Former Mayor Banned From City Website Over Support of Granny Flats, Scooters
The Video Raleigh City Councilors Don’t Want You to See
“The city of Raleigh pulled a video with Mayor Nancy McFarlane and her most recent predecessor, Charles Meeker, for being too “political.”
The issues? Scooters and backyard cottages.
They’re two of the topics you have to hit to get “Raleigh City Council controversy” bingo. And Meeker was able to do just that in under a minute.
The video was taken down from the city’s Twitter and YouTube accounts over the weekend after being posting Friday afternoon. ...
Long-term planning includes adapting to things that are unexpected, like the electric scooters, Meeker said. Council shouldn’t over regulate them “like they’ve appeared to have done” with backyard cottages, he said. (The City Council hasn’t made a formal decision on those two items yet.)
“Council has got to accept change (and) make it work for the city,” Meeker said. “Instead of just saying ‘no, no. We’re not doing that.’”
He added that people who vote “no all the time” aren’t helping the city. ...
In a follow-up conversation, Meeker said he didn’t think the comments were political and that they weren’t directed toward any anyone in particular.
“I was talking in general, and it certainly wasn’t aimed at any particular counselor,” he said. “I think it was discussing where this council is and its trouble to adapting to changes.”
While it’s true he didn’t mention any council member by name, he seemed to be pointing to the five-person majority that gained control of the board in 2017. Those members — David Cox, Kay Crowder, Stef Mendell, Russ Stephenson and Dickie Thompson — have been dubbed as “slow growth” by some of their critics. ...”
Read more at the News & Observer…
UPDATE:
The city’s text change committee, made of citizens and reviewing the strict new regulations favored by Raleigh city councilors who are skeptical of building granny flats in existing Raleigh neighborhoods, unanimously rejected those new stringent restrictions on new housing. This update comes from local architect and YIMBY activist Michael Stevenson.
