Council delays acting on Broughton proposal

RALEIGH -- RALEIGH - The City Council has delayed taking action on a proposal to turn the front lawn of Broughton High School into a parking lot until the city investigates alternative options.

In the coming weeks City Manager Russell Allen is expected to see if other parking spaces can be found in the area surrounding Broughton. The council won't take action on the issue until Allen reports back with other options.

During its meeting today the council also instructed Allen to work with Wake County leaders to try and find a solution that doesn't involve paving over the high school's front lawn.

Opened in 1929, Broughton is the oldest high school in Raleigh. It has been designated a historic landmark by the city and features a distinct architectural look, similar to a castle, that differs from the boxy school designs of today.

Located on St. Mary's Street near Cameron Village, Broughton, like many older high schools, has less parking than newer campuses.

While the standard for new high schools in Wake County is 797 spaces for students, staff and visitors, Broughton has 273 spaces. The plan to pave over the lawn would add 126 parking spaces, camouflaged by streetscaping.

The lack of on-campus parking for Broughton's 2,200 students means many students pay up to $400 a year to use off-campus parking lots. The school district charges $170 a year for parking.

School officials say they are trying to replace parking spaces that have been lost on campus and surrounding streets. Classroom trailers that had been on the front lawn for many years were moved to the student parking lot on the order of the Raleigh Historic Districts Commission.

The City Council's action is likely to please Broughton's alumni, many of whom are now community leaders and have aggressively fought the proposal. They say the parking lot will tarnish the historic character of the school, likening it to spray painting graffiti on the Mona Lisa.