Broughton to get its front parking

But paving most of the school's lawn won't end its parking shortage

The Raleigh City Council voted 7-1 last week to allow Broughton High School to pave most of its front lawn to add up to 100 student parking spaces, ending a spirited dispute among alumni, students, and other school supporters.

Thomas Crowder was the only council member to oppose the plan. Crowder said that given the expected growth in the area around Broughton, the city should make every effort to preserve natural areas such as Broughton's leafy front lawn.

"Open space like this is extremely valuable," said Crowder, a Broughton graduate who represents southwest Raleigh's District D. "This is one of the major assets within this community that's worth preserving."

But at-large Councilman Russ Stephenson said city staffers crafted a good compromise. He's a member of the council's Comprehensive Planning Committee, which debated the issue before it went to the full council.

The plan allows for fewer than the 126 spaces Wake school officials had requested and would leave about an acre and a half of grass for the school's lawn.

It also calls for the city to explore allowing the school system to take ownership of nearby Cameron Street to provide Broughton additional parking spaces.

Stacy Barbour, a senior planner for the city, said Cameron Street cannot be closed immediately because the street is the only access point for an adjacent property owner. Barbour said the city has had discussions with school officials about changing the parking on Cameron to create more spaces.

The plan also says that school officials should consider other types of paving surfaces that would make it easier to remove the parking lot in the future.

Located off St. Mary's Street near Cameron Village, Broughton currently has 273 parking spaces, more than 100 fewer than the 388 spaces that Raleigh's zoning regulations call for. Many of Broughton's 2,200 students use off-campus parking lots with spaces costing as much as $400 a year.

The school district's plan to pave much of the front lawn was supported by many Broughton parents and students. A vocal faction of the high school's alumni opposed the plan.