This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

🌱 City Considers Annexation + Transition To Two-Way Streets Downtown

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Raleigh.

Christina Fullford's profile picture
Christina Fullford, Neighbor
|
(Patch Media)

Happy Make A Hat Day Raleigh!

I swear, it doesn't even feel like we're halfway through September, but the temperature when I went to work at 6 this morning made me believe it. Here's to hoping you get a nice chill breeze to cozy up and read the news with. Check out all interesting happenings below, including:

  • How to conveniently leave comments for city council meetings
  • Cary's BEYOND Film Festival returns
  • Former President George W. Bush came to speak at PNC Arena

First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny and nice. High: 84 Low: 60.

🏡 Attention, real estate pros in Raleigh! We're now offering an exclusive sponsorship opportunity for an agent interested in attracting local clients and standing apart from the competition. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top five stories today in Raleigh:

  1. The city of Raleigh is considering rezoning 11,000 acres in southeast Wake County. The land could provide space to build approximately 1,800 new homes in the area by 2023. Affordable housing is a priority to the city, and the land is around the same size as the town of Chapel Hill. According to Wake's comprehensive plan, it will need up to an extra 175,000 new housing units in the next decade to meet demand. Residents of the area under annexation consideration are concerned for their quality of life and property tax costs. (abc11)
  2. Raleigh originally created one-way streets downtown to help get cars in and out of downtown faster. More than a decade ago, city leaders updated downtown policies and plans to call for the restoration of two-way streets, but the conversion back has been a slow process. A design meeting is scheduled for this fall, as the city begins to focus on converting Blount Street and Person Street north of Edenton Street back to two-ways. Jason Myers, the Transportation Planning Supervisor for the city said that he expects the process to take longer than 10-15 years to update downtown. (CBS17)
  3. Southeast Raleigh Promise and Rebuilding Together of the Triangle have partnered to help repair homes in Southeast Raleigh. Wells Fargo has provided a $75,000 grant to pay for repairs so that homeowners will not have to pay for the nonprofit's services. Dozens of volunteers helped with repairs to help homeowners stay in their homes for years to come. Jeremy Smith, one of the volunteers, estimated repairs would have cost homeowners from $12,000 to $15,000. (CBS17)
  4. Saint Augustine's University in Raleigh will receive a $1.4 million grant for its Upward Bound Math & Science program. The university will receive over $297,000 in funding from the United States Department of Education beginning in October. The grant is renewable for over $1.4 million over the next five years. The purpose of the UBMS program is to help strengthen math and science skills of low-income and first-generation college students. (Spectacular Magazine)
  5. A local Harris Teeter employee made quite the impact on customers and coworkers, so much so that they surprised him with more than $26,000 in a sendoff. Tim McCloud has worked at the Harris Teeter at Glenwood Village for 23 years, commuting from his home in Wilson County. One of his regular shoppers said that "he does not have a clue what a great impact he's had within our community." McCloud has been given the opportunity to transfer to a location closer to home, and on his last day hundreds of shoppers said farewell and presented him with the money raised via GoFundMe. (WRAL)
  6. The Raleigh City Council has added a new option to leave comments for council members — voicemail. During the coronavirus pandemic, participation in council meetings went up as people could watch meetings virtually and call in for public comments. When in-person meetings resumed, people complained that there was a return to stricter rules for public comment. After consulting with the city attorney, the city council is allowing people to comment via phone, by dialing (919) 301-9499. (INDY Week)

Today in Raleigh:

Friday in Raleigh:

From my notebook:

  • This morning was the first time I went back in to grab a jacket, so it seems perfect timing to celebrate Make a Hat Day! There are so many local spaces to learn to craft one as the temperature drops, such as Craft Habit Raleigh or Warm 'n Fuzzy Cary.
  • Former President George W. Bush spoke at Raleigh's PNC Arena on Wednesday. (WRAL)
  • Transfer Co. Food Hall is expanding to host more live music and performances. (INDY Week)
  • BugFest is returning to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (CBS17)

Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll see you soon!

— CJ Fullford

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Raleigh Daily? Contact me at raleigh@patch.com

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Raleigh