If you missed this editorial in today’s News and Observer, by local land use attorney Mack Paul, it’s worth reading.
Mack lays out a darn good case for how “we must move boldly move in new directions” in terms of how we finance our region’s future [...]
Local candidates from Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill –and even Pittsboro and Siler City — came out recently to ”stump” the crowd at the Triangle Community Coalition’s (TCC) eighth annual “Political Pig Picking” on August 27, 2009.
The event, held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Brier [...]
Local candidates from Raleigh, Durham, Cary and other Triangle communities are set to attend the Triangle Community Coalition’s (TCC) eighth-annual “Political Pig Picking” on August 27.
The event will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Briar Creek Country Club and will provide opportunities for attendees [...]
We were shocked—but pleased—to read this story in the N&O today. A group after our own heart:
“We need political leadership that has a more balanced approach to managing growth and is more proactive in securing a broader tax base,” said UNC political scientist Georg Vanberg, a [...]
Bob Geary, over at the left-leaning blog “Citizen,” seems a bit frustrated that the Raleigh City Council recently decided to nix the idea of inclusionary zoning (to address affordable housing needs).
Geary seems to think that inclusionary zoning is part of the solution to our region’s [...]
To All Our Readers:
You may have noticed we’ve been gone for a few weeks (or maybe you did not). We have a good excuse.
Horrible Hackers
GrowthMatters was attacked by hackers. For several weeks we’ve been paralyzed. We could not edit, post or change anything. Luckily, we have a real smart [...]
That’s the question legislators are debating at the NC General Assembly, as we draft this post.
Two Sides
On the one side you have the environmentalists who claim the rules aren’t strict enough. You can read more about this over at the left-leaning Independent Weekly Web site. [...]
The Obama administration wants our cities and towns to develop differently—promoting patterns that create more sustainable, affordable communities. Given the energy crisis last year, and our need to protect the environment, this make sense. Right?
Well, some thought leaders think differently. Ron Utt, of the Heritage Foundation, a [...]
Last week Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker announced his plans to seek a fifth term as Raleigh’s top elected official. During his low-key, no frills press conference, the Mayor outlined his agenda (his campaign platform) for Raleigh if he is elected again. His top priorities—when the economy turns, he [...]
Ok. Believe it or not, we have a big round of elections in the Triangle this year. And yes, we just had elections less than five months ago.
All Politics is Local
This fall, in October and November, Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary and just about every town [...]
The Regional Transportation Alliance (RTA) business leadership group released its first transit poll since the approval of long-range transit plans by our region’s two metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) earlier this year.
“Triangle voters support all modes of transit, and they would be far more likely [...]
On March 5th, elected leaders and citizens gathered to discuss a new regional transportation and transit plan. The proposed plan would add new buses and begin the first step toward building a light rail line that would link all of the major municipalities in the region.
The [...]
That’s the question the Triangle Community Coalition attempted to answer at the organization’s February 13, 2009 Lunch and Learn.
You can download an MP3 recording of the event (or visit www.tricc.org). For more about the comp plan click on the map.
A reader of ours just contacted us about something he heard during President Obama’s Town Hall Meeting in Florida yesterday.
Apparently, a woman stood up and complained that since her town’s gov’t office derived much of their income from impact fees, and since new housing was at zero, their [...]
Last week, managers from Raleigh Cary and Durham discussed how they plan to manage and navigate the coming year in the context of a very difficult recession.
Each manager pretty much said the same thing: “We have to have a discussion with our citizens about setting priorities [...]
…the number of permits, site plans and rezonings on the recent Cary Town Council agenda. Cary Politics.org has some thoughts on this worth reading.
In a nutshell, should the Town of Cary “stimulate” growth? What do you think about what has been “unthinkable”—actually attracting growth and development— in Cary for [...]
The managers of Raleigh, Durham and the Town of Cary agree that the Triangle area is positioned well to weather the economic storm that’s pounding national state and local governments.
Tom Bonfield of Durham, Ben Shivar of Cary and Russell Allen of Raleigh discussed the effects of [...]
For years, the Triangle has grown at a healthy clip. Jobs and new development helped revitalize our downtowns, fund new infrastructure—and even performing arts centers, convention centers and sports arenas.
The bulk of funding for roads, schools and parks comes from new homes, new shopping centers and [...]
Everyone loves bold plans. Especially politicians.
That’s why in Raleigh’s “State of the City” address yesterday, Mayor Meeker challenged regional and local leaders to move forward with mass transit plans, a new park on the Dorthea Dix property, and other initiatives. His thinking: Even in a recession we should plan [...]
The T
CC held a really informative lunch and learn last week. John Davis (former head of NC Free) and Brad Crone, a local Democratic consultant, discussed the recent historic presidential election, and what it means for North Carolina, and the Triangle. There’s a Podcast version of the [...]
Under the Dome reports that a group of state leaders may propose an “odometer tax” on drivers.
In short, the more you drive the more you pay. Essentially, the theory is to discourage driving and entourage using alternate modes of transportation. Sounds good, but what about the working families who [...]
…The number of times the real estate transfer tax has failed in NC. Voters continue to reject this new “home tax” from the mountains to the coast. On November 4th, Polk County and Tyrrell County voters said “no” (with an average 70% - 30% margin) to the [...]
One day after Sen. Barack Obama’s victory in the presidential election, the National Association of Home Builders is calling on him and the next Congress to adopt a new $268 billion housing stimulus plan called Fix Housing First, FOX Business has learned.
More after the jump…
The NAHB plan calls for [...]
We hope that candidates running for office—and elected officials already in office—realize just how bad it is for housing and development. Here’s a story worth reading.
We are not immune, in the Triangle, to a significant, protracted slowdown. So now is not the time to be running [...]
With little notice, the Wake County Growth Issues Task Force abruptly canceled its last meeting scheduled for October 16th (the group has met four times since the spring). County planners sent out a last-minute email canceling the meeting and informed members that the group would not meet [...]
In today’s challenging times, we all need some good news. So it’s refreshing when you learn about strong leadership and the commitment to do what is right from an elected body. 
The Wake County Board of Commissioners, at its meeting yesterday, voted 7-0 to remove a massive, [...]
How do we plan for all the people coming to the Triangle? The folks at the Urban Land Institute have at least one idea: get 300 people from a 15 county region in a room to discuss strategies. In a new program sponsored by the national think [...]
For several years, Wake County, the City of Raleigh and other towns in the eastern half of the county, worked to develop a set of guidelines for the new Little River Reservoir. In July, the Wake County Board of Commissioners unanimously rejected an Interlocal agreement for the [...]
Gubernatorial candidate Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory was the featured speaker at a forum held to discuss key regional issues today in Raleigh.
Candidate Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue declined the invitation to speak at the luncheon due to a scheduling conflict.
The session included a range of critical issues [...]
Mayor Pat McCrory will address NAIOP and TCC tomorrow. Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue was unable to attend due to a schedule conflict. However, both groups are working on a separate event, planned for 
September, where Perdue will be the guest of honor. Learn more about what McCrory [...]
Mike Munn, Chair of the TCC, wrote a nice article that appeared in today’s News and Observer. And it’s worth repeating here on GrowthMatters.
Triangle residents have long-known that we live in the best place in the country, but apparently the secret is out. Headlines have announced [...]
Clearly, cities in the region need to work on a game plan — providing infrastructure and services for residential communities closer to a city’s core or to some of these big office parks, and perhaps offering incentives to developers who market properties that a wider [...]
At a recent Raleigh City Council meeting, the City of Raleigh Environmental Advisory Board submitted its work plan for the 2008-09 fiscal year. The plan includes a mixture of incentives and proposed policies aimed at making Raleigh more “green” including:
The City of Raleigh may soon have a new citizens advisory committee. Based on a series of internal and external recommendations, city officials continue to update, refine and fine tune the development approval process. One of the key recommendations, as suggested by a third party consultant, is a citizen-based [...]
As if the recent doubling of impact fees in Raleigh was not enough to quench the thirst of some elected officials’ desires to increase revenues, now at least two Raleigh City Council members want to create 
an additional fee for water and sewer capacity.
According to at-large Raleigh [...]
On a hot summer evening, in downtown Raleigh, about 50 plus elected officials from all over Wake County, including planners and a few citizens, gathered to discuss the top growth issues facing the county.
While there are a few new faces in the crowd, the Wake County Growth Issues [...]
The TCC is urging members to attend the new Wake County Task Force on Growth meeting on Thursday, June 19, 2008, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the ground floor conference room of the Public Safety Center, 330 South Salisbury Street, Raleigh.
It has been five years since the Wake [...]
The two or three folks over at WakeUp! Wake County are fighting against the repeal of the transfer tax—despite the fact that citizens across NC continue to reject the
tax as a bad idea. Of course, they say that voters just are not smart enough [...]
On occasion we read the News and Observer’s editorials. In many cases, the editors mean well (we think). They pick apart problems and offer their view on how lawmakers and politicians should address those problems. But other times, well, they just seem plain out of touch with [...]
Last year the NC General Assembly, in the last hours of the long session (and behind closed doors), brokered a deal allowing counties across the state to raise the land transfer tax—also know as the “home tax”—by .04%.
Since then, 20 counties have put the transfer tax on [...]
In our last post, concerning Cary’s budget (click here to read), we said that Cary residents would see a decrease in their tax bills. On average, this may or may not be the case. Our post was based on a press release issued directly from the town with the [...]
Today, Cary Town Manger released Cary’s budget. Here’s the bottom line:
Increase in spending for roads and parks ($80 million);What does this mean? For starters, plenty of cash from the [...]
For all the folks who seem to think the Triangle’s biggest city is not green enough: here’s what others think. Winning awards like this are a result of leaders working together—in concert with the business community—to make Raleigh (and the Triangle) a great place to live.
Hat tip [...]
Our good friend Nick Tennyson, former Mayor of Durham, always makes the following argument about who is responsible for paying for schools: “We all reap the rewards of good schools, and we all share the burden of paying for them.” (Or something to that effect).
It appears that the [...]
The TCC recently held a lunch and learn about a green building rating system (other than LEED), called Green Globes. You can learn more about the forum here. Over 100 business leaders, county, city and town staffers, and a few local politicians, attended the program. Green Globes expert, Kevin [...]
“Over this past weekend Falls Lake level rose to 251.5 feet MSL which means the water supply pool is now 100%. The lake level this morning is even higher at 252.38 feet as of 8 A.M.!”
—Dale Crisp, Raleigh Public Utilities Director, in an email to city [...]
During our regular blog surfing, we ran across this group’s blog. They want to use the recent drought—an 800 year occurrence—as a benchmark for future water planning. And no, we’re not making this up.
But, we have to be realistic as we plan for growth and the use of [...]
The green building movement is alive and well in North Carolina and around the Triangle. Building sustainable offices and institutional buildings is not only good for the environment, but it may be good for the economy. Most everyone has heard of The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green [...]
Today, the Feds cut interest rates for a sixth straight time since September of 2007. Today’s cut: 75 basis points. All in an effort to stimulate economic growth and avoid or lessen the impact of a recession.
Tonight, the City [...]
Planners with the City of Raleigh have developed revised standards (regulations) for managing “infill” residential construction. For a factual overview of the proposed regulations, click here.
These proposed rules and regulations will apply to the City’s established neighborhoods, and are the subject of [...]
This month, Raleigh, Cary, and Durham will all consider increasing fees on new homeowners in our region. Raleigh will double fees on new homes, Cary will almost double them, and Orange County will add about $1,000 to each home that is sold, if they get a transfer tax passed. But [...]
“Today’s economy represents one of the most severe housing downturns in American history, and our results reflect that difficult environment,” Freddie Mac’s chairman and CEO, Richard Syron, said in a statement. “If the economy weakens substantially from here — a possibility for which we need to be [...]
Has anyone noticed that Orange County may be moving to Stage Three water restrictions?
We dont hear much about Orange Countys water shortage. But heres an interesting tidbit: Orange County has the lowest growth rate in the region (they essentially dont allow much growth)—yet they are in [...]
Almost daily—throughout the Triangle—we hear from a politician or activist about increasing impact and transfer taxes.
A common argument presented, typically as a sound bite, is this: We must increase impact fees and transfer taxes so our citizens—especially those on a fixed income or our seniors on a fixed income—do
[...]
The Orange County Commissioners appear to be dead set on putting the land transfer tax on the ballot this May. Apparently, they think their voting constituency is quite different from the 79% of voters across North Carolina— in 16 different counties—who soundly rejected the transfer tax last [...]
The Raleigh City Council voted to move up a scheduled public hearing on the whole tear down debate that’s been raging over the last several months. But what the main stream media is not reporting is that the City Council did not push for—or vote on— a [...]
Across our region, the debate intensifies daily about raising impact fees. But with a slowing economy, and housing challenges ahead, is it a good time to load up businesses and home buyers with added taxes?
In high growth Florida—and birth place of many growth management tools—even editorial [...]
Breaking: The Raleigh City Planning Commission voted against the proposed Richland Creek Watershed rules (read more here and here). This is good news for property owners and rights. Will the Raleigh City Council follow suit?
[...]
The Home Builders Association of Durham, Orange and Chatham Counties (HBADOC) has joined resources with the Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County (HBARWC) to form the Green Home Builders of the Triangle. This coalition of home builders, suppliers and leaders in the real estate industry recently announced the [...]
David Lazzo, the Triangle Community Coalition’s outgoing Chair, delivered the following speech at the organization’s annual meeting (after presenting the annual report). Wise words, Mr. Lazzo.
Last night I attended one of the better economic forecasts that are typically presented this time of year. Im sure that no one in [...]
In the name of water quality, citizens across the Triangle could see a significant erosion of property rights. In Raleigh and Wake County alone, thousands of acres could soon be rezoned with new regulations that some argue are unnecessary and go well beyond protecting area water supplies.
Richland Creek [...]
We may not have water in our lakes—but the region is swimming in a sea of proposed growth regulations that could tip our local economy into treacherous waters (we’ll be blogging more about the effects of excessive growth regulations on the local economy).
For now, here’s what’s under consideration [...]
At a Cary Town Council workshop meeting last night, council members, in a 4-3 split vote (Franz, Robinson and Portman voting no), quietly and swiftly upped road impact fees. New homes, new shopping centers, and new offices will now have to pay 25% more for road impact fees. Cary [...]
The Raleigh City Planning Commission met yesterday to hear about options to deal with the so-called “teardown” issue. Raleigh council members, at their last meeting, asked the plan
ning commission to look at the issue a little more closely.
City planners presented the commission members with a list of [...]
Looks like the Raleigh planners have been busy since the November 20th public hearing on teardowns in Raleigh. Here’s their best thinking. To our readers: Which option is the best (if any) solution? What should Raleigh elected leaders do?
[...]dd pic 11.pdfLast week the TCC and Cary Politics co-hosted a dinner with Cary’s newly elected leaders. Guest speakers included Mayor-Elect Harold Weinbrecht, Don Franz, Erv Portman, and Gail Adcock.
They participated in a “dinner and dialogue” with over 100 [...]
The Raleigh City Planning Commission met today to discuss the proposed downzoning that would have regulated so-called teardowns throughout the city. After hearing from several hundred (not-so-happy) property owners and citizens at last week’s public hearing, the planning commission unanimously rejected the proposed law. It will be one [...]
About as many people who voted in last months Raleigh City elections showed up at last nights public hearing protesting proposed building limitations on private property. City planners call the change TC-08-07 (short for Text Change and essentially an amendment to the Citys zoning code). Citizens just call the [...]
It’s been a week since voters resoundingly defeated land transfer tax (also known as the “home tax”) initiatives in 16 counties across North Carolina. Voters, by a margin of 80% against, said they don’t want a new home tax—period. But the mainstream media, liberal bloggers and interests groups are spinning [...]
It appears that NC state leaders will appoint a commission to study how we begin to close a projected $28 billion dollar shortfall in road and bridge construction. If we are going to get serious about fixing our roads and bridges—as well as building new roads—we’ve got to consider [...]
Finally, after almost a year of discussion, the Wake County Public School System is considering a public-private partnership (PPP) to build one school. The Wake County Board of Education will vote on the use of this innovative program at its November 6th meeting. We hope they vote [...]
Growth Is Everybodys Business
The single biggest issue in North Carolina is growth. NC SPIN, North Carolinas most intelligent weekly television and radio talk show will be hosting a half-day forum that focuses on our states historic growth, along with the problems and opportunities resulting from that growth.
Growth is Everybodys Business [...]
We’ve often said that growth policies should be balanced. And that while it may be easy for politicians to throw out sound bites about managing growth during local elections, it’s hard work crafting fair and reasonable policies.
We’ve been reading all the headlines about growth this past week. But one headline [...]
One of our readers sent over the following information disputing a portion of an ad which appeared in the N and O last week. Here’s the ad. Here’s the information.
ALLEGATION:
Harold Weinbrecht who got A WHOPPING 71 PERCENT of his last campaign funding from DEVELOPERSbut he took it [...]
The ad about Harold Weinbrecht which ran in the News and Observer the other day, and we posted on GrowthMatters, is the subject of an apparent legal complaint before the NC State Board of Elections. Several of our readers have complained about our posting a copy of this ad. If [...]
Growth is the defining issue in the Cary Mayor’s race. Harold Weinbrecht, in his quest to regain power, conveniently ignores his own record. In an ad that ran in Thursday’s N&O, a Cary resident reminds us all—with facts—that Harold says one thing and does another. Here’s a snippet of [...]
Roger Koopman, candidate for Raleigh City Council (District B), recently sent out a mailer attacking incumbent Jessie Taliaferro and the development industry.
Like Russ Stephenson, Koopman conveniently leaves out relevant facts in his campaign mailers. It’s important that Raleigh citizens get all the facts about the issues, and Koopman. [...]
As we reported the other day, Russ Stephenson—candidate for one of the two at-large seats on the Raleigh City Council— is telling citizens that he “…voted to require growth pay its fair share by raising impact fees…”. That’s straight out of one of his most recent mail pieces.
But [...]
Two of the most informative, interesting and thought-provoking local bloggers—Gary Pearce and Carter Wrenn —are burning up the blogosphere over at Talking About Politics with all kinds of good insight into the current Raleigh City elections. Here’s a few tidbits about this year’s races:
1. (Carter Wrenn) “Democrats [...]
Chatham County voters should consider the millions of dollars their local government has overcollected or spent on non-essential items in recent years. A new John Locke Foundation Regional Brief shows Chatham County government has $23.6 million available to spend on high-priority government functions.
Taxpayers can read the brief before they [...]
GrowthMatters received a post card recently from Raleigh City Councilor Russ Stephenson (currently running for one of Raleigh’s two at-large seats). The first item on his list of accomplishments—outlined in the mail piece— included a few bullets on how Russ voted to increase impact fees in Raleigh. But there’s no [...]
More than 90 percent of Raleigh and Cary residents are happy with the communities quality of life according to a new poll conducted by The Triangle Community Coalition (TCC).
The poll, conducted in late summer, found that local voters believe our local economy remains strong, despite a downturn in other [...]
Approximately 85 business and community leaders, elected officials and Triangle planners gathered recently to discuss and learn about the “downside” of growth and development moratoria at the most recent TCC Lunch and Learn.
Local officials from Cary and Johnston County discussed how local governments deal with the pressures of [...]
That’s the way Chatham County Board of Commissioners like to do their business. And guess who’s giving them grief?
[...]We have to tip our hat to NC State Treasurer and gubernatorial candidate Richard Moore. He wants to create a state non-profit that will administer an innovative program for constructing schools. His plan is genius.
This new non-profit will serve as a conduit by which counties can buy land and [...]
…of Durham voters support a land transfer tax (see N and O story). Note to all Durham legislators and local elected officials: the home tax is STILL a bad idea.
[...]For years, the Durham County Board of Commissioners ‘mantra has been: our schools are overcrowded, growth is straining our infrastructure, and we need more money. After a review of the facts about growth in Durham, the numbers on the ground don’t match the rhetoric coming out of the politicians’ mouths.
First, [...]
Rick Martinez, in his N&O column today, draws the following conclusion about paying for growth and transfer taxes:
There are only two fair ways to pay for growth. First, redirect spending on non-core government functions into new schools, infrastructure and public safety. Second, raise property taxes so nearly every citizen [...]
Everywhere we turn, especially in the media, we’re being sold a bill of goods about how great the land transfer tax is for our state. But if it’s such a great idea, then why did the NC State Legislature punt and pass the buck (literally) back down to the local [...]
Someone sent us this “alarming” piece about how development fees are literally killing affordable housing in CA. It should serve as a real eye-opener to our community leaders of a perilous path to avoid—at all costs.
Just the Right to Build a House in California Can Cost $200,000
The following originally [...]
Last Friday was the last day to file for municipal elections (and Wake County School Board Races). And from the looks of it, this year’s key races will be: Raleigh’s at-large race where five candidates will duke it out for two seats; Jessie Taliaferro will have two opponents in her [...]
Looks like Harold Weinbrecht, a former town councilor and Glen Lang ally, is going to challenge Mayor Ernie McAlister for the Town’s top elected post. Harold is going to use the same message Lang used years ago. Elections are about timing and issues. We’ll see if Harold got either of [...]
Carter Wrenn ( of Talking About Politics) recently blogged about the politics of Raleigh’s impact fees. He says their really taxes on new homes. Read his post here.
One thing Carter did not include in his post is the fact that Raleigh fees are tied to a [...]
Sprawl, and all its consequences, is a bad thing in Chatham County. That’s been the rallying cry for the Chatham Coalition, and several elected leaders (namely Commissioner Lucier) for years. Now, in the name of good planning (and addressing sprawl) the commissioners will consider—on Monday—a change to the subdivision [...]
Just the other day, on 