Author: Bryan Ryan

East Community Action Coalition of Raleigh, NC (East CAC)

November 18, 2024
7:00-8:15 pm
Lions Park Community Center
Streaming on Facebook

Jean Mosher, Chair
Mark Turner, Vice Chair
Bryan Ryan, Secretary

Approximately 30 residents in attendance
Officer Eric Hinton, Raleigh Police Department, Northeast Division
Sergeant Mitch Talley, Raleigh Police Department, Northeast Division

Focus Areas
1. Public Safety
a) Officer Eric Hinton provided his regular report to the East CAC, addressed questions, and received concerns.
▪ Chair Mosher noted Officer Hinton’s contribution to the apprehension of the “Beltline Shooter” in connection with a series of shots fired at cars on I-40 between Monday, November 4 and Thursday, November 7.
▪ Police have received 5 calls in November related to excessive noise at Bowstring Pizza and Brewyard at 1930 Wake Forest Road. A citation was issued to the business on November 16.
b) Officer Hinton reminded residents of ways to assist public safety efforts.
▪ Call police—Residents should not hesitate to contact police when they see or hear anything out of the ordinary.
▪ Lock cars—He encouraged residents to establish a 9 pm routine for locking cars. He also urged residents to never leave keys or guns in cars.
▪ Lighting—Lights around homes serve as a deterrent to crime.
▪ Security cameras—Interested residents can join a security camera registry at connectraleigh.org
c) Attendees shared concerns about traffic, parking, racing, aggressive begging, and homeless camps.

2. Public Works
a) David Bender, engineer with Raleigh Parks, and Jay Shaw, engineer with Raleigh Engineering Services, provided a progress report on the Crabtree Creek Improvements at Raleigh Boulevard project.
▪ https://raleighnc.gov/projects/crabtree-creek-improvements-raleigh-boulevard
▪ Bender and Shaw detailed the issues—budget constraints, permitting, subcontractor performance, weather, stream bank instability—that have affected the completion timeline. Expected removal of detour is now Friday, January 31, 2025.
▪ They encouraged residents to contact the city (919-996-3285) if they observe flooding or other blockages that make greenways unusable.
b) Residents asked about Pigeon House Branch connector and Smoky Hollow Park. Rain barrels and rain gardens were discussed. See https://raleighnc.gov/stormwater/services/apply-raleigh-rainwater-rewards

3. Zoning and Development
a) Developer Matt Tomasulo provided information to East CAC attendees about his rezoning request for property on Clarendon Crescent near Enloe High School and the Alamo Drafthouse.
▪ See https://engage.raleighnc.gov/m0610
▪ Tomasulo gave a general overview of the goals of the project, the rezoning process, and likely changes to the property and its sidewalks. He envisions 34 townhouses, approximately 1,800 square feet in size, 2 stories high street side and 3 stories in the back, to sell at $400,000 to $500,000.
▪ Residents asked questions and expressed concerns about the project goals, the rezoning process, existing zoning and transportation overlays, as well as parking, traffic, stormwater, and neighborhood character impacts.
b) Attendees noted other development issues.
▪ There will be a press conference Wednesday, November 20, to raise awareness of concerns related to development discussions related to St. Augustine’s University.
▪ Otami restaurant at the corner of Glasscock and Brookside has gone out of business.

CAC Organization
4. CAC Reboot—The CAC Reboot is still in process. RCAC leaders are soliciting input through a survey and will use it to inform proposals and negotiations with the new mayor and city council.
5. East CAC Meetings
a) The East CAC will hold a year-end social event on December 16 at 6:30 pm at the Tap Yard, 1610 Automotive Way. All are welcome.
b) The East CAC’s January 13, 2025, meeting will focus on Raleigh’s Next Comprehensive Plan.

Next Meeting—January 13, 2025 at 7:00 pm at the Lions Park Community Center.

East Community Action Coalition of Raleigh, NC (East CAC)

October 21, 2024
7:00-8:15 pm
Lions Park Community Center

Jean Mosher, Chair
Mark Turner, Vice Chair
Bryan Ryan, Secretary (remote)

Approximately 15 residents in attendance
Corey Branch, Raleigh City Council member representing District C

CAC Organization
1. CAC Reboot—Vice Chair Mark Turner and Council Member Corey Branch provided information and addressed questions about the proposed reboot of Raleigh’s CACs.
a) History of CACs
▪ Launched by Mayor Lightner in 1974 as part of a federal grant application; although the city did not receive the grant, it kept the CACs until 2020, when Raleigh City Council voted to disband these community groups.
▪ Council voted in 2024 to bring back CACs.
b) CAC Reboot
▪ City Council has requested input from the reconstituted Raleigh Citizens Advisory Council (RCAC) and from neighborhood CACs, which includes the East CAC.
▪ Vice Chair Turner, Chair of the former East CAC, shared information about RCAC discussions and his recommendations on behalf of the East CAC. Key to the discussions has been the desire to recreate an effective conduit for communication and concerns from residents to the city.
▪ Council Member Branch emphasized that Council wants the RCAC to drive the reboot in terms of roles, responsibilities, representation, and CAC boundaries, as well as what support it seeks from the city.
2. East CAC Meetings—Chair Jean Mosher shared that the reconstituted East CAC is seeking input on frequency of meetings—every month or every other month.

Focus Areas
3. Communication and Representation
a) Chair Mosher and Vice Chair Turner introduced themselves to the attendees. Secretary Bryan Ryan attended remotely via Facebook.
▪ The East CAC Chair can be reached to share questions, concerns, and agenda topics at cac-chair@eastraleigh.org
b) Council Member Branch informed attendees that the city now has a Communications Department.
4. Public Safety
a) Officer Eric Hinton, who has regularly attended East Raleigh neighborhood meetings, was not able to make this meeting, but he asked Jean to remind residents to lock their cars to protect them from having contents stolen, especially guns.
b) Chair Mosher shared that she had received input from residents about their public safety concerns.
▪ Crime
▪ Begging
c) Attendees shared concerns about noise nuisances, especially live music from Bowstring Pizza and Brewyard at 1930 Wake Forest Road. Neighbors can hear the music from this outdoor venue in their homes and have contacted Raleigh Police to express concerns. Council Member Branch responded that he would look into the issue. He also noted that the city’s noise policy had been updated from using a sound meter to account for the hearing of a reasonable person. Chair Mosher gauged interest in inviting the owner of Bowstring to a future East CAC meeting.
5. Public Works
a) Jean, Mark, and Council Member Branch provided information and received/recognized resident concerns relating to
▪ Traffic calming—including bump outs
▪ Traffic circle at Wake Forest, Automotive, and Brookside
▪ Sidewalks—Council Member Branch described the new process that includes city staff looking at data, prioritizing projects, and pursuing priorities with available funds. He clarified that the vast majority of sidewalk projects are in the right of way and do not involve compensating homeowners. Approved sidewalk projects should be available on the Planning Department’s website. Approximately 20 projects are tackled per year from a list of about 120.
▪ Parking—especially on Automotive Way near Tap Yard, and the “no minimum parking” policy for residential development.
▪ Stormwater—Megan Walsh is the city’s Stormwater Senior Engineer, and can be reached at megan.walsh@raleighnc.gov
▪ Shade trees—The city has resources available to plant shade trees.
6. Zoning and Development
a) East CAC officers and Council Member Branch heard concerns from neighbors about
▪ Missing Middle Project and its related zoning changes—Council Member Branch reported that the Council had recently changed some of the Missing Middle language to address building more in line with neighborhood.
▪ Projects underway at New Bern and Clarendon Crescent, at King Charles and Poole, and on Barksdale.
▪ Affordable housing—Council Member Branch related that North Carolina does not allow inclusionary zoning, so Raleigh has attempted to engage developers in voluntary efforts, which have not been effective. The city leverages land that it owns—Duplex Village and Moore Square are examples—to improve affordable options.
▪ City Comprehensive Plan—Corey shared that this is being revamped to plan for 2040-2050.
▪ Property Taxes—Wake County reassesses every 4 years. Council Member Branch reported that 40% of property downtown is state owned and not subject to property taxes. An attendee pointed out that universities and private schools do not pay property taxes.

Next Meeting—November 18, 2024 at 7:00 pm at the Lions Park Community Center