Alex Orr: Townhomes would enhance downtown Raleigh

I was disappointed when Raleigh mayor Nancy McFarlane and the City Council voted against affordable housing options in downtown Raleigh between New Bern and Edenton streets. The proposal was to modify zoning text associated with the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District established in 1992.

Current regulations allow condominiums but prevent the sale of townhomes. This may seem like a trivial distinction, but townhomes are easier to finance for first-time homeowners, have lower HOA fees and appreciate quicker than condominiums.

Unlike current zoning in this NCOD, which allows nonresidential development including strip clubs or detention centers, townhomes foster home ownership, which would protect rather than harm this neighborhood.

McFarlane acknowledged the proposed text change was less about changing how homes are sold and more about the principle behind changing zoning text established 25 years ago – despite 122 homeowners within the NCOD supporting this text change. The council even acknowledged there are no good processes for reevaluating NCOD policies.

The council urgently needs to bridge the housing gap between expensive single-family homes and being stuck renting in downtown Raleigh. Refusing to revisit outdated zoning policies hurts would-be, first-time homeowners and ultimately hurts the growth of downtown Raleigh.

This story was originally published September 19, 2016 at 5:12 PM with the headline "Alex Orr: Townhomes would enhance downtown Raleigh."