Do we have a date for our workshop on the UDO? Thanksgiving is early this year and I often work on weekends (come to Lunchbox Magic this Saturday!). Let's get this on the calendar so we can schedule around it for maximum participation.

Thanks to Phil Poe for posting this clip of our last RCAC meeting.

For those who want to see the drawings I'm holding up, please look here:

Drawings showing many UDO regulations on a side and front views of one lot, plus my "student party palace" showing what the regulations will allow:
http://raleighudo.com/blog/guides-and-example-how-far-can-you-go-udo-design-contest

Petition against the backyard cottages (at least for now and as currently defined):
http://www.change.org/petitions/raleigh-city-council-reject-backyard-cottages-as-defined-in-the-proposed-new-udo-zoning-code

City Council will begin talking about chapter 2, the main residential chapter, on Monday.

Here is a News & Observer story abut the UDO that seems to have appeared in only some of the regional sections (I saw it in the Midtown section). Matt Garfield accurately quoted my biggest personal nightmare but didn't begin to address how bad this will be for the city overall. Although my focus has been the backyard cottages, I'm deeply concerned about the mixed-use zoning, the in-fill standards, and the new quasi-judicial approval process.

I just got a request from a citizen about the approval process for a new zoning case and realized with horror that I simply don't understand how this process will work under the UDO.

The story ends with on his concerning note:

Planning director Mitchell Silver told the council that “even if we spend a year going through this code, there will be innovative individuals out there.”
A better approach, Silver said, would be to put the code into action and make improvements as needed.

I'm not asking for a UDO that legislates against innovation, but for one that realistically protects neighborhoods and our city. Once someone has built a nightmare next to your house, it's too late to go back and make improvements. If we line Glenwood with strip malls or let landlords in Southeast Raleigh slap up second houses in backyards, it will be too late to start the very long process of fixing something that we already know needs to be fixed.

Let's represent our neighborhoods by making sure we understand the UDO and improve it as needed.

... Linda

Chair, Glenwood CAC