Notes on the CompPlan

The City Council officially adopted the CompPlan on Tuesday 9/8/09 after almost a year of work through the Planning Commission, public input sessions and public hearings! During our official public Council work sessions we reviewed the Future Land Use Map and made some changes to the plan. Our goal was to make sure that the density plans for the future are sustainable, smart and that the surrounding areas would be able to accommodate.

Some of the changes relevant to District A:

1. The focus of the public hearing in North Raleigh was the Future Land Use Map regarding "The Chavis Tract" - the land at the corner of Ray Road and Howard Road. The Future Land Use Map shows this at a higher density than the surrounding neighborhoods would like. Currently it is zoned Residential-4 and the proposed change would make it Residential-14. The Council voted to keep this property low density. We felt, among other things, that the existing road structure did not have the capacity to be expanded to serve an increase in density.
2. We are adding the term “Preserves” to our parks nomenclature. Several of our parks will be reclassified as “Preserves” Consistent with Council’s intent to move forward with a countywide nature preserves management program, we have established a "Nature Parks and Preserves" classification on par with others, such as Metro, Community, and Neighborhood Parks. The initial definition would be as follows:
   
   “Nature Parks and Preserves are intended to be used for environmental education, scientific research, and public enjoyment in ways that do not degrade the natural resources on site. Nature Preserves contain and highlight examples of high-quality plant and animal populations, natural communities, landscapes or ecosystems that contribute to biodiversity and environmental health. Efforts are made to protect and manage significant natural resources in these areas through best practice management and stewardship. Opportunities for passive, natural resource based recreation may be provided that are compatible with the protection and enhancement of the natural area and the nature.
3. The property at the corner of Lead Mine Road and Millbrook Road will remain low density.
4. The neighbors in Cameron Village asked us to change some of the density on the Future Land Use Map surrounding their neighborhood from Medium to Moderate. We approved this request.
5. The land between Old Lead Mine Road and New Lead Mine Road, south of Forum Drive will continue to be low density.
6. Glenwood Ave West of Crabtree Valley - I have concerns about the proposed density for this corridor. I do not want to see it become another Capital Boulevard.
7. Intersection of Six Forks and Strickland- We need to take a close look at the proposed build out for this area. Is the future density called for going to be supported by the available and/or future transit plans?
8. Neuse River Greenway- We need to examine this in the plan and make sure that those corridors are protected. We need to again look at transitions plans for development leading up to Neuse River Greenways and the Neuse Buffers.