent Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

And then we are a grassroots organization.

We collaborate with local partners like NC State and CMA, City of Raleigh, Go Global NC, but we are largely supported by our members, our donations, our sponsors.

We are given funding in kind or in kind resources, but also funding from these different partners, if I can speak correctly.

So what do we do?

We connect, educate, and facilitate.

We are a conduit to these global partnerships between Raleigh and our international partners.

We do things like lead our national exchange exchanges, delegations, city partnerships.

We most recently welcomed the Kenyan ambassador to the United States to Raleigh, where he met not just with NC State, go global NC, but let with local, you know, businesses, with our city council members, our city government.

We host community events.

That's a lot of what we do.

We are educators, we are connectors.

So we host everything from a German film night to community dinners where we invite individuals from those countries and those cultures to make meals and share a meal together, to even doing simple things like Guy Fox night where we at Mordecai burn a big fire and burn an effigy and talk about the connection between Hull and Raleigh.

Hi Emily, it's good to see you.

So we support youth leadership education and global learning.

We're involved with Wake County Public Schools, IB schools, K-12 schools, private schools.

We're involved with university students, university partners.

And then we also link our local priorities to global opportunities.

So sometimes this is economic.

We had an economic delegation from Gibraltar come in 2023.

They were focused on tech and by and oh gosh, my brain said biotech, but on FinTech and various ways that we can connect one another.

And we also host educational delegations and sports delegations.

A group of Raleigh IT's went to Compian France this year to play golf, and then some folks from Compian are coming back to stay in homes in Raleigh and play golf there.

So exchanges are not, are at very different levels.

So our current sister cities, you've already heard about these, these are let's see, three, four from Europe and five, and one in Nairobi.

We did historically have one in Russia and one in Tanzania and one in China, but those rolled off largely because grassroots efforts died in both cities.

We have partnerships awaiting official agreements, so Guadalajara, Mexico, Sierra and Lebanon and Gonso, which we'll talk about today.

I do want to think about Raleigh Sister Cities as a lens of our demographic changes, not just in Raleigh, but also in North Carolina.

So you can see over the last four decades, we have grown from more or less a 50-50, not totally, but largely black and white community to a more diverse community.

So we have a larger representation of Hispanic, Latino, Asian, and foreign-born populations in addition to an increasing black and white population.

And then I think it's important to think about how North Carolina is growing significantly over time with foreign-born residents for a multitude of reasons, but that Africa and Latin America in North Carolina have had the largest percentage increase of foreign-born residents, and then they're highlighted but different colors, it's confusing.

And then foreign-born residents in Raleigh has increased significantly in terms of Asian and Latin American populations.

So historically, we have been a European representative because Raleigh historically has been a European and North Carolina European heritage or population.

And as we've diversified, so have our cities.

And so we are waiting to add cities that are more representative of our growing populations, Latin America, African, as well as Asian Asian demographics.

Why we matter?

Population shifts represent changing community needs, changing workforce needs, changing education needs.

Our systems and services in the city and also ourselves as citizens must adapt to affect communication, access, engagement.

Our programs themselves help build those connections that people to people, that understanding.

But also we strengthen cross-cultural around the world, cross-cultural understanding around the world, and then locally.

So our goal is to connect our local priorities with the global with global opportunities.

And I like this photo because these are all of our ambassadors at Mordecai in 2022, and everyone is very happy and having fun.

So Raleigh Sister Cities today, I'm not gonna read everything on here, but our impact historically has been measured in the people that we reach.

We have engaged approximately 1,000 individuals.

This has changed a lot before the pandemic, we had a hugely active membership volunteer activity base.

It has taken us this amount of time to really get back to where we were in some form or fashion.

We've increased our collaborations with NC State and universities abroad, most specifically the University of Hull and the University of Rostock, which have climate-based one for the wetlands and marsh in Raleigh local city, and then Hull is a bit broader and looking at our coastal erosion.

But those partnerships are done with professors and students at NC State, and that exchange has extended over many, many years.

So visiting delegations again mentioned the Kenyan ambassador, but we also have the Rostock government coming in the summer.

We've had several, all of our sister cities have had visits from city members, either through organized groups or for people reaching out and saying, hey, I'm going here.

Can you give me recommendations and a place to stay?

And we said, Yep, happy to introduce you to our partners, and usually they will give you a dinner and a nice welcoming.

Youth engagement, really our biggest thing that we are focusing on is we used to have exchanges to those countries.

We don't have them anymore.

Some of it's funding, some of it was COVID fear.

Um, but now we are looking back at addressing, we are making progress toward youth engagement and increasing youth opportunities to exchange either virtually or in person.

Um but that really has been our focus because again, we need those competencies.

We need people to feel and students to feel their connection to the world.

Because I am someone who truly believes the more you know about another person, the more you know about another population, that you're just nicer to each other.

Um, and so I think you know, my what I would like to highlight with these is that something that we have done historically, but something that we haven't done officially is thinking about how our cities really reflect Raleigh and the city of Raleigh's priorities, your strategic plan, how things are moving forward.

And I think, you know, sometimes there are questions about why the heck would Gibraltar, which is a place with 33,000 people have anything, you know, to do or similar with Raleigh.

And a lot of it is things like they have a housing crisis, they have an affordability crisis, they have infrastructure crises, and they're solving them.

They're focused on this one.

They're focused on, you know, things like improving infrastructure traffic, how we can have green energy, and these are things that we can share with one another.

So our goal moving forward.

I'll come well, I'll come back to that one because I think that's separate.

Our goal moving forward is really to align better with the city to deepen our collaboration with local and global partners.

We really would like to formalize our three pending cities, adding future cities thoughtfully and strategically.

So reflecting, you know, the conversations that we've had with Symmetria and with the city manager's office and various individuals, um, is really move more in step with you all.

And that can be more formalized, that can be the structure we have now.

But the goal is is that our cities and our efforts are not just reflecting our government's goals, but also our our demographics as the city changes.

Um, and again, we want to think about sustainability, we want to think about peer learning, global government to government exchanges, person to person exchanges, and then really just think about how to strengthen and continue our grassroots community programming.

That does it drives visibility, it drives membership, it drives these cultural competencies and these global competencies that are deeply needed.

Um I'm gonna go back a slide to invite um Minu Lee to come up very quickly to share about one of our cities.

There you go.

Oh God.

Um Mayor Cowell, members of council.

Um thank you, Mary Claire, for that presentation.

Um yeah, just really quickly, uh, you know, this has been a long time coming.

Um, I think so.

Uh, you know, I got approached by some members of the Korean American community and in triangle uh to to look into the prospects of getting a sister city established uh within the city of Raleigh, the capital city, um, and and try and and see if we can merge, you know, a bridge to gap between uh diploma diplomatic matters between you know uh city of Raleigh and and then uh broader range uh Seoul and and South Korea.

I'm joined by by some members of the Korean American uh chamber of commerce as well, who are here in support of this uh perspective Sister City.

Um, but all in all about Kangso, um, if it is a very important district in Seoul, uh it's in the western part of Seoul.

Um it's it's known for you know uh housing a lot of the biotech industries, uh RD uh facilities.

Um there are a lot of similarities between the city of Raleigh and the district of Kangso.

Um they they have a lot of tourist destinations, they they uh house the HQs for uh Korean Airlines, ASEAN Airlines, um, and and here uh locally we've done a lot of uh community events uh to to try and get the the Korean American community amped up for this a potential sister city.

So uh we are uh truly excited uh for this perspective of a sister city and and we hope that uh council will move to a for uh move to approve.

Thank you.

Thank you for coming down and thank you all for being here uh representing the Korean uh chamber of commerce, all right.

So I just want to say thank you all for listening.

Thank you all for the continued conversations.

I know that we, you know, our time, your time is valuable, but we are citizens just trying to make people a little bit happier.

So um happy to answer questions and Symmetria and Manu and I can do that as you as you like.

Thank you all.

Do we have questions, observations?

Council, yeah.

Not really a question, just of all the recommendations.

I mean, me personally, I'm comfortable with all of them, um, except for the very last one.

I think you know we really need to talk about the boards and commission part, especially with the um exercise we just went through with boards and commissions and how we can consolidated some things.

Um, so other than that, I feel comfortable.

I'm happy with what's been presented.

Okay.

Other comments?

Uh Councillor Lambert Melton, and then I'll um come to I just want to thank you all for your work.

I was the city liaison for Sister Cities my first term until Councilmember Patton was elected, and and I think expressed some interest in it.

So I know how much work goes into just organizing the sister cities relationship and maintaining the uh I guess the grassroots organizations here.

Um, and I also appreciate some of these um recommended changes were being asked to weigh in on, particularly the one about um sort of looping, I guess, the council and the city manager and earlier.

I know a lot of work went into trying to find some new sister city partnerships a few years ago, and when that was presented to the council at the time, there was a concern from the manager's office rightfully so about expectations and staff capacity.

And so I would hate for you all to do all the work to build the relationships and start the apparatus and then it not get across the finish lines.

I don't think that's like respectful of your time and energy.

And so I think a more cohesive partnership and collaboration is warranted, and I think it's a a great organization and a great initiative.

Um so I'm happy to support um everything moving forward.

And I'll comment and then I'll hand it over to Counselor Patton since she's the um liaison.

But I'll just say in general, just really appreciate the work that you're doing, um, believe in the mission and the power of uh people-to-people diplomacy, and uh I've shared this with you.

But of course, I was an exchange student at age 16 in Germany for a year, and then went on to study in China, and the sort of lifelong relationships and perspectives that are provided by those experience are um just um right invaluable um in terms of the uh Korea and and some of the forward-looking partnerships.

I love that you're focusing on right, the populations that are here in Raleigh, you know, what are the most important growth um and you know, Korea is such an incredibly dynamic country.

Um, I went to Korea Fest recently, and I was just amazed at the crowds who were all there for the K-pop and the skincare.

Uh it was it was more than your typical uh, you know, uh sort of national festival.

So um really happy to have Gongso.

Of course, I wondered, you know, is so it is so mean West.

I'm thinking Gong Num style.

Yeah, right.

Do we have our own song?

That's me.

Anyway, but thrilled to be partnered.

Partnered with Seoul and one of the districts of Seoul as uh uh as a city, and then uh in terms of the recommendations, you know, uh Counselor Patton and I I appreciate her leadership on this issue and working as well as uh Symmetria Jones.

I am comfortable, you know, adding because I just think that this formalizes and incorporates the work, integrates it in a way that makes sense.

And even though we've just gone through and I think we've talked about with this merge with human relations, they've already merged.

I think that would be way too much.

So I you know, I'm supportive of of these recommendations.

Um obviously, you know, we'll let everybody else weigh in.

But um, thank you for all the work and and uh what's gone into this.

Counselor Patton, do you wanna um thank you all for being here?

Thank you each for all of the heavy load you've carried in your sort of respective veins.

Uh many we met at a coffee shop what almost a year ago to talk about the the potential of Gongsay was becoming a sister city and um you've brought it here to to fruition.

I think it's a really natural partnership, it's similar in size, and they're working on much of the same um things that we are.

So I think um it's really it's a really nice natural partnership.

I'm also glad to see us getting out of Western Europe.

Um, that's much needed.

Um, Mary Claire, thank you for carrying the organization and bringing in new members and um doing the work of discussing like how we carry Raleigh Sister Cities into a new era that is more durable than any one individual volunteer or one council member or one staff member.

And then Symmetria, thank you for all the like historical work you've done and how this partnership has evolved over time and how peer cities do it, um, and how we can can clean up.

I think for me, formalizing as an official commission of the city adds a level of clarity around roles and responsibilities and um clarity on both sides on what you all can you all the organization can expect from us as this the city and what the city can expect to provide and prov um I think that level of like formalization and is pro will provide clarity and and that durability that we're looking for.

So I'm satisfied with the recommendations here.

I would be happy to approve your work plan, adopt Gangseo's our next sister city, and adopt the recommendations from presented by staff.

Um so that would be my motion at the appropriate time.

Second.

Well, before you do that, I think we do need to pull out the boards and commission portion of it and have that as a separate conversation because we've got a number of other community groups that have raised the issue about boards and commissions that we've been hesitant to approve.

And so I don't want to do in one sweeping motion, approve a board and commission when we've told other people no.

So I think we do need to remove that portion out, and I'm happy to support everything else.

Why don't you just move the function?

Okay, so um is there a friendly amendment, or do people want to go ahead and vote on what's been moved, knowing there may be some opposition to it.

Did you?

Well, I'll just I say this.

If the motion goes as is, I like everything in it but the last piece.

So my no vote would be because of the last piece, but I support everything else.

So I stated that in the beginning.

Sure.

Yeah, yeah.

Um, I think we'll keep the motion as is, not amended, and welcome people to vote against if they need to.

Okay.

Any other discussion?

All in favor of the motion.

Aye.

All opposed, nay.

Okay.

So we have uh five-three vote.

So that passes, and um again, thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, next we have the report and recommendation of the city manager.

Thank you, Mayor.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council.

I have two items today.

One is actually on the agenda, and then I have a water usage update for the public and for all of us at the table.

The first item is an affordable housing opportunity, the East Cabaret's redevelopment properties.

We have Pat Dalton from housing and community development here to present this item.

Good afternoon, uh, mayor, members of council, and city manager.

My name is Pat Dawson with housing and community development, and I will be sharing staff's recommendation for the East Kabaras redevelopment site.

I'll start by going over some background and history of the site.

I'll then talk about the evaluation process and partner selection.

I'll then give some project updates and next steps.

This is a map of downtown Raleigh, and it shows the subject property in blue.

The site includes a cluster of three small city-owned parcels at the corner of Cabaras and East Street.

In October of 2024, our department, along with the urban projects group within planning, co-issued a request for proposal, making these sites available for an affordable development.

In November of 2024, we received seven complete proposals, after which staff from planning and housing evaluated each based on the following criteria team experience and qualifications, project viability and financial feasibility, the number of affordable units and the density of the proposed project, and the depth of affordability.

Staff interviewed the top four teams, and in February of 2025, selected local post, a local rally firm as our recommendation for a development partner.

Local Post stood out for its strong design team, proven track record of delivering projects of similar scale, and their innovative micro suite model featuring high quality design elements.

Staff notified council of this decision and began a collaborative process with local posts to finalize their program and the design with the intent of bringing it for full approval at a later date.

Since March of 2025, we're pleased to share that through this collaborative work, the project has improved in the following ways.

So since their initial submittal, we have increased the number of affordable units by two.

We've expanded unit types to include a handful of one and two-bedroom units alongside the suites.

The entire project is now being offered to individuals earning 60% AMI or excuse me, area median income or less.

And for context, 60% AMI for a family of four is 79,380.

And for a single individual, it's 55,620.

Local Post has also received loan commitments from two other public entities, the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency as well as Wake County.

Here's a snapshot of their proposed development, 28 affordable units at the following income levels.

This includes eight supportive housing units as well as three units supported through Wake County's rental assistance housing program.

They're able to deliver a fully affordable project at a at a very low development cost of around 150,000 per unit.

And the total city subsidy request is 1,239,762.

So today we're asking council to authorize a conditional commitment of 1,239,762 in GAP financing and to authorize the budget transfer and to adopt the resolution to enter into a long-term ground lease for no less than 75 years, and to authorize city staff to execute all required loan and ground lease documents.

That concludes my presentation.

This is not the first time you've seen this site before you that they can speak to some of the history.

There's also the development team as well in the audience that can answer some questions.

Questions for Mr.

Dawson, Councilor Jones.

Thank you so much for the presentation.

I may have missed it, so please forgive me, but the 1.2 million dollars that is being requested, what part of the but are we able to cover that with housing funds from the housing department?

Where is that coming from?

It is.

Yeah, it sounds like perhaps local post is here.

Um I just was curious to hear from them directly about any other projects in Raleigh and um or in the area.

Um, curious about uh, yeah, just some of your other efforts in the space to understand.

Uh hello, my name is Stuart Cullen at uh 5016 Hermitage Drive, Raleigh.

Um, so we've been my myself and architect partner Will Choi and uh his partner Elizabeth uh Laza Choi are uh with Choin Montgomery.

Um have been working and collaborating for a number of years on this micro suite model, which uh we think is a pretty innovative approach to deliver a lot of density while staying within the residential code, which makes the project quick quite a bit more affordable, but also speeds up the timeline.

And we've uh completed um uh three other projects together, and then I've also completed uh three other projects um on my own, and uh we found you know a lot of success.

The city staff is uh, you know, toward some of our projects.

We've you know, from uh building inspections department, sustainability, and obviously, you know, um uh Pat and his group.

So I think everybody's been impressed with the quality of the product and sort of the innovative approach to deliver sort of neighborhood scale uh projects that um also deliver densities that are closer to sort of um really uh multifamily of institutional multifamily scale, and so if this site, which is about 12,000-ish square feet across three parcels, we're delivering twenty-eight units, which is almost 100 to the acre.

But again, the scale is very small, it's only three stories, and you know, so I think we're really excited to to work on it and do something innovative.

Yeah, and just to clarify, are any of your other projects have um income restrictions on them?

No, this is the first time.

I think you know we've spent the last seven years sort of kind of refining the concept uh with the hope that you know if we could uh standardize simplify you know the the product that we could sort of move it into the affordable space.

So this is kind of you know would be the eighth project that we've worked on, and you know, um we think it's we're at a point where it it makes a lot of sense in the affordable space to do it.

And apologies if I missed the fine print.

Is this for permanent affordability 30 years?

Well, how does that work?

So I think we're at it's a 99-year ground lease, and we're at 75 years.

Yeah, that so we are we'll finalize that in ground lease negotiations, but it'll be no less than 75 years.

Okay, great.

I just want to say hi to Will.

Thank you all for being here and for your proposal.

Counselor Lambert Melton.

Yeah, I just wanted to add that um moving the city-owned underutilized and vacant sites into production for affordable housing is probably one of my favorite initiatives we've worked on since I've been on this council.

This is a site I'm very familiar with.

It has sat in this condition for as long as I have lived in Raleigh.

Um, and that was because of policy choices made by folks that were sitting at this table, and we've made a different policy choice, and now this site that most people have walked or drive by and never thought about will be the home for 28 folks, um folks who need affordable housing.

So I think that's incredible, and I'm I'm happy to support it.

Um I'm assuming council member branch of this district is gonna want to make a motion.

So I'll second it when he does.

Yeah, if we're at that point, I definitely want to say thank you for your work and you know, a chance.

What people always say is where's the affordable housing close to downtown?

And this is another great example of using city-owned land um to help push that lever and move it forward.

So if that uh move for approval with this project.

Second.

All right, any other discussion commentary?

All in favor, aye.

All opposed, nay.

That is unanimous.

Thank you all.

Thank you.

And so mayor and council, you will recall that on April the 20th of this year, we issued stage one water restrictions, trying to get our community in the mindset of um being conservative and trying to take care of our precious resource water.

And for the month of May, our community responded to that call and they did really, really well.

However, two weeks into June, we have not done as well.

And we're in a position right now that we are okay, however, if the non-irrigation days continue to go above the limits that we have set, we will be coming back to you in July asking for some additional authority so that we can go into stage two.

So this is really a gentle, friendly reminder for everyone who has gardens and flowers and wanting to keep their yards really pretty.

If we get to stage two, that addresses landscaping, outside irrigations, and a lot of the watering that happens for plants and um and in people's yards.

So just wanted to put that notice out there.

Some of our communities around us have gone to stage two already.

We're not there yet.

However, this is a mid-month plea, so that folks will be really cautious and conserve water through June so that we don't have to get there in July.

I just thank you so much.

I just have two questions.

Um when in stage one and stage two uh hand watering, is that is still allowed in stage two as well?

No.

So no, that is not.

I know that uh recently I was shown, there's it says different things on two different uh uh um items that are public facing.

So I'll share those with you.

We can make sure those are consistent.

Um that that would be amazing.

And then secondly, my second question is let's say, and I really believe in Raleigh, and I think we can come, and it's great, and that we don't have to go in July since we're off from July 7th until August 18th.

What happens in the interim immediate time?

Do you guys make that decision on your own?

Are you able to go into stage two without us saying uh that without our approval?

How does that work?

So we will have an item on the agenda for July 7th, giving us that authority and um in that interim period, and whenever we have a cycle of cycle from a council meeting that will allow us to make the necessary steps to conserve what we understood.

So that's what you're saying.

You weren't asking for the merch, you were asking for the authority to do it while we were out.

So we didn't have to got it.

Okay, thank you for the clarification.

Any other commentary?

Uh, Councilor Pott.

Yeah, just I was gonna bring this up during my council concerns, but I'll do it now since it's related.

Um, one is that you know, we get a lot of repeat questions from community members like, what about everyone else, or what about the golf courses?

And there is a frequently asked questions page on our website that explains a lot of those common questions, and so I just encourage residents to go and view those questions because it's natural to have them, but it's also helpful to have answers to them, and you've provided them.

Um, and then one and you won't have to answer on the spot, but maybe provide in the future.

We have gotten some concerns.

Stage two comes at 45% capacity for Falls Lake, and some residents have expressed um a wonder or concern.

Like, is that too far?

Have we let it gone too far?

And so I I know there's science and rationale around it.

If we could just get a little explainer, that'd be helpful.

Sure.

Okay.

Um, do you need us to take a vote on an okay?

Just an update, and you'll have an agenda item on the seventh that will give us that authority to be able to make those decisions if it happens not just while you're out on break, but any time during the year this I'll cycle of a council meeting.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

And that concludes my report today.

All right.

Uh next we have the Raleigh Transit Authority.

Het Patel.

Good afternoon, Mayor.

Uh Hepatel Transportation Transit.

Uh, this is the Raleigh Transit Authority's annual report for fiscal year 26 with the fiscal year 27 annual work plan.

And I am here to just introduce Jen Truman, our Raleigh Transit Authority chair.

She will be presenting for you guys, and we'll be happy to answer any questions.

Good afternoon, y'all.

Um, Jen Truman here on behalf of the Raleigh Transit Authority.

Um, I have a lovely team of folks that help us help staff and help you in keeping our buses doing awesome things here in Raleigh.

Um, I'm gonna start um just briefly um by acknowledging that we lost a dear member of our transit authority this year in February unexpectedly.

Um, and Dr.

Byron Leek uh was a key contributor to many parts of our community, um, but especially um to the transit authority and to our many riders, and I'd be remiss not to mention that as part of our annual report.

Um so moving into uh official business um to go over uh what the Raleigh Transit Authority does, um, we work with the city of Raleigh Transportation Department and their employees and staff, um, as well as the management company and the operators and riders to help make sure that the uh Raleigh Transit Go Raleigh system has a safe, reliable, convenient, efficient public transportation system for our city.

Um in 2025, it was the 50th anniversary.

Folks saw gold wrapped buses and special designs and cool t-shirts.

Um mine was not clean from the laundry this morning or else I'd be wearing it.

Um and we had a lot of fun celebrating the history of transit from the cat buses all the way through Go Raleigh today.

Um, and also um last year and carrying into this year, the authority um picked three priorities for ourselves.

Um, the first and most important is to focus on the fundamentals, um, to advocate and to amplify the transit system, and then to be visionary and also like thinking towards the future.

So keep those in mind as I go through the slides.

Uh I'm gonna brag a little bit first, um, and that is to say that there's a few facts and cool stats that I wanted to draw out of your written report.

One is that we have a million more riders um in 2025 at the end of the year than we had in 2019.

Often we hear stories about um whether the buses are really working and whether there are really people in them, and so I wanted to include this fact.

Um, and also that pushed us over Durham.

Um, so just in case we have any rivalry there, uh, we have more ridership in GoDeram now.

Um, and in large part, that's due to the frequent service we've been able to expand across key corridors.

We have over 137 miles of frequent service that's 15 minutes or better.

As someone who was like knocking on doors as a little intern in 2015 when we were trying to get people to vote for the Wake Transit Plan.

We never would have guessed that we had 10-minute peak service, but we do now on Capitol Boulevard, and we'll add it to another route in the coming year.

And this is just a summary of what those increases were over the last year and the map of those 137 miles.

And all of that led us to being recognized as the number two transit agency for ridership growth for mid-size systems by the APTA.

That's a 42% increase in annual trips.

And big shout out to the management company, RITP Dev, who keeps things rolling and running all the time and helped that happen.

And also, you know, we're always recognizing folks on the operator side of things, and 15 operators reached their million mile milestone last year, that long-term service, that long-term dedication.

And we are always, I never pass up an opportunity to say thank you to a bus operator and to the rest of the crews that keep the buses rolling every day.

Thanks to GoRale staff and the commute smart staff.

We also had significant community engagement and outreach with 96 events that reached over 11,000 residents.

Everything from touch a truck, like is pictured here, to BRT planning and all sorts of bike put on the put your bike on the bus demonstrations.

This is only a piece of the bus shelters that were added to give you a snapshot, but 49 bus shelters were added in set eight alone in FY26, with additional updates to shelters and uh bus stops uh in set nine and ongoing, funded in large part due to the wake transit plan.

Um, and then just to familiarize you, um, the Raleigh Transit Authority has three main committees.

Um, the first of which is the Route Committee, which helps by reviewing and providing that feedback on service changes, alignments, uh, making sure we're following uh Wake Transit Plan uh goals and investments, and just improving the rider experience.

Um, so that focus on the fundamentals is a lot of the work that the route committee does in terms of making sure that we're safe and reliable and how we run our bus system.

We also have a finance and policy committee, and they review um comprehensive review of existing policies, uh, our regular budget review that comes up to you all every year, as well as oversight for specific federal grant programs like Title VI and ADA programs.

Um, there's a lot of those things that are funded through the transportation department and the transit department.

And the marketing commit committee um works with staff to support that ridership growth we were just talking about and to strengthen the community awareness.

Um, we have all sorts of efforts around um this past year around influencer marketing, how we um review our ad policy, having surveys and data that we get back from transit riders with new apps, um, the what we can do with the FAIR data and how we can just tell people about the GoPass programs that we have and the transit assistant programs that we have.

That's just a snapshot.

Um, and gives you a good summary of all the hard work that we've been doing over FY26 as an advisory uh board to the transit staff.

Which brings us to our FY27 work plan, um, keeping those policies and priorities in mind that we mentioned.

Um, we have five main goals, uh, safety for riders and operators, uh, considering the future of the R line as per your requests recently, uh, policy reviews and the role of the transit authority in that work, as well as performance monitoring that is ongoing and representing the voice of the transit folks and the community of bus riders at our regional TPAC meetings.

I have some additional slides that have more details on this if you all have questions as we go through.

But really, I just wanted to thank you for letting me have a chance to come and present today and ask that you accept and approve our annual report and work plan.

Thank you for chairing this important committee.

And uh we'll go to questions starting with uh Mary Bertum, and then we'll go to Councillor Johnson.

Thanks, Jen, for your work here.

It's really important.

I'm curious in terms of when you all have recommendations to bring back to council or different kind of you know emerging policy issues.

What is our current communication path and what do you suggest going forward?

And maybe that's a longer conversation to have.

Yeah, I think it is a longer conversation, and it's part of why we put like the role of the authority into our work plan this year.

Over the last couple of years, y'all have reviewed committees and community engagement has come in to engage with the transit authority.

We've been working to include things like that in our bylaws.

But there is, I think, a need for more time to clarify how that would best work and support staff to have that clarity.

There's oftentimes things that come to the transit authority related to transit, transportation, planning, different things that come to us before they ever come to you.

And so there is sometimes a need that we would have to let you know about things in an official capacity.

Councilor Jones.

Thank you so much for all this.

In terms of the More Square bus station, do you get safety updates or uh do you get any updates about the bus station as a board?

Yes.

Um so we had previously gotten about uh two updates a year from our safety director on the garali staff, and I'll look to hit if I leave anything out.

Um but we've actually updated um upgraded the frequency of those over the last year.

Um and so we get one, we get regular performance and and incident reporting every single month.

Um, but then around the bus station, particularly we're asking for more frequent updates.

Do I leave anything out?

I just asked that.

I know that uh it's been in the news lately about the bus station, and I would love if it's already part of your work plan or something that you can tell to give us an update on your uh what you guys are learning about with the performance and for safety and hear what questions may be being asked to you, if that can be part of your um report to us, you know, when you're telling us about all the work that you're doing.

Absolutely, yeah.

At this point, uh we do have those conversations frequently with staff, and I think staff has brought them to your attention when you have those work sessions.

Um so I don't have anything additional to say, um, but it's definitely something that we regularly ask about and have our mind on.

Perfect.

Thank you so much.

Counselor Silver.

Jen, thank you for the presentation.

Uh, my questions and let me know if this is within your purview or not, but you engaged, it seems like a lot of residents over the past year.

The fact that the numbers are now, you know, adding those many riders is very significant.

So I was very very pleased to know that uh the system is serving um our riders.

My question is we had a lot of conversation at the table about the the infrastructure.

You mentioned you added 42, 44 bus shelters.

Uh, don't know how many other bus stops need shelters, so I don't know if that's part of the conversation.

So, one is about the infrastructure of making sure it is a decent place for a person to wait for a bus.

But secondly, getting to the bus.

If anybody expressed challenges, I would take the bus more, lack of sidewalks, lack of shelter, uh, lack of crosswalks.

I'm very pleased that in our budget, we'll be doing a lot more striping to make it safer on our streets.

So, anything related to kind of the infrastructure of getting to the bus or to your destination.

Uh, just don't know if that's within your purview, but since you said you engage close to 11,000 people, uh, did you get any of that feedback as well as we consider kind of what's the next step for making sure it's a great pedestrian experience for those getting to the bus?

Um, well, first, yes, we do often hear about the need for more sidewalks on the way to bus stops and um through the way transit plan funding of these sets of bus shelter and improvements that come along with that, which includes the full landing pad sidewalk and in some cases included crosswalks to get safely to that stop, though more rarely um uh that's part of the regular work that the transit staff is doing.

And then as an advisory board, we do um uh informally meet um with folks from BPAC to exchange like sites of concern and conversations around that.

That's why we recently updated our mobility uh device policy for what you can what kind of scooters or strollers you can bring on board the bus as well.

Um but yes, it's something that's on our mind.

And we do have uh a policy related to when a bus stop gets shelter based on the number of um riders that that stop sees every day.

Um, and that's regularly reviewed and prioritized, and that is actually all available online as well.

Counselor.

Yep.

Do you have I can have I have no liaison to this one too?

Okay, cool.

All right, I have the last word then um thank you for this work and all the work that you do to keep our buses rolling um in partnership with our staff uh I think one thing that is important and if I can ask you to like illuminate it more that I don't know that everyone knows we all are really a very working board and do a lot I would say a lot beyond what some of our other advisory boards do.

Do you have can you share examples of like things you do so we don't have to sure um I yeah it goes back to that question that counselor Harrison was asking around in terms of the the work that we do and I and I included on a slide from finance and policy committee because they carry some of that um work within the board.

Really we're doing um public hearings that are related to things like Title VI reports when we have a change in service or a reduction in service federal law requires that those be looked at to see if there's impacts on various things um monitoring the paratransit and ADA services um working with staff on like they're piloting an app with a couple of users right now that are beta testing um and we get reports regularly on that I'm probably giving out a million things um do you want to add anything hat?

Yeah I'll just add I mean I think this is again a larger conversation about what the role uh of the authority actually is but certainly um from its inception the authority has always been the body that approves a lot of our federal compliance documents like a program management plan for some of our grants the Title VI analysis and all the policies that go into that as well as some of our day-to-day operational policies again those are um more procedures day to day than they are citywide policies or ordinances and so those are activities that the police the Raleigh Transit Authority has always taken on.

That gave me time to look at my slide that says code of conduct which is one of the most recent updates that we made um uh the code of conduct had not been updated in a very long time I'll just say that it had walkman listed as one of the things that were regulated um and so there were many things that operators um and um folks that were trying to enforce security and good behaviors on the bus um needed to be put into the code of conduct and so we work with staff over the last year to um uh both in transit and the attorney's office and other uh departments in the city to update that code of conduct um and then the next step um in with it in this next work plan will be to do the marketing and and rules advertisement part of that hopefully that answers yeah so I yeah just to really highlight like something like the code of conduct or what type of strollers are allowed on the bus is a a very important but a very in the weeds type of task that I think this council probably does not want to take on a at a line by line basis.

So want to make sure you you I want to make sure it is heard that I I would like you all to continue doing that work.

A coup a couple other things in your under the market I think this fits nice into the marketing work plan.

I'd love for you all to look at opportunities around licensing partnerships.

I think other transit systems do this um I don't know to what um to what benefit so I would love if the marketing team could evaluate if licensing um partnerships are fruitful to transit systems licensing for what things sorry like like to sell branded merch or something so for example Charlotte T shirts yeah like Transit Charlotte Transit Authority sells an ugly Christmas sweater that has their bus and the Charlotte skyline on the back.

And I I don't think they sell that like on the I don't think there's I don't think like we need more ugly I think it's licensed out for uh other private providers to to do that.

Um so yes so licensing um and then I do think as to Councilmember Harrison's point I think and yours you there are times when you all might need to opine on something in advance of it receiving us or coming to us and that sometimes by the time something come to us it it really needs to be acted upon quite quickly in a way that we couldn't necessarily like send it back to you and wait for your approval.

So I think it would be appropriate for you all to codify your procedure for how you do that.

And it seems like the bylaws are an appropriate place for that to be codified.

Um so with all of that, I would move to a counselor branch.

Wanted to make one comment before you.

It's a comment so she can make our motion.

Okay.

Okay.

I just move to move to approve the work plan.

Second.

Yeah.

My comment being that before I was on Raleigh City Council, I was on the Raleigh Transit Authority, got up to vice chair before I was elected to council.

So I want to thank you and the authority members for the work that you do and me understanding those meetings, those subcommittee meetings and everything else, and all those who previously served there as well.

Just thank you because you all really help our staff.

You bring that community conscious to help them, and they I'm sure have helped you because they've helped me a lot when I've been there.

Just thank you for making us a world-class system.

Thank you.

All right.

All in favor of the motion.

Aye.

All opposed, nay.

That is unanimous.

Appreciate it.

Okay.

We now have matters scheduled for public hearing.

And the Raleigh Convention Center naming opportunity.

Good afternoon, Mayor Cowell, members of City Council.

I'm Mara Kraft.

I'm the general manager of the convention center.

And I'm here and I'm very pleased to present the item before you, which proposes that the city enter into a naming rights agreement with Atlantic Union Bank.

Atlantic Union Bank is the largest regional bank that's headquartered in Virginia.

It has an expanding presence across the mid-Atlantic that also includes Raleigh.

They have a branch open on Oberlin Road, they're opening another branch in Park West next month, and there'll be three or four other locations expanding throughout the next year.

Atlantic Union Bank is eager to build this partnership with Raleigh.

They want to do this through community engagement, and their priorities include affordable housing, economic development, and financial education.

Under the proposal, the name of the convention center would be changed to Atlantic Union Bank for a period of 15 years with an opportunity for two five-year extensions.

In exchange for this naming opportunity, the bank would pay us an annual naming rights fee.

The cumulative total of that initial term is approximately $9 million.

We have representatives today with us from Atlantic Union Bank.

They include Sam Bauer, the senior manager for corporate sponsorships, Melissa Kelly, Senior Vice President of Marking Marketing, and Christine Landy, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Atlantic Union Bank.

Christine would love to make a comment when the time is appropriate.

In the meantime, I'm happy to take any of your questions prior to opening the public hearing.

Okay.

Questions for Ms.

Croft?

Yes.

Hi.

One question we got from community was whether this money, the money provided through this partnership is in addition to the interlocal funds, or will this reduce our interlocal fund burden, if that makes sense?

So this money goes to our operating expenses, so it's a separate bucket, but it will go to our operating expenses.

Okay.

Any other questions?

All right, I can open the public hearing.

I have no one signed up for or against.

So I will close it.

And does the do members of the Atlantic Union Bank want to say anything?

Good afternoon, Mayor Cowell and City Council.

Thank you for the opportunity to be here for today's session.

As Mar mentioned, I'm Christine Landy, and I'm representing the Atlantic Union Bank as their chief marketing officer.

Atlantic Union Bank actually goes back to 1902 where it was founded in Virginia.

But today we are a regional mid-Atlantic bank.

And the nice thing is we actually can offer sophisticated products that a larger bank can, but we also still have very much have that carrying customer relationship focus and community focus of a smaller community bank.

We are further expanding into Raleigh Triangle Area with an array of personal and business banking solutions.

We do have the one branch here already.

We are opening three more this year, and then an additional four in the Raleigh triangle area next year.

Some of them are going into existing spaces, and some of them we're actually building from the ground up.

But addition to branches, you know, we'll have a full service on banking offerings from home loans to wealth management to business and commercial banking.

Um our bank also has a proud history of supporting local initiatives, and we're committed to kind of serving this um vibrant community.

Um, already actively engaged in CDFIs to for the success of small businesses.

Um we've been engaged and will continue to be in the North Carolina Affordable Housing Conference.

Um, and then we've committed to some local sponsorships already, like the Special Olympics, the Triangle Aquatic Center, but we actually have an array of partners that we're talking with now, including um you know some of the local organizations as well as the um chamber organizations.

Um we believe the convention center is an exceptional fit for our brand.

Um it's a dynamic hub for business culture and community gathering.

So we're definitely looking forward to working together, and I'm also happy to answer any questions that you might have.

Great.

Thank you so much.

Any questions?

No questions.

I just want to just prepare you all because we have the COSA Federal Credit Union, but some still call it Walnut Creek Amphitheater.

We have midtown, but some of us is still called North Hills, and even though this we will probably approve this as a body, some may still call it the Raleigh Convention Center.

Um so I just want to go have a longer tail.

Yes, I just want to go ahead and just put that out there.

Any other commentary?

All right, is there a motion?

Move for approval.

Second.

All right.

All in favor of the motion, aye.

Aye.

All opposed, nay.

That is unanimous.

Thank you all.

All right.

Uh next we have the tax equity and fiscal responsibility act, uh, Briar Creek Apartments.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council.

Uh Lou Bonapane with the city clerk's office.

This is a hearing man mandated by the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982, as well as some IRS regulations that uh require a public hearing prior to private uh financing and issuance of tax exempt bonds.

So I'm not sure if anyone is here to speak to the project.

A couple people signed up when I open the hearing or if there's any five minutes.

I'm happy to try to answer any questions before before you open the hearing.

Any questions?

Okay, I'll go ahead and open it up.

Thank you.

Uh so opening the hearing for uh the SRF SFRI crest at Broad Creek Apartments.

Uh, and I had Curst Kristen Kirby and Scott Brimer here.

Good afternoon, Mayor Council members.

My name is Kristen Kirby.

I'm with McGuire Woods here in Raleigh.

We're representing the developer here locally in connection with uh this project.

And then I'm joined by Scott Brimer with the developer who will provide an overview of the project.

Forgive me if I'm not good with the PowerPoint.

Here we go.

Do you want to talk about the project generally?

Yeah, thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Council members.

Um I represent a uh nonprofit 501c3 that is um making an acquisition of a property here in uh in your city and uh it's a 2013 uh vintage project.

Um we are uh financing this with tax exempt bonds uh that are rated.

Um have the the city has no financial obligation uh to the asset uh or any of the the loans that we're entering into.

Um it's 291 units.

Uh the rents are going to be limited to 40 percent of the units or gonna be at 60 percent of AMI.

Uh the balance of the units are gonna be uh at 80% of AMI.

Um, and the alura will be in place on the asset for 15 years, uh preserving uh affordable housing uh in this neighborhood, and as the uh member staff uh uh shared, we're doing this under an IRS Revproc to issue uh those those bonds.

Uh it's a fantastic project and a fantastic uh area of town, and you know we're very glad to be here.

Thank you.

I believe in your packet, and as you can see, these are just some images of the property.

Um, as Scott mentioned, this is a 100% affordable project.

40% of the units will be at 60% AMI or area median income.

The remaining will be at or below 80% of area median income.

Um we believe this project helps to advance the city's affordable housing goals by maintaining the affordability of this site for at least 15 years, as was mentioned.

Fully affordable property of 291 units located in Briar Creek, which is an area we know, as we all know, with many professionals and members of our workforce.

Um as was also mentioned, this is owned by a nonprofit 501c3 that is therefore able to use tax exempt bonds to finance the property.

I'm gonna skip ahead a little bit, um, which is why we're here before you.

So, as um the clerk mentioned, in order to use tax exempt bonds to finance this project, we do need to have a public hearing and an approval from the elected governing body that has jurisdiction over the area in which the project is located, which is why we're before city council today to satisfy that requirement of the tax code, because the project is in the city of Raleigh.

Um these bonds will not in any way be a debt or a liability of the city, they do not affect the city's legal debt limit or your credit ratio, your credit rating or your debt ratios.

The city has no obligation for their repayment and is not putting any funds into this project.

We merely need um the city council's approval following the public hearing to satisfy the tax code requirement.

Happy to answer any questions either about the TEFRA approval requirements, the bonds, or the project if there are any.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

Any questions for uh Miss Kirby or Mr.

Brimer?

Just one question.

Your slide states 40%, and the documentation says no fewer than 20%.

So which it's the the former, there will be 40% of the units at 60% AMI, and then the remaining 60% at 80% or less AMI.

I think the documentation is just um mentioning the the minimum requirements to use this type of bond.

The form that Scott signed.

Yeah, that was something, yeah.

So but yes, the 40 and 60 percent is correct.

Yeah, so we um under the IRF Rev Proc, you can uh, and we're probably being a little too deliberate in the presentation.

You can have 25% of the units and market.

Right.

But we're not doing that, okay.

Okay.

So this is the legal document which says between no less than 20%, but you're saying you're gonna do 40.

The Lura will have 40% of 60 and 80 percent and 60 percent at 80.

And Lura stays with the property for 15 years.

Okay.

Okay.

Thank you for clarifying.

Uh anybody else?

Councilor Jones, do you want to talk?

Okay.

Well, I guess I will take the mic for just a second.

This is my district.

You're in my district.

I'm super proud to be bringing more affordable housing.

I'm thankful for your partnership in this.

Um, and when it is right after the public hearing is closed, I'd be uh proud to motion this forward.

Alright, thank you.

Okay.

I will close the hearing.

I move to approve uh the tax equity and fiscal responsibility act of nineteen eighty two for SFRI Crest at Briar Creek Apartments.

Second.

All in favor of that motion.

Aye.

All opposed, nay.

And that is unanimous.

Uh thank you.

And that is indeed good news for District E and the City of Raleigh.

Okay.

We have a street name change.

Uh Will Shoemaker.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council.

Will Shoemaker with the City of Raleigh bringing forward a street name change for the church at North or a part of the church at North Hill Street?

If you look at the MAT map here today, both the red section and the pink section are both named church at North Hill Street.

Staff received a valid application as well as a valid uh alternate name to change the the section red to be the bridge at North Hill Street.

We had this before you to set the public hearing at the May 19th, May 19th uh City Council meeting.

And so this street name change meets all of the city's uh application naming and threshold requirements.

Uh so if council so chooses, we would recommend that you you honor this application to change uh that that red section of the church at North Hill Street to be the bridge at North Hill Street uh with an effective date of December 31st, 2026.

Okay, questions for Mr.

Shoemaker.

Not a question, but to address council member branch's concern.

Shouldn't be the bridge at Midtown Street.

Just joking.

Okay.

He didn't laugh.

I know.

Corey.

He's still he's still scanning the maps.

Um okay.

I'll go ahead and open the public hearing, and I have no one signed up in support or opposition, so I will close the public hearing.

Do we have a motion?

I do.

Yes.

Um I move that we uh approve the renaming uh to the bridge at North Hill Street.

Second.

I didn't say midtown, said North Hill Street.

All in favor of that motion.

Aye.

Aye.

All opposed, nay.

That is unanimous.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, next we have public nuisance abatement.

Bryce Abernathy.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council.

Bryce Abernathy with the Housing and Community Development Department.

Um I have three properties that I'm bringing forth today, uh, where we completed nuisance abatement link or nuisance abatements, and we're asking for a link confirmation for that word that took place.

Uh the first one's 1316 Carp Road.

It was just extremely high.

Weeds and grass on it's a vacant lot.

There was a house there, but now it's all that all that's there's a mailbox.

Um 2351 Maybrook was common area in a townhome community of the area is owned by HOA.

Um that did not clean clean up these issues, and uh so we went out and cleaned it up for them.

And the last one is 227 South Person Street, and there was just a variety of trash and uh stuff that he kind of compiled on that alter that property.

Uh, if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help.

Questions.

Oh, sorry.

Do any of these properties have existing nuisance abatement liens on them?

No.

We'll open the public hearing, and there is no one signed up uh in support or opposition and closing the public hearing.

Do we have a motion?

Second, all in favor of the motion, aye.

All opposed, nay, and that is unanimous.

Thank you for your work.

Uh, next we have petition annexation AX 826, uh 204 Chatterson Drive and District A.

And Matthew Burns.

Good afternoon, Mayor Cowell, members of the city council, Matthew Burns with Planning and development.

This is a request to annex a uh about a three-quarter acre parcel in North Raleigh.

It's between Strickland Road and I 540, about half a mile south of 540.

Uh the site's residentially zoned with the Falls watershed protection overlay districts.

And the proposed use is a uh residential home.

There's an existing structure on the property, and they're proposing demolishing that uh and replacing building another single family residential home.

And the site does not meet current standards for fire response.

So please let me know if you have any questions.

Questions.

Okay.

I will open the public hearing, and we have no one signed up for or against closing it.

I move that we uh adopt the annexation with the effective date of June 16, 2026.

Second.

All in favor of that motion, aye.

Aye.

All opposed, nay.

That is unanimous.

Uh next we've got petition annexation AX 1026 3027 Rock Quarry Road.

And for this one, we have Matthew Clem.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council, Matthew Clem, planning and development.

This is a request to annex uh just over 17 acres uh for the development of 282 uh unit um apartment complex.

Uh it is within the priority uh annexation area, uh public utilities are near the site.

Um happy to take any questions.

Questions for Mr.

Clum.

Okay, I will open the public hearing, close it.

Do we have a motion?

I move for approval of annexation dated June 16, 2026.

Second.

All in favor of that motion, aye.

Aye.

All opposed, nay, and that is unanimous.

Uh next we have petition for annexation AX 1126, which is 69 and 69.50 Blue Rain Blue Run Lane, Matthew Burns.

Good afternoon again.

Uh this is a proposed annexation of about a 32-acre site in northeast Raleigh near I-540 and Buffalo Road.

Uh the site was rezoned in 2024, and the proposed use is a church.

Uh the site does not meet current standards for a full fire response.

Uh, please let me know if you have any questions.

Okay, questions for Mr.

Burns.

If not, I will open the hearing and I have one person signed up, Shannon Parker.

Hello, good afternoon, Mayor and City Council members.

Thankful to be here.

I'm Shannon Parker, representing Raleigh Knife Christian Center.

And I just first want to say thank you all so much for your support over the last couple of years.

We appreciate it.

So Raleigh Knife Christian Center, we have been in existence over the last 25 years in the city of Raleigh.

We are serving our community and so thankful to do that.

We are excited to be annexed in to the city with your support.

We serve over 1,882 members.

That includes 511 children.

And we average 5,838 people who come into our doors each month.

And so we love what we do in the community that serves over 40 different areas of ministry from mental wellness to military outreach, supporting Welborn Elementary, a Title I school, and we would love to be annexed into the city of Raleigh.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh I can uh close the public hearing and then ask questions, or do you want?

Okay, so questions for Ms.

Parker or Mr.

Burns or a motion.

I'd make the motion.

Um I move to approve uh annexation AX1126 uh with the effective date of June 16th, and want to say congratulations to Ronald North Christian Center for all the great work that you do in the community.

Okay, all in favor of that motion, aye.

All opposed, nay.

That is unanimous.

Thank y'all.

Impressive numbers.

Okay, uh rezoning Z 3925 319 Hex Street.

And in this one, we have no time remaining for the opposition.

We do still have uh folks signed up on the uh applicant side.

Go ahead.

Good afternoon, Hannah Recau with planning and development.

So this uh item rezoning Z 3925.

Uh the hearing was opened at your May 19 meeting and continued to today to allow the applicant to consider revising the conditions, which they have done.

Um so the revisions include adding office use to the list of prohibited uh land uses, and then adding some details to the condition requiring a commemorative plaque.

So now it would have a minimum size and be required to be visible from the public right of way.

Then they've added two new conditions.

So a maximum of 40 dwelling units permitted on the property and a maximum building height of 55 feet.

The requested district is a four-story district, so normally that would be 68 feet.

That's the staff update.

Happy to answer any questions.

Questions?

Yeah, hi.

Um, I am curious the reduction, like how many dwelling units are lost due to the update and how much height is lost due to the update.

Sure, yeah.

So um without condition four, uh stat the staff's estimate uh was about around 50 units could be built on the site.

And then um without condition five, uh, they could build uh up to 68 feet.

Okay.

So I have a question around the setback.

Um I know they have a maximum height of um 55, but because of transitional um footage and setback, would they even be able to get to 55 feet?

Um taking a look at the map now.

So the um uh neighborhood transitions um pull that up real quick.

I believe so, but I'm gonna pull it up to double check.

And you I think they have a presentation, so I think you you can have some time.

They have at least a minute 25.

Uh if I'm remembering correctly, it's um they can establish along the where the transition um applies um uh 40 feet, 50 feet into 50 feet away from the property and go uh sort of one to one 45 degree angle up from there.

Uh and the property looks to be about 100 feet deep.

Okay.

That it answers your question.

Okay, it helps.

Thank you.

All right, and we had kept this open, right?

So I will invite up um Ms.

Stewart and Mr.

Cullen if they want to.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Molly Stewart, Morningstar Law Group here with the applicant.

Stuart Cullen on behalf of 319 Hex Street LLC.

Um we do have some clarification.

I I know that last time we focused primarily on the NCOD removal request and and talked about you know what what that does and does not accomplish.

Um and so today, given the comments that we heard last time, I did want to talk about that height question.

We understood that was still uh a concern, and so we did come back with that height cap uh that that brought the height down.

Uh the the measurement you see here on your screen is 50 feet.

Uh, we are in a situation here where there would be a neighborhood transition to the south if four stories were built.

Um so we would have that here.

That is the building setback, that 50 foot building setback, and that's what it looks like on the aerial view.

In addition to the 50 foot building setback, there are the height controls starting at that 50 foot setback line, which requires that the building be no taller than 40 feet at that location.

Uh, and so with our height cap of 55 feet, there's there's an additional 15 feet of height permitted, um, but you you can't really achieve that full height until you're 65 feet away from that southern property line, because the permitted height rises at a 45 degree angle.

So every one foot you're farther from that southern property line, you can also build one foot taller.

So that is my apologies.

That I think explains it.

All right.

I will um go ahead and close the public hearing.

Um, do we have questions for Ms.

Stewart or can you explain the height a little better for me?

Yes, uh, thank you.

Um, and I just want to throw in we we did have one additional um issue just come up today, and uh, if if it's all right with the council, we would like to request deferral if we can today.

Um, but to get back to your question, um, what what this shows is that blue area on the site, that is where the full 55 feet um could be achieved.

Um, and that is under the cap that was offered in the conditions, so that is lower than what would be permitted anyway.

By comparison, the RX uh three district to the east, um, is eligible for a height bonus.

This site would not be eligible for a height bonus, but to the east, there's a height bonus available that would permit five stories or 80 feet.

Um that site would also have a neighborhood transition to the south, but that location of the transition would be significantly farther south.

Okay, so that was helpful, but you mentioned something about deferring.

The deferral.

So I need to reopen the public hearing.

I guess, but what why do you want to defer?

Uh great question.

So we we simply had uh additional uh questions come up about uh this height and setback, and so we are doing some uh design work on our end.

Okay.

Can you clarify?

Because I thought from the last meeting, you addressed a lot of concerns.

I was ready to vote today, so I'm just trying to understand more specifically because it the neighbor transition in the code is in effect.

So I'm just trying to understand.

Thank you.

Okay, yes.

Um, and and unfortunately, this uh has come up within the past several minutes.

So um, so we we don't have a lot of uh detail, but I know that uh the applicant is working with his design team, they've come up with with a new question.

I don't know that we have more clarity than that at this stage.

Is that right?

So, no, go ahead.

So, are you saying because of the transition the way the design works that 55 feet height limit is not working?

I'm just trying to understand from not necessarily.

Not necessarily.

All right, I'm sorry.

I'll just say uh our agenda for July 7th is getting pretty chonky, and we know that we have another request for a deferral later in the later case today.

We'll ask for a deferral to the 7th with um very clear uh updates to their.

So I I would say if you defer, it would we would likely recommend August.

I want to make sure that you're satisfied with that.

That would be fine.

Thank you.

Okay, yeah, that's fine.

All right, so I will reopen the public hearing so that we're defer to this until August 18th.

Is that good?

Okay.

Maybe if I could just clarify if I'm understanding correctly, both sides are out of time.

So when this comes back, are you inclined to allow both sides to have additional time in order to understand what is being brought forward and or comment on that?

Yeah.

Um do we need to set a time that we would be allocating now, or I think I think in all fairness, so that everyone knows.

All right, so I just want to say four minutes on each side.

Okay, then that's uh there's a motion and a second on the table.

And all in favor of that motion, aye.

All opposed, nay.

So we will defer this until August.

Okay.

Uh next we've got petition annexation AX3725.

Uh this is on Jones Ridge Trail.

Yes, so this is um AX 3725 and rezoning uh 4425.

Um associated annexation and rezoning petitions.

Um, I'll provide some information about both before you proceed with the two hearings.

Um, an assemblage of parcels uh outside of RTJ currently, have Wake County zoning of R 30.

Um the proposed development is a uh residential development um and uh water and sewer connections are directly available to the sites.

So a zoom out of location, you can see where it is relative to Lewisburg Road, US 401.

It is inside um of our uh priority annexation boundary, so it's eligible for annexation.

Utility locations are to the east of the site, but sorry, the western butting to the west.

However, and there are no fire service considerations for arrival of a second company and the deployment of the full response.

So rezoning uh 4425 as the associated rezoning, same assemblage of parcels all under 28 acres.

They are requesting R 10 conditional use.

An aerial view of the site and some views from uh drones are trail.

Uh the proposal includes 10 um conditions.

The first uh caps dwelling units.

So this condition uh defines attached units to be uh basically duplex and multi- multi-unit housing, would cap that at 180 units and then has two other scenarios for um detached uh and um one and two unit uh housing scenarios.

It would also um prohibit apartment building type from having a horizontal party wall.

I would cap the number of dwelling units within each building to no more than six dwelling units and require at least 30% of the net site area to be designated as open space, and then there's some additional uh setbacks from the northern and southern property boundaries, additional stormwater requirements, and then fencing requirements along the northern and southern property boundaries, so look at proposed um and existing and proposed.

This is going from a Wake County district to a city of Raleigh residential district, uh significant increase in maximum number of units, um, smaller lot sizes, smaller setbacks, allowing that to happen.

Um it is uh inconsistent with the future land use map designation, which is low scale residential, our 10 is more in line with our moderate scale residential uh designation, but it is consistent overall with the comprehensive plan, including a number of policies you can see here, stemming from the additional buffering, the additional housing variety, um, and then inconsistent policies are again the future land use map inconsistency, the response time standards, and then the fact that it is an annexed uh policy wanting um annexed lands to be consistent with our comp plan.

The planning commission uh recommended approval unanimously, and then as a reminder, if you approve it, uh it will be a de facto amendment to the future land use map to moderate scale residential.

That happy to answer questions you have.

Questions.

I have a question, but it uh I know there's a request to have this case continued.

Are we gonna open a public hearing?

I do have a question for the applicant on one of the conditions.

Uh yeah, I'll I'll open it.

Yeah, but then okay.

So opening the public hearing, and we have Michael Birch.

Yes, good afternoon, Mayor.

Members of council, Michael Birch here on behalf of the applicant.

Um we are requesting uh deferral to the July 7 afternoon session so that we may add two conditions based on our conversations with cancel uh council member Patton.

Uh one is to uh provide for a contribution to the fire department uh for the fire service out in this area, and then also a condition for planting of additional trees.

Um and so uh council member silver wanted to be added.

Yeah, can you go back to the condition?

There was one I think about a fence.

So the so I understand, I know you cannot take a condition away, so I understand.

Uh can you talk to me about the necessity of having a six-foot tall fence versus a vegetated buffer uh in this area?

Just need to understand.

Actually, it seems like you have two.

Uh, yes.

Um, yes, sir.

And so I'll kind of identify.

So the fence, um, where we are planning the fence, and let me see if I can uh it said north and south, so I'm assuming yes.

I was just gonna it's kind of in this area here, um, and then part of this um kind of intermittent down in there.

The reason for that.

So I'll speak to the north.

So there are not any existing trees in the area where we are proposing the fence along the northern end.

Um, and so that's why we are providing a fence in that location.

It's just along those properties where that red line is.

Um, you'll tad over, but as you can see, um, at the request of the neighbors.

Yeah, and that is uh we had a number of conversations both at neighbor or two neighborhood meetings as well as outside of those uh in response to neighbor requests.

We've added the fence condition to the north uh as well as to the south uh where that line is.

Um again, we do anticipate having a street stub in that location, so we've provided for breaks where needed to accommodate public utilities, public streets.

The condition is there, just my personal preference is that to me, a vegetative buffer uh to me is a lot more pleasing separation of people are concerned between properties than a fence itself.

I know there was another case we approved in district D.

You know, very troubled, these are neighbors, and and my hope is that you know, I don't know, I just prefer that there are ways you can plant a very high vegetative buffer.

Uh so I'm just saying this for future, but the condition is there.

I just needed to understand um about that barrier itself.

So that's just want to know, and you're saying on the northern side, that was a request of the adjacent neighbors on the southern side, because I do know there's a recommendation to add additional trees.

So I don't know if it was that location, but but I always default to a landscape buffer uh between properties than having a solid fence.

Understood.

Thank you.

Counselor branch has a question.

Yeah, when this comes back, can we make sure we understand where your street stub connections may be?

Um, because yes, and that's it's an interesting layout.

So um just uh, there's a street plan street.

It's the extension of Heartham Park uh Avenue that must run through the site.

Uh we must also connect to Barking Way, uh, and then we also anticipate needing a uh public street stub somewhere along that property line as well, kind of at a minimum, those are minimum code requirements as to where we know we have to extend streets and make connections.

Any other questions?

Uh Counselor Patton, um questions for staff, um fire staff.

Um can someone put it back on the fire response slide.

Um okay, so uh I am curious.

This is um an area of our town that's inside of our annexation agreement with Wake Forest, but um, I believe there are some other fire stations that are closer that are not um they're not Raleigh fire stations.

Which fire are there other fire stations like Wake New Hope that are closer than some of these ones present to you?

Good afternoon, Harvey Griffin Fire Chief.

Uh yes, they are Rollsville and Wake Forest number three and five.

Okay.

And is it currently I see Wake Forest listed as mutual aid?

Do we have mutual aid agreements with Rollsville or with Wake New Hope?

So the Senator Raleigh does not have any mutual aid agreements with anybody in Wake County outside of Durham Highway.

We have what's called response agreements with Wake County.

Okay, and tell uh tell me the difference between the response agreement is that uh at four minutes, anything over that additional unit is gonna go with us.

Just like yesterday's fire, Durham um fire department sent three units on the second alarm.

So the dispatch protocol that's set up by Raleigh Wake in the city of Raleigh is anything over four minutes, additional units closest will be sent as well.

Okay, so in a scenario like this, we would send, we would send like a Rollsville station or Wake New Hope station.

Yes, if it comes up in the dispatch cad, it's available, they will be dispatched.

Yes, ma'am.

Okay, even if it's like the third, like like the ladder, first ladder in or something.

Yeah.

City Raleigh going to send is six units regardless, but it's going to pull the closest unit available unit and priority dispatch and send them as well.

If they're not needed, they'll be dispatched.

I mean, uh relieved to go back to respective territories.

Got it.

Did I make it clear?

So our dispatch system picks up the closest available unit, don't matter what jurisdiction is.

If they're passing by, it'll pick them up.

It could be a Rollsville truck passing through Raleigh, it'll pick them up and dispatch them a structure fire.

That's agreement that was set in 2018 when they built this uh dispatch system.

Okay.

And so one of the provisions of the fire master plan, one of the things that was called for was to strengthen our mutual aid agreements.

But what you're saying is if they're close, they're gonna go.

Yes, ma'am.

So, are we working on the mutual aid agreements that were called for in the fire master plan?

No, we're not this time, no.

Um, if if I could help you, if Madame Mayor, could we just get with the city manager and the chief and maybe we have a closed session on understanding some of this and the reason why I say closed session because there may be some things in there that they can't share publicly as far as the way this they work, and that might help I think us as we're moving forward.

Sure, okay.

Thank you, Chief.

Um, okay.

If then there's no other questions, I'll make a motion to hold it both uh the annexation and the rezoning open to be heard at the afternoon of our January or July 7th meeting.

Second.

All right, so uh we need to vote on that.

All in favor, aye.

All opposed, and that is unanimous.

Yeah.

Okay.

So then next we have uh where am I on Z4825 810 Blue Ridge Road and uh Lake Boone Trail.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council.

Matthew Clem, uh Raleigh Planning and Development.

So this is a request to rezone a little over 60 acres from an office mixed use 12-story zoning district with an urban limited frontage to a campus master plan zoning district.

The request is consistent with the future land use map and the comprehensive plan.

Uh, it is inconsistent with the urban form map and urban frontage was not incorporated into the master plan.

Um so those uh code requirements will not be imposed on uh future development.

Your planning commission recommends approval uh six to one.

Um just a quick look at the site.

It is the site of UNC Rex Hospital.

You can see its current uh development form in this image.

This is uh core to the master plan.

It is a height diagram.

So currently the site is zoned uh entirely at 12 stories.

What the master plan does is identify several districts with different story heights.

Uh, the large one in blue is a 20-story district, uh, the purple is a 12-story district, seven story in green, and 10 story in yellow.

Uh, and you'll notice that those lower uh step down districts are adjacent to um are zoned to the adjacent developments that are uh mostly residential in nature.

So the height of the uh the main height in the district is central to the campus and uh along Blue Ridge Road and the other street.

This is um another look at the master plan for the uh tree conservation area, and green space here as well, and uh updated by pedestrian circulation plan um contained in the master plan.

Really, I think uh the headline here is the significant down zoning and entitlement that comes with this request.

So uh, in addition to um providing the height diagrams, the square footage has been limited through the campus master plan as well.

So currently, staff uh estimates about uh 24 million square feet under a 12-story zoning across the 62 acres.

Uh they have reduced the entitlement uh by a factor of nearly two and a half to 9.7 million.

Uh and you can see the reduction in housing as well based on the two zoning districts.

The request is consistent with the institutional uh district uh in the future land use map.

Uh again, inconsistent with the urban form map due to the lack of frontage, uh consistent policies here from the comprehensive plan.

Uh more consistent policies, inconsistent um zoning for housing.

You saw the large um reduction in entitlement there.

The applicants can answer questions about their intention to operate the hospital in the future.

Uh, and what level of housing uh may be appropriate in their vision, uh zoning infrastructure impact response time standards uh are inconsistent as well.

Um, this is the planning commission recommendation uh six to one, and happy to answer any questions uh after you hear from the applicants.

Okay, questions.

All right, I will open the public hearing, and we have uh Jamie Shredler, Emily Ziegler, and Walker Abbott here uh in support.

Good afternoon, Mayor Cow and members of council.

I'm Jamie Schwadler with Parker Poe here on behalf of UNC Rex Hospital.

I'm joined today by Emily Ziggler as well as my own colleague Walker Abbott and representatives of Kinley Horn, Richard Brown, Richard Adams, the team that has brought uh all three of the campus master plans before uh this council, and we're excited to be here uh seeking this rezoning to deliver another campus master plan that will uh deliver health care needs to this part of Raleigh for years to come.

I'd like Emily to join me now at the podium to explain a little bit about the vision.

Thanks, Jamie, and thanks, Mayor and Council, for having us here today.

Um I am proud to be here on behalf of UNC Health Racks, which has been serving this community since 1894.

And in our 130 plus years here, we have been at three campuses and on our current campus since 1980.

As you all are very well aware, this area is growing at a rapid pace, and with that crumbs increased need in health care.

If you've been to any of our hospitals in any recent years, you know that we're operating above capacity every day.

Uh so we're here to ask for this rezoning of our current campus within our existing footprint so that we can continue to grow and serve our community.

Um, the two first specific projects we would have is a new patient bed tower and a central energy plant that will support our infrastructure needs on campus.

Um, and we're asking this so that we can continue delivering high-quality health care to Raleigh Wake County and Triangle residents for decades to come.

So I appreciate your consideration and look forward to your discussion and questions.

Jamie.

Thank you.

Um Matt did a great job in explaining the context here.

Of course, this is three parcels along Blue Ridge Road, which has become a growing corridor of development and activity.

It's home to the DHHS headquarters and of course Slanovo Center, home to our Stanley Cup champions, the Carolina Hurricanes.

Um, and this area is just a part of that growing um area and investment that the city has made, but not only in development but in transportation, and that's because of the future land use map designation as institutional.

These are areas of the city that are occupied by things like hospitals or major institutions.

A campus master plan is one of the appropriate designations that's called out.

There is not specific height guidance for this area, but some of the other policies in your future land use map and the urban form uh signify that where there's investments in transportation corridors and major transit areas, uh the height is appropriate to be uh something in this 20-story range area, especially where you're along major employment uh centers and major corridors and the core transit area, and the additional city growth center, frequent transit area, and transit emphasis corridor that the urban form map all counsel towards the campus master plan and the height ranges that we're seeking here.

Um I would note that inconsistency with the urban form.

We recognize that frontage is desirable in general, but there's certain operational needs that the hospital has and uh existing tree conservation area that prevent us from that designation.

This is of course in the heart of the health uh health and wealth wellness district in the arena blue ridge plan.

That designation was uh put in place in 2012 through the work of of folks along the corridor who recognized this expansion in the bed tower was uh foreseeable and needed, and this mix of intensities was something that was desired and incorporated into your campus into your overall uh comprehensive plan.

And that's what makes the campus master plan ideal here.

We are keeping that base district of the OX height ranges from seven to twenty stories.

We are capping that maximum density because really some of that uh and entitlement of existing 12-story was driven with uses that aren't ideal or needed for that campus master plan.

So we're limiting those closer to the hospital needs that you see on the screen, plus some uh limited residential that could uh face us for serving the future and the 20 or 25 year plan that we are delivering here.

The master plan is set up in terms of these four districts, the main district in blue with 20 stories, the subdistrict B as the medical office district at 12 stories that was reduced on the tail end in response to neighbor concerns we heard along Ed Drive.

Uh, subject to C, the institutional with an infrastructure at seven stories, and subject to D, the uh nursing and rehabilitation area adjacent to our closest uh residential neighbors and the apartments there just south of the screen.

As Matt explained, each of those subdistricts have a maximum entitlement and height, so we can give a little bit of character as to how these will will develop out.

And then we also have a cap, the 9.7 million.

The way we developed that was looking at what the existing entitlement is, is 1.8 million of built square footage.

Um, the total subdistricts are 4.7, adding that together is about 6.5.

That's the foreseeable future development.

And we put a benchmark and a condition in the master plan that once we exceed that benchmark, we will do a voluntary TIA in response to some of the concerns we heard about traffic and how that would develop along the area.

Because we're downzoning, we don't trigger the UDO requirement for the UDA at zoning, but in addition to any of the UDO required site plan TIAs, we would do this voluntary one at the 6.5 million uh benchmark, and then that additional 3.1 million could be distributed in that main district, subdistrict A.

These conceptual massings are part of the required campus master plan and show how those districts could be built out.

Uh the purple areas in the top left of your screen show existing TCA and that green space, and so that's why it's very difficult to commit to a frontage designation and interfere with that existing TCA.

You can see the pink areas, the developed area today would there's just not a tremendous amount of existing uh replacement TCA area that we would be able to replace without interfering with the hospital operations, and so that's why the frontage designation is not included.

But we do have ample bike and pedestrian circulation, kind of meeting the intent of having that uh bike and ped facilities throughout.

You can see those labels were added in response to the committee of the whole and planning commission response, a micromobility hub similar to what we offered in uh the Lenovo Center uh rezoning is also included for uh different modes of transportation and arriving at the hospital that would be included in subdistrict A, as well as showing the existing bike racks and an intent statement of showing how the hospital intends to work on bike and pedestrian circulation, even though it can't designate exactly where that will go internal to the site.

With that consistency and the importance of delivering this health care needs to the city, uh we respectfully request your approval so we can move forward today.

We're happy to answer any questions.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I can go ahead and close the public hearing and we can ask questions.

Yeah, just question what's the um plan like when we receive the other plan from the other hospital campus, they kind of talk about what buildings they were tearing down and then what they're gonna where they're gonna be building.

Do you have an idea of that?

Uh thank you for the question.

The first uh two buildings that we do know we're gonna be building will be a new heart and vascular tower as well as a central energy plant, and those will be on our existing campus.

The new bed tower will go currently where our co-worker parking deck is.

So we will tear down that parking deck and build the new tower there, so it will connect to the heart and vascular tower.

We will build additional co-worker parking on our make and pond lot where the cancer center is now.

And then the central energy plant will be adjacent to where our current central energy plant is.

We have space for it.

We'll take some surface parking that we have now, but that's where it will be, and it will also replace our temporary tillers that currently sit behind the heart and vascular tower.

Okay, thank you.

Related, will any patient service be interrupted?

No, thank you.

That's a great question.

This will be a net new tower, so we will not cease any operations during the construction.

We will still have our current bed tower as well as a heart and vascular operational.

The intent is over time, this will all be net new add as we are able to acquire their CONs.

Okay, thanks.

Great.

And are you planning any mergers anytime soon?

None that I am aware of.

Yes.

Okay.

Any a motion?

Oh, yeah.

I uh am excited.

I love that you guys are in the district.

I love the work that you're doing, so thank you for that.

I move to adopt the proposed consistency statement dated June 16th, 2026, contained in the agenda materials and to approve the zoning amendment with the adoption and effective dates described in the agenda item under recommended action.

All in favor of the motion, aye.

All opposed, and that is unanimous.

Thank y'all.

Thank you.

Okay, our next case is Z326 on West Jones and Glenwood.

And we have Hannah Reckow.

Yes, uh Hannah Reckau planning and development.

Yes, Z 326.

It is a request to rezone two parcels addressed on West Jones Street and Glenwood Avenue that are uh under half an acre in size from office mixed use three stories detached frontage with the North Boylan NCOD and uh downtown mixed use 20 stories shopfront frontage conditional use to rezone those two uh DX20 uh shopfront.

So this is located in the Glenwood South area.

You can see the two parcels have a small amount of frontage on each of those two streets.

Um, the area with a mix of commercial office um uses currently and then residential more towards the west and north.

Um zooming in, you can see how that how the two parcels are situated.

There's um detached structures on each of them.

Leave off Glenwood Avenue is an escape room, and then off of West Jones Street, it's uh bridal shop.

Some views from the street of what the site currently looks like.

And so this is a uh general use request, so there are no proposed zoning conditions.

Um the request would um increase the allowable height.

Uh it's partially by extending the 20-story um district and um partially by removing the conditions that apply to uh that that piece of the parcel.

Uh removal of the NCOD would do uh two things for this purposes of this chart.

Um allow smaller setbacks, um, allow the building to be located closer to the street, and then to allow a taller building.

Those are two restrictions in the the NCOD currently, and then um there would be an increase in office and retail commercial uses allowed on the site.

Um the site is split zoned, and the future land use map is also equally split.

Um, it is partially office and residential mixed use, partially central business district.

Um the requested uh district is inconsistent with the former.

Um, however, the request is consistent with the comprehensive plan overall, uh consistent with the urban format designations for the inclusion of the shop front front edge, and consistent with a number of policies uh you can see here, based on the mix of uses allowed, the location to transit, um, and the location in downtown.

And then uh inconsistent policies are touching on the future land use map, removal of the NCOD, and then um the height is pertains to the downtown transition areas.

Uh planning commission recommended approval and an 8 to 2 vote.

Uh, two commissioners who voted in opposition just expressed that they uh wanted additional time to consider the case, and then because the request is inconsistent with the future land use map, um approval would amend the map so that the entire parcel is in the Central Business District designation.

So with that, I'm happy to answer any questions you have.

Questions?

Yeah.

Yeah, I don't know if you can tell me more about the two planning commissioners, their vote and opposition.

It sounds like they didn't have enough time to review the case.

Yeah, there was in response to another another commission member just bringing forward the vote quickly.

Okay.

Yeah, I guess I do have just some concern about that because I they had um I thought they had mentioned some height transition concern too, but maybe it was just that they didn't have enough time overall to address it.

That was all they stated in the doing.

Other questions.

I have a question too about the transitions, but all the people speaking, no one's speaking of this case.

Um well, Molly Stewart, that's it.

Yeah, I'll work.

Okay, I will open the public hearing and invite Ms.

Stewart.

Thank you.

Good afternoon again, Molly Stewart Morningstar Law Group.

Um so Hannah did a great job.

I'll be able to skip some slides today, but I did want to describe why these particular two parcels are included and then hit some of the topics that have come up in some of our outreach.

So these two parcels, uh, the main goal of this rezoning is to bring 617 West Jones Street into an existing assemblage fronting on Glenwood Avenue.

And that that assemblage uh looks like this.

So all four parcels on Glenwood Avenue on this block are part of an existing assemblage.

All four were rezoned as part of a recent case just a few years ago.

Um so the primary goal, as I said, is just to bring that additional parcel into uh that assemblage.

Now 117 Glenwood uh is included for some more technical reasons.

Happy to get into those if that's of interest as well.

Um but I wanted to focus on the main topics that um that we heard in this in this case, and and those come down to uh height and to the NCOD that exists only on the Jones Street parcel.

So uh we have some conflicting policy happening in this area.

One, you know, sort of this is downtown, this is where we are directing our most intense growth for for good reasons relating to uh transit and access, and so you know, this and this assemblage as a whole would of course run on Glenwood Avenue as well and be within the downtown area.

Um but we also have uh on 617 West Jones a detached frontage and that calls for buildings that look like these.

In addition to the detached frontage, there is also the North Boylan NCOD, which covers a lot of the same ground in the in some sense the North Boylan NCOD sort of operated as a frontage prior to frontages existing.

So they have a lot of similar restrictions, but this is what exists there.

So just to compare, this chart compares the uh the North Boylan NCOD in one column to what is proposed under the shop front frontage that's proposed here.

Um, and again, covering a lot of the same ground.

They all have the goal the detached frontage, the NCOD, and the proposed shop front frontage, all focused on making sure that buildings are near the street, that they are facing the street, that there's a door for pedestrians, um, that parking isn't sitting there in front of the building.

So they're all covering that ground in similar ways.

Um, so in some sense they can be tricky to read together, but um, but all of those being covered in the proposal with the exception of height.

Uh so that would be the the one significant difference.

And so to some extent, we can read um these existing restrictions as effectively a height restriction compared to what would be proposed.

And why is this needed?

So this is a view of the downtown area in pink, uh, and our downtown is constrained, it is surrounded largely by historic districts and other NCODs that restrict height and restrict building type in ways that that really provide a lower density, sort of not downtown type of development.

And these areas don't just surround downtown, they actually cover a fair bit of it.

That's a little harder to see on this map, but they do extend fairly deeply into downtown, including on our Jones Street parcel.

Those parcels that you see outlined in yellow, those are all owned by the state.

So again, just sort of further restrictions.

It can be hard to find a place in our downtown where height is appropriate.

But we think that this is a good candidate.

And here's why.

If we zoom in on that NCOD, we see that we're on the extreme eastern edge of it.

And again, bringing that parcel into an assemblage that fronts on Glenwood Avenue.

That NCOD shape mirrors the future land use map extension of that office and residential mixed use designation.

You can see how those align and are effectively the same area.

So if we zoom in on this block, this particular block on Glenwood South here, we see the area that is outlined in red, all of that is within the office residential mixed use designation.

And all of it except for that green square, is also in the NCOD.

These are some of the structures existing on this city block.

And so here we see that it's a mix.

We have traditional architecture, modern architecture, residential uses, commercial uses, all different kinds of buildings, all different styles.

But that NCOD is controlling height, as is the detached frontage.

And so again, those are those are simply operating to make sure that this part of our downtown is very short.

I'm gonna skip a few slides for time.

This is giving some additional context in the area and what's across the street.

Um but I think a more helpful context is to see what some of the surrounding zonings are.

Um so there in the center of your screen where you see the yellow outline, that is the site.

Uh, and you see that there's 20-story zoning there today along Glenwood uh itself, and then there are additional 20-story and 40-story zonings to the north, to the south, to the east, and on several parcels that are uh significantly further west than than this is.

So just wanted to highlight that and happy to answer any questions.

Thank you.

Stuart.

I don't know, Mal, if this is a question for you or for staff.

Um just need to understand because transitions I think came up and again, I don't know if it's triggered by being adjacent to an OX.

I know it's definitely residential.

So with this height, can you just talk about one?

Is there in the code, not policy in the code, a transition required, or you just need this extra parcel as part of the overall assemblage to achieve in a height closer to Glenwood.

So that would be very helpful clarification because I think the transitions trigger what's Jason residential.

I don't know if it's OX.

That's right.

There is no neighborhood transition that would apply here.

Um what we see here is that that 617 West Jones is sitting between a 20-story zoned assemblage and uh surface parking lot.

Questions?

Hi.

Umly when we see um rezoning cases that ask for this much more height, um, we see them come as conditional use cases where they offer a measure of public benefit.

Is that something your client considered?

So, yeah, great question.

So, so this is a complicated, this gets into some of the technicalities around 117 Glenwood.

Um, so as I mentioned, those four properties on Glenwood were all previously rezoned.

Um, those had a couple of conditions.

One of those conditions was a height restriction on that rear portion that sort of sticks out on that parcel at 12 stories.

Um, if this parcel were brought into the assemblage, it would sort of no longer make sense to have that one little corner of at that height.

So that's one piece.

Um, the other condition that exists on those four parcels today that would come off uh 117 Glenwood with this proposal, is to provide for public art, and that was um the one that was found important at that time.

Um it isn't that there that the goal has changed, right?

The goal would still be to provide that public art, but that condition would remain on the other three parcels.

So when the assemblage came in, that art would be required as well.

And we just found it confusing to have a separate art requirement tied to this parcel.

And so we feel that taking it off this parcel in no way gets rid of it.

It's just not specifically tied to that land, if that makes sense.

And affordable housing.

So there isn't one on this assemblage today.

Yeah, just um not a question, but just more for I guess council consideration.

I do think there is conflicting guidance here about height and what is appropriate.

Um I appreciate this parcel is really right next to Glenwood.

So I don't have personally concerns about the stories here.

When I'm looking at everything west of Glenwood, I'm kind of looking for that tiered, you know, moving down in height somewhat.

And so every block here to me west of Glenwood is kind of like a little bit different calculation in my head.

But because this is so close to Glenwood, I don't have concerns about the height.

Um, I am my only maybe uh quandary here again is why the planning commission, some of the members didn't get enough chance to really reflect on the case for us.

Uh okay, I'm gonna go ahead and close the public hearing.

I'm prepared to make a motion.

Um I was on council, I think, when we did the rezoning on the other portions of this property, and this is really just sort of adding a missing piece to the pie.

Um, and so I move to adopt the proposed consistency statement data June 16, 2026, containing the agenda materials and to approve the zoning amendment with the adoption and effective dates described in the agenda item under recommended action.

This approval is also deemed an amendment to the future land use map to the extent described in the adopted consistency statement.

So, sorry.

Uh all in favor of that motion, aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

That is unanimous.

Thank you.

Okay, next we've got rezoning Z526 New Bern Avenue Assemblage.

Good afternoon, Madam Mayor, members of council, mine I'm Walter, Riley Planning and Development.

This is rezoning Z526.

There's a handful of parcels across Newburn Avenue.

And let's go.

So just reflecting back on all the things, all the work that we have done to get here.

So Newburn stationary planning really put in motion by the 2016 Wake County Transit Plan.

We followed up with work in 2020, 2021 around the equitable development around transit planning initiative that was initiated by council, which resulted in the equitable transit oriented development guidebook that set the stage for stationary planning in the Newburn Corridor that started in 21.

That project closed out in 24 when you all adopted the project report and comprehensive plan amendments.

Rezoning to implement the ideas of the uh stationary planning project.

Uh then in December of 24, right after your rezoning action, a portion of that Z9222 was repealed by state law, and in 2025, you initi you uh directed staff to uh initiate a rezoning to re-implement as much of Section E as we were able to with property owner endorsement support.

So that's why we're here this afternoon is the pieces from C92 22E that had owner support.

So there's 16 parcels of the 81 that were in the original uh 92E.

It's about five acres.

Um there were some additional properties that were requested through our public engagement portal, uh, and three of those were considered by the planning commission.

So you can see existing zoning here in the uh rezoning area.

There's a little bit of everything, right?

We're right on the edge of downtown.

There's mixed use zoning right along uh the newborn corridor, but also some residential zoning.

So the Planning Commission made three motions.

RHDC recommended denial.

I'm going to walk you through those planning commission motions.

The first one was for most of the motions.

We had 9-1 in support.

The second one was for a handful, a smaller group of parcels also 8-2.

And then a third motion for just the Richard B.

Harrison Library on Newborn Avenue.

So just uh looking at the map here.

Richard B.

Harrison is right here.

That's motion three.

And I'm I'm starting there because that's the simplest.

And then here, here, here are the other items in motion two, and then everything else was in motion one.

And I'll just say um this map.

I I believe we've shared with you before.

So the fo the properties here in yellow or orange, those were uh properties that were invited because they were included in 92e the first time, and they responded uh on time with the deadline.

The properties in blue came in late, but were part of 92e, and we're asking for the same thing that 92E did.

We had a couple of folks who initially came in and then withdrew.

Those are shown in gray here.

Uh, and then we have a couple of properties that um were not included in 92e and asked to be in anyway.

Planning commissions uh at this point they are not part of the case.

We're just telling you about them so you know they asked.

If you want to include them, you need to tell me so I can go and get signatures from them and we can add them to the petition, but they're not they're not in at this time.

So again, I'll look at zoning in this area.

I have this here for reference.

I'm not gonna, we don't have to talk through this specifically unless you have particular questions.

So uh we had a couple of uh additional requests that are eligible for your action today based on planning commission advice, and that they were previously included in Z92E.

And so we um consider them part of the zoning rezoning that you authorized.

So uh, those are these three highlighted here.

And then again, there's some people who ask to be in that are not currently part of the case right now.

Uh specifically, uh this first item they are asking for removal of the NCOD.

They actually got rezoned in part of Z uh Z9222 that stood that remains.

Uh and then this second item, you previously have acted on that in the last six months, and they were not included in C92 to begin with.

So the request is consistent with the variety of future lane use map designations in the area, and you can see the rezoning areas here have this fat gray outline on them.

This is also all consistent with the urban form map for this area, so consistent with the comprehensive plan overall, particularly the future lien you said on the urban form map.

Most of the items here are uh hitting on really leveraging our investment in transit uh in the newburn BRT corridor, lots of them, and then um these this is a very this is this is basically the exact same analysis we did for Z9222, uh a couple of uh points where uh we recognize that um redevelopment over time is gonna change the uh nature of development along the corridor, and also that we have a fire response concern here.

So, planning commission voted uh to recommend approval.

RHDC did recommend uh denial.

What uh what questions could I answer for you before you open the public hearing?

Okay, start down here.

Uh, is the presentation available.

I might have missed it, but I'm looking in our backup materials and I just don't see it.

So sorry, is the presentation available in our backup material?

We can certainly provide it to you.

We don't typically include it in the agenda before publication at public time of publication.

All right, it I just be helpful because I keep trying to go back to all the different parcels.

Um, but and then RHDC, their denial is this.

Um, do you have a recollection how it went last time?

Um their position on this position has remained the same.

Okay, thank you very much.

Council Jones, and to just follow up on that with the RHTC.

Their denial was of properties in both motions because I'm trying to remember, did they vote on the motions as they did in planning commission?

So motion one, motion two, motion three.

They voted they they voted on a single motion on a single motion.

Okay.

My my recollection was off.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

Yeah, I think it might maybe following up on the same confusion.

So RHDC's motion would only have included properties with some kind of historic designation.

So they would their motion would have included Richard B.

Harrison Library, and then some of those parcels that had HODs.

I believe that's correct, yeah.

Okay.

So their motion is not like completely aligned with the way planning commission section.

That's exactly they are not aligned.

That's right.

Got it.

Um, can you describe like a plan commission did virtually Harrison Library, then they did a bundle, and then they did the sort of everything else.

What was their line of thinking in that other bundle?

The motion one is basically everything that there were not specific public comments about during their review.

Okay.

And then this the other two pieces are in relationship to public comment.

They heard they were they were splitting those out because they had heard concerns and wanted to consider those pieces separately.

Okay, so that section two is sort of just like community a community concern section.

There's not other another thematic linking to them.

That's right.

Okay.

Helpful.

Thank you.

Okay.

She opened the uh hearing, and I have three folks signed up in support, Lauren McKay, Molly Stewart, and Sohil Alawar.

Are any of these folks in there?

Oh, yes.

Okay, all right.

Uh I guess we will then ask the uh folks that are signed up in opposition, and I have six individuals, Chris Crewe, uh Curtis Kazapong, uh Matthew Brown, Octavia Randy, Mark Spancake, and Denise Penvin Crew.

And I'll leave it up to y'all as to how you divide the time.

Okay.

Okay.

Good afternoon.

Uh thank you all for your service, and thank you for letting me speak.

Um we are grateful to the Raleigh Historic Development Commission for recommending denial.

Um that was based on their belief that approval would incentivize demolition of the historic properties.

And it this that included the five uh properties in historic oakwood and also a house on Tarborough Street, which is eligible, and also, of course, the Harrison Library.

So we're grateful for that.

I would like to focus specifically on 325 East Edenton, one of the uh properties in Oakwood.

This is a residence, uh zoned R 10.

It is immediately adjacent to the house at 101 North Bloodworth Street.

Um, that back in November, you all uh voted to deny up zoning from residential to commercial for uh two reasons.

First of all, it makes no sense to uh uh make move a home to a commercial property when we have a shortage of housing and a surplus of empty commercial and office properties in central Raleigh.

And secondly, because you appreciate the value that historic Oakwood gives to the city as a residential neighborhood.

We enrich and entertain our city with our annual candlelight tour of homes, our annual garden tour, our spectacular Halloween, all the charity walks and races, and trolley tours and carriage tours and walking tours that come through our neighborhood.

We have uh tourists come through every day, some from other parts of Raleigh and some from other towns.

This is all depending, uh dependent on our being a residential neighborhood with people living in these houses who maintain them, decorate them, plant gardens, give out candy, and welcome people.

And that's a value to Raleigh.

So all of those arguments apply equally to 325 East Edenton, which is also zoned residential.

And there's an additional argument because 325 was always two affordable apartments.

It's now empty, but it was it's been for decades affordable apartments.

So we would be delighted if you denied the whole thing.

We would be delighted if you denied it with regard to all the historic properties, and me especially really care about losing that home at 325.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Good evening again.

My name is Octavia, and I'm here to support Richard B.

Harrison Library located on Newban Avenue.

As you all know, Richard B.

Harrison started out as a city library, and then when they merged, it became a county, but it really started out as a city.

Richard B.

Harrison is located in College Park, which I love my college park, and everybody knows I love College Park, but I love preservation, and that library do not need to be upzoned.

That library is beautiful as it is.

It has a lot of culture, it represented neighborhood, and even with the new people who have moved in College Park, they go to that library.

So you see it is serving generations after generations.

I ask you not to upzone Rich B.

Harrison Library.

It is perfect like it is.

Thank you.

Hi, I'm Kristen Spancake.

I'm sorry, my husband is Mark Spancake, and he is ill today, so I'm speaking on both of our behalves.

Um we, along with many of our neighbors, um, we are at 105 North Budworth, which borders 325 East directly um directly to the east.

Edenton directly to the east, sorry.

Um we have written to you opposing this upzoning, we opposed it back when it was originally um passed, and we oppose it today.

Um I will do my best to reiterate all of our concerns.

Similar to recent KC2525 101 North Ludworth, 325 East Edenton does not have and cannot achieve even a minimum transition zone from our residentially zoned property as required by the UDO.

Council has recently voted against less extreme requests than what is being asked for here.

Since this request was originally passed years ago, 325 East Edenton has obtained approval to refurbish the historic home.

So the hope is that they can continue to provide low-income housing.

Preservation should be the goal in a historic overlay district, and the current owner is already is clearly open to that.

Rezoning it encourages future developers to demolish it.

Um regarding upzoning the properties that are OX to DX, existing OX zoning is serving its intended transitional purpose, it seems, while re-zoning to DX seems to contradict the UDO.

OX can also contribute to the transit overlay district with limited retail uses.

Raleigh's UDO expressly states OX can serve as a land use transition between other mixed use districts and residential neighborhoods.

Six of them, to be exact, um, with at least three of those containing small children.

Um my kids wrote a letter to you because they're concerned that we may have to move depending on the future of what ends up directly behind our back fence.

I mean, my kids' playhouse is like right there, and then there could potentially be, you know, a bar.

I don't, we don't know.

Um, my children are, you know, um, sorry, I already said that.

I we do we really want to keep doing this.

Do we we need to protect our historic and residential districts, especially those with families?

We respectfully ask that you vote against rezoning the properties bordering our residential zones, pr especially 325 um East Edenton.

We would like to stay in our home and not eventually be forced to move.

I appreciate you giving us the time to express our opposition.

Thank you.

Curtis Casefang with Preservation Rally, you all received letters from us um partially supporting and partially opposing this rezoning.

The support is for the bulk of it and the concept of transit overlay in general.

The oppose is for the five properties in Oakwood, plus the one that might be added, it sounded like and uh 203 South Tarborough Road, as well as the library property, both of which are on the study lists for if the national register or are considered historic in and of themselves in case of the library.

Um I'm available to answer questions.

Um I think the strongest point though to put on those two properties is had the uh bus rapid transit had its proper section of 106 review, those would have had to have been excluded, and it did not.

It was defective.

So thank you very much.

Thank you.

Okay, I'll go ahead and close uh the public hearing.

Do you want to start?

Yeah, I can um kick it off.

I think, so I think if everyone chime in, but it would be helpful to to reaffirm those folks who were not originally in and asked to be tagged on, just reaffirm.

I do not, I do not think we should add them.

I think our the spirit of this action is to redo what was undone by the general assembly, and that's what we should do.

So if there's everyone feels good about that, so just to confirm, those folks were not.

Or do nothing since they're not in there.

Yeah, those three don't have to do anything, because those two weren't.

Sorry to interrupt, continue.

And then the folks who first said they'd come back in and then said no thanks, agree.

No, they can remain out.

And then I based on some conversations across the weekend.

I I think it could be helpful if we do it in three motions that are not exactly mirroring but rhyme with some of the motions made by our advisory board.

So take Richard B.

Harrison as one, take the historic properties as one, the other historic properties as one, and then take the everything else.

So that would kind of be how I would offer to section them out so people can make their distinct votes if everyone's amenable to that way.

Yeah, so I I definitely think pulling Richard B.

Harris out and I was possibly looking at 325 um East Edison Street.

Um kind of torn on the other ones, um, looking at it, but we'll see based upon the motion that is made.

You could also do it as four, you could do Richard B.

Harrison, 325 Edenton, the remaining historic properties, and then the everything else if we want.

So I've got Silver and Lambert Melton who both.

So for staff for clarification, please help me if I'm understanding this.

For 1313 New Burn, which is the library, the current zoning is annex three with an ermine limited frontage with the TOD.

And the request is to go one additional floor to annex four TOD removing the urban limited, and this property is it owned by Wake County?

Okay, so it's county owned and is asking for the zoning would add an additional floor.

So currently it could be redeveloped for neighborhood mixed use three stories with urban limited.

And the request is for an additional floor removing the urban limited.

Yeah.

Hey Luke, could you put the presentation back up for us, please?

So we can look together on the map.

Thank you.

Yes.

So just so we're clear, if we remove this, still has current mixed use up to three stories, urban limited.

That's right.

And if they've included affordable housing on the additional floors, could be five stories, six with the rezoning.

Okay.

Because they get get a uh 50% bonus.

Okay.

Yeah.

Um Counselor Lambert Mel.

Before we get two in the weeds on these other ones, I'm gonna go ahead and just make the motion on the uncontained I don't know the right word.

Uncontested motion one.

So if everyone looks at the agenda backup, motion one here from the planning commission, these are the ones that we've heard no public comment on today.

They heard no public comment on a planning commission.

These are the entirely non-controversial ones.

My question to city man uh city attorney is how do I do this?

So I have one approval consistency statement in the agenda.

So do I just say pursuant to motion one and our agenda backup and then read the consist, then read the consistency statement?

Okay, all right.

So I'm going to do that.

So regarding motion one and the properties contained under motion one on our agenda, I move to adopt the proposed consistency statement data, June 16th, 2026 contained in the agenda materials and to approve the zoning amendment with the adoption and effective days described in the agenda item under recommended action.

I can't I have a question really quickly before we go.

Uh are we sure that none of the uh HOD properties are in there?

Because I think that was what we were trying to clarify.

There's there's HOD properties in both.

And so I think what what counselor Patton was saying is if we separate them, then we can vote on the HOD separately just like RHDC did.

But if we do what you're saying, then some of those HOD properties are not are going to be included in that.

So I think the HODs are included in the second motion.

I thought that was motion two.

No, so there's I think there's some confusion.

So planning commission, the planning commission's motions do not align with RHDC's motions.

They're not like they don't parallel one another.

So planning commission's motion one does include HOD properties.

So, which ones are the ones that need to be removed?

So uh I've marked in red what you just motioned on, if that's helpful.

No.

Uh and then and then I'll just say the only uh the addresses, I just don't know which ones are the uh-huh.

Okay.

So uh I if you wanted to exclude everything with an HOD, that's these pieces.

Right.

Okay, but under motion one on our agenda, they're listed by the property address, right?

But I don't see a property address on the one, like how am I supposed to brought my table?

Okay, all right, yeah.

So can you go back to the planning commission motion one and just cross out the ones that I should be removing from it?

I think it was on your first slide.

Yeah, sure.

Mm-hmm.

I'm sorry, I'm having trouble finding the motion that was at the beginning.

There it is.

Okay, can you just cross out the addresses on there that should be taken out?

I believe that's uh 100 north person.

Is the other one, this one?

Anything else?

Oh, yeah, 203 tarbo.

These these are the addresses that have HOD on them.

Hang on.

These are so these are the ones that have an H the ones that you crossed out are the only ones with an HOD.

And 15 South Bloodworth Street, according to the agenda.

So there are four.

Can I ask a question?

Four.

These are the HODs.

Your uh public commenter is calling out the national registered districts as well.

So I'm going to have that documented real quick.

I have a question.

So we're I didn't find the right ones.

On motion two.

Are all of those historic or not?

No.

So do we need to add those to make it clean?

Are we doing four motions?

I would think that what would be helpful.

If we back up and do it the opposite way.

If we do the parcels we're gonna take individually that we know want unique motions, and then we do the everything else.

Okay, I withdraw my motion.

So someone needs to start something else now.

Yeah, yeah.

So you want to go one go one at a time, Richard B.

Harrison?

Yes, please.

Okay.

Someone make a motion.

I'm prepared for that one for 1313, um, Newburn.

And I just want to say I know it's very important for um the community to be part of the library decisions, and there's been a lot of excitement with libraries lately.

And so I understand um, you know, even though it's one story difference, we just want to all be part of that conversation wherever that library would go.

Um so with that, I move to adopt the proposed consistency statement dated June 16th, 2026 contained in the agenda materials and to deny the zoning amendment for 1313 Newburn.

Second, okay.

Any other discussion?

All and this would be in favor of a denial.

Vote yes, and then all oppose nay.

Okay, so that is unanimous.

Do we vote?

Yeah, I I just want to make it.

I did, but then I thought I did it too soon.

All right, I just want so everybody knows there is now a current entitlement that that library should Wake County decide be redeveloped up to three stories or potentially higher, depending on uh the TOD benefits.

So I'm just saying that they'll get a bond when they get ready, yeah.

Okay, okay.

As a second tron, question for the table.

We can it seems like three twenty-five East Edenton could be taken by itself, or we can do all the historic properties in a tranche opinion.

I apologize.

Going back to the first motion.

Did the even though it was a denial, did it include the consistency statement?

Yeah, she read it.

She read it.

Okay, yes.

Thank you.

I'm confused as well.

So I apologize.

Okay.

Okay.

Alright, I'll just do three twenty five East Edenton by itself.

Yeah, we voted.

It's unanimous.

Oh, so here's here's would be my recommendation here.

No, I I'm gonna support it, but I remember saying yes.

I asked a question before we voted, but um I will keep it unanimous.

Unanimous denial on the library.

Unanimous denial.

Okay.

So we are moving on.

Am I good?

Okay.

So right now we have the motion number two that came out of planning commission that included um one, two, three, four, is that four units?

Property four properties.

So it's uh this one, we can address that one.

Then we can look at the historic ones that are in the big one and pull those out, and then we can vote on the big one.

I think that's the cleanest path to move this one forward.

In motion two, the addresses are listed here.

Uh 60 uh 1601, Newburn, 325 East Edenton, uh one on Boyer, one on battery, one on BART.

Those are the planning commission motion two properties.

Okay.

They also contain a mix of HODs and not.

So unless someone wants to my first recommendation was to put all the HODs in one, and I heard a lot of no no no no.

So I think that's what we're doing.

I think there's I think there's openness to that.

Yeah, if you want to include all the HODs in the first tranche into this one, I'm fine with that.

I will sell supporting.

But I want to hear from my colleagues.

Okay.

Okay.

That's that's fine.

And the th ones that are here that are not HODs, we wouldn't include in the other one in the big group.

Right.

Okay.

I just have a follow-up question.

Are a lot of these ones that we approved last time?

So like we already did.

They all are.

They all are.

They all are.

Okay.

All of these we approved last time.

Okay.

Well, I'm just gonna well, I listen, I appreciate everything I've heard today, but my my personal position is I'm gonna remain consistent with my vote last time.

And so if they were included last time, I'm going to include them this time.

And that's where I'm standing on it.

I would even attend a motion.

The entire packet and do one more motion.

We did already about the library.

I tried, I don't I'm confused.

I'm just gonna vote as they're called out.

I don't know how to do the right point.

Okay.

Okay.

Here's what I'm about to do.

I'm gonna do 325 East Edenton as its own.

Then we're gonna do all the historic, the remaining historic properties, and we're gonna do everything else.

Okay.

I have been swayed by the public commenters about 325 East Edenton.

Understanding that it uh uh I think I didn't understand the first time that it is a it's exactly adjacent to the property we'd recently denied for similar reasons.

It is housing stock online to be housing right now.

If it's uh zoning is changed, it provides pressures for that to be repurposed in other ways.

So I so I am going to make a motion to deny 325 East Edenton.

Uh so doing I move to adopt the proposed consistency statement dated June 16, 2026 contained in the agenda materials and to deny the zoning amendment.

Second.

Okay.

All in favor of the denial of 325 East Edenton.

Aye.

Aye.

All opposed, nay.

Nay.

Okay.

And I'll vote with the denial.

So that's five, three to deny.

And then um the remain the remaining historic properties, the remaining HODs.

Has someone want to make a motion about that?

I'll make the motion.

I don't I don't have that.

For give me just a second, I don't have that in front of me.

Okay, so this is a motion in uh counselor patent, keep me honest.

This is for the remaining HOD properties.

Okay, I move to the to adopt the proposed consistency statement dated June 16th, 2026 contained in the agenda materials and to deny the zoning amendment.

Second, yeah.

Any other discussion on this?

Did you indicate the address?

Or do you lump them into the remaining?

There's like four of them.

Yeah, I said the remaining HOD properties.

Yeah.

And then you have secondary.

Okay.

Could I could I say the addresses for the record, please?

Yes.

They are uh 307 East Edenton Street, uh 311 East Edenton, 100 North Person and 15 South Bloodworth.

Thank you.

And just for clarity, since I was not here for these properties were approved several years ago for rezoning.

Yeah, and I will also add an roll vote.

The proposed zoning keeps the NCOD and the HOD on them.

And so it's changing the base district, but not removing the NCOD or the HOD even in the if we if this if the motion deny gets denied and and I make a motion to approve, if it gets approved, the base zoning's changing, but the historical protection is remaining.

And they would that so make your motion, but I'm gonna vote against denial.

Yeah, no, I totally understand.

I'm doing it in reflection of the RHDC in their vote.

So I want to make sure that theirs is is reflected in in our votes.

It's been a lot of confusing back and forth.

So anyway, we got a second.

Yeah, we do.

So all in favor of the denial, aye.

All opposed, nay.

Nay.

All right.

So I've got one, two, three, five nays.

Okay.

All right.

So then I'm gonna with those same addresses.

I move to adopt the proposed consistency statement dated June 16, 2026, containing the agenda materials and to approve the zoning amendment with the adoption and effective dates described in the agenda item under recommended action.

Second, okay.

All in favor of that motion, aye.

Aye.

All opposed, nay.

Okay.

And so now we've got one in opposition.

Okay.

And so the remaining address, the following motion applies to the remaining addresses.

Do you need to read those into the record?

I would just oh my gosh.

Anything not previously covered.

Yeah, any of the judges not previously.

Wow.

And while she's pulling up those addresses for the just to clarify for the motion to deny that was made by Jones, seconded by Harrison.

Um the opposed, there was five of you opposed for Lambert Melton Silver Branch, and who is the remaining?

Thank you.

So uh as I understand the motion, the addresses are for our uh 1401, 1601, 1210 New Bern, 1241 New Bern, 203 South Tarboro, 1118 Boyer, 1302 Battery, 23 BART, 827 Cotton Place, 1702 Pool, 1246 Newburn, 1250 Newburn, and 1501 New Bern.

And um, I'm also those are the addresses.

I'm also gonna mark the map so we all feel like maybe we're on the same page here.

So you're excluding this, all of this, this, and I believe that's it.

So that's Richard B.

Harrison, uh right here, and then this is everything in the HOD that's part of the request, yes, that that aligns with my understanding as well.

Okay, so there's no further discussion.

I move to adopt the proposed consistency statement dated June 16, 2026, stated uh contained in the agenda materials, and to approve the zoning amendment with the adopted adoption and effective dates described in the agenda item under recommended action.

That's it, all in favor of that motion, aye.

Aye, all opposed, nay, and that is unanimous.

Yeah, it would be helpful to summarize.

Would it be helpful?

Uh I don't think we want to summarize that now.

I would like to move on.

All right, okay, take care of it for us.

That's right.

Read those carefully.

Take this moment to thank the general assembly for that exercise.

Okay.

Uh we are now moving on to the report of the committees, and I don't believe there are any items pending.

So we will move on to the report of the mayor and city council, and I will start with counselor fort.

Just a couple of things.

Um I guess I have a question for the city manager.

Um, is there a possibility for us to get like an economic uh impact update from like the canes run and maybe talk to the chamber, DRA, Wake County, because I know they had like watch parties and different municipalities and stuff like that, but if we could just get like a compilation of the economic data in one of the managers' updates, it may be helpful just to see the overall economic impact of the playoffs and stay in the cover run.

Um second, I um attended an uh an exchange meeting with the North Carolina League and municipalities.

Um we had a meeting with the Republic of Moldavia delegation, it's the second year in a row that we've done that.

Uh last year.

ACM Jones assisted me this year.

Semichia Jones assisted me and attended those meetings, and it was a really productive conversation.

And um I want to say congratulations to Habitat for Humanity for their successful home builder blitz.

I went to that, um, the reception and also the reveal of the houses and those were really phenomenal this year.

The more the the um floor plans and the design that the builders put into those were um exceptional and really phenomenal.

So it was a great opportunity to see um some of the work that we support uh come into fruition, and some families have uh some pretty good housing.

A couple of them I wanted to buy for myself, so um that's how great you are.

Thank you.

Counselor Lambert Melton.

Um this uh weekend is the Out Raleigh Pride Um Festival.

Uh so Saturday on Fayetteville Street will be sort of the main not Saturday, not this weekend, next weekend, next weekend.

I'm sorry, this weekend we have the Canes.

As I said, this is all very heated rivalry coded.

So Saturday this Saturday, we have the Canes celebration next Saturday, um, next Friday and Saturday, the 27th, Saturday, the 27th, will be the Out Raleigh Pride Festival on Fayetteville Street.

Um, we will be on stage at some point in the afternoon um for the Mayor's Pride proclamation.

So please come out, hang out, and um, I will see everyone this Saturday for the Canes and next Saturday for the gays.

Um came up earlier in the meeting.

So I have no new questions, but did just want to extend like a big congratulations and appreciation to staff pulling all pulling together all those watch parties and pulling together a rally and a parade to celebrate our Stanley Cup win, is um no small feat, and you know, to outside looking in, it it operated smoothly and it was really successful and brought the community together in a way that was really special.

So all credit to you all.

Thank you.

Yeah, I was uh way at a conference in Austin, Texas, and I have to say people love the Knicks, but boy, they love Carolina, and so it was good to be uh and I was surprised.

They said, dude, you were walking around downtown with that shirt, and I said absolutely.

So just to show that we have uh uh really just fans uh across the country.

Um I have two issues.

One, this is for the city attorney.

Um I serve uh on the Central Pines regional council at our last meeting.

Uh they always bring new information to us.

One was on a civility policy, and we talked about uh local government, what we can do.

Uh again, it's not a big issue here, but uh hearing the compelling argument to make sure that public certainly have the First Amendment right, but our staff really do a lot of the heavy work for us and to make sure that when people do make comments is done in very respectful way.

And so if my colleagues agree, if the city attorney can explore uh the creation of a civility policy just to make sure that as we we do have rules of decorum, but just to see if this is something we may want to adopt.

Um, I'd appreciate that if the city manager concurs.

The second point, and I'm sorry, the city uh Octavia Rady left.

Uh, this is more of a longer term request.

Uh, but uh when I served as plan director, I had significant concerns about urban renewal areas.

Uh and don't know if kind of still here in the room, but we struggled because this is allowed by the state, and some of the urban new areas uh still remain on the books that date back to the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

And so I advocated that we sunset them because some of them have to be renewed.

And I'm hoping through the carpental planning process, or at least we can have report about all those urban renewal areas uh in the commerce of plan, we change it to areas of intervention uh to avoid the power of declaring an area blighted, which gives the city ability to take that property through eminent domain, always troubled by it.

So if the city manager, we can explore what is the status of our urban new areas.

I know we did that in partnership with community development, but I still find that uh very troubling policy.

Uh that I think it's one of the scars of urban planning uh that I hope would just go away, but it is on the state books, and so we can just have a report about what is the status of our urban renewal areas and if any of you have time if you want to read the description and the state statutes of how you declare an area blighted uh it is painful to read uh but it's something I think that um you know whether we can take a look whether we can send sunset them or how we address an upcoming conference of plan they are listed there to me I think that would be something beneficial and illuminating my colleagues to see specifically the state statutes is how to refer to some of these communities to declare it blighted.

Thank you no report from me just to have a few things uh we will uh take July off from our monthly community meetings I will be in Florida and figured it would be easier for everyone if we took our first month ever off from a meeting our August meeting will also be virtual so that will be August 12th and stay up to date by joining my monthly newsletter at ChristinaFarelli.com.

Our decoding democracy book club will meet virtually on July 11th and August 8th we will continue to review chapter two and pick up with uh section 2.1 in July and then lastly to just follow through I want to bottle up all the energy in Raleigh after the Stanley Cup finals so proud of our canes but even more proud of the feeling of community that we are witnessing right now.

So thank you staff for putting this all together in such a short short span of time and I can't wait to see everyone at the parade on Saturday.

Cool just a few items um first of all congratulations to all of the high school graduates if anyone's been downtown over the last couple of weeks you saw a lot of families coming down to celebrate um so definitely want to give them a shout out um also one more graduation on June 26th I'm actually will be I will be speaking at Central Wake High School's graduation so I look forward to celebrating with those students um to all the fathers um happy father's day is coming up we only get one day a year for us so let's enjoy the best we can um as fathers um and also before our next meeting um as a country we will celebrate Juneteenth and July 4th so I ask that you know we continue this spirit of community from the Canes as we celebrate our country thank you.

Yeah I'm just gonna repeat a few things here happy Juneteenth this Friday city will be uh closed that day enjoy um the day off for celebration and reflection and a lot of events on Saturday um also the uh hurricanes parade on Saturday at 11 so see you there um we will be also having a district D neighborhood alliance meeting just before that at 9 30 a.m talking about water supply uh watershed uh planning and collaboration for the Falls Lake watershed that's at the Crowder Center at Lake Johnson Park I don't anticipate a district D meeting in July and our meeting in August that typical date is August 22nd that happens to be the same day as the city's affordable housing forum so I'm gonna recommend everyone go there.

I will be there that afternoon and also yes happy Father's day.

Okay next we have appointments all right we made it at first we have board of adjustment one alternate vacancy Ralph Puccini received eight votes so it would be appointed next is design review commission two alternate vacancies we have a nomination from council member Jones for Stephen Odom so that will be coming back Raleigh Historic Development Commission two regular vacancies Ian Dunn received eight votes Jordan Ryland seven so both of them will be appointed you have a full slate there and then lastly under appointments I wanted to just announce that the planning uh the Wake County Board of Commissioners did appoint Thomas McAllister to the planning commission uh effective July one to replace their outgoing member that's just for information only no vote needed there.

Just real quick I want to nominate Jason Cress he spoke earlier to our design review commission.

Jumping down to nominations, arts commission, one regular vacancy term of one isler is expiring.

He would like to be considered for reappointment.

Reappointment.

Second.

All in favor of that motion, aye.

Aye.

All opposed, nay, and that's unanimous.

Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, five regular vacancies.

Four would like to be considered and are being recommended for reappointment by the visitors bureau.

Those are Michael Altman, Melissa Chun, Chris Powers, Greg Winkler, and then you have one member Sherat Nagaraj, whose terms expiring, and he is not eligible for reappointment due to length of service.

The visitors bureau is recommending the appointment of David Knight to fill that vacancy.

Move to reappoint the four who are eligible and to appoint David Knight.

Second.

All right.

All in favor of that motion.

Aye.

Aye.

All opposed, nay.

Next, uh, we have an item related to the humans human relations commission presented for council's consideration is a request from the former chair of the human relations commission to extend the term of outgoing member Kathy Montiero, whose term is set to expire in uh two days.

As a reminder, following the discussion in action to merge the HRC with the Hispanic and Immigrant Affairs Board.

Last year the commission remains in a state of surplus, so there are no current vacancies.

So moved.

I'll I'll second, but just can we get clarification?

Like how long are we extending the term?

And I didn't, I don't know.

I'm the the um liaison, I just hadn't heard of this before, so just a little bit of a question about why and um my recollection is Ms.

Montero has served in a leadership role in some of the transition processes, okay.

She is important there.

Um but I don't know how we will proceed with every individual.

Um I know in the past, if we had someone that was in a leadership role and we extend it, we might have did it for just one year.

Okay.

Um is this for one year?

I mean, in general, I'm fine.

I just haven't heard of this and just wondered if there was any additional detail.

I was trying to I pulled up the letter that was in your agenda packet, just see I can't recall.

Um but either way, it is totally up to the council as to what they want to do here.

Yeah, I'm fine, so I'll second the motion.

Well, I will say that some other folks have expressed interest in serving on the board, so I don't know that we want to get into business of extending terms because then you don't give an opportunity for other people to be considered.

Well, and I will say we we extended the terms of several people after the merger who were critical in the merger, and that's why I'm kind of curious.

But it sounds like this person was in leadership and is uh they've done some good work on their strategic plan.

So I I want to honor that.

It's been a little bit of a stressful right situation and on this particular board.

So it says in the letter newly elected chair.

So they were just elected chair, okay.

So I just think because of that, although I understand uh counselor Ford's concern.

Okay, so uh all in favor of extending the term of Kathy Montero, aye.

All opposed, nay.

All right, and you said for one year, is that or what was the determination on the term length?

I'm not sure what what she is serving as chair, so is it typical that we do two-year terms?

I would say we would two have two.

And let me just make sure as we're sitting here to see how long she's served already.

Um, because there's gonna be a I think we've got somebody who's gonna give us some clarification because that this is interesting process afternoon.

Nestor Spasalacua Economic and Social Advancement.

So the chair uh term is for one year.

Oh, so uh your motion would basically be for the election of Kathy Montero for one year.

Okay.

Okay, one year.

Thank you.

Move again.

I'm sorry, it was motion and seconded.

Did you guys vote yet?

Did I miss it?

Yeah, it was unanimous.

All right, and then lastly, Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Center's authority for regular vacancies.

In terms of David Clegg, Jill Heath, Max Houseworth, Christine McDonald are all expiring, would like to be considered for reappointment.

Move for approval, second.

Some great attendance records on this one.

Uh all in favor of those aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

That's the one to be on.

That's right.

That's it.

Thank you.

Okay.

Report uh and recommendation of the city attorney.

No report.

Okay.

City clerk.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council.

Uh June, always a busy month.

So your agenda materials included.

I mean it's from five meetings of your meetings earlier this month.

Uh move approval of the minutes.

All in favor of the motion, aye.

Aye.

All opposed, nay, and that is unanimous.

Um, I make a motion in order to enter into closed session pursuant to general statute one forty-three, three eighteen, eleven A two to prevent disclosure of an honorary degree, scholarship prize, or similar award.

All in favor, I.

All opposed, nay.

And we are going into closed session.

Well, we don't know.

Well, you know, we're not going to be able to do that.

Well, we're going to be able to do it.

Well, we'll be able to do that.

Well, we'll be able to do it.

Well, we're not going to be able to do that.

Well, we don't know.

Well, we'll be able to do it.

Well, we don't know what we're doing.

Well, we'll do it.

Well, we don't know.

Oh, yeah.

Well, we'll see.

Well, we're going to be able to do that.

It is uh, I am Mayor Cal.

We met in private session.

We session closed session.

We have nothing to report out, and the meeting is adjourned.