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Many of us feel congestion, habitat destruction, and traffic has increased far too quickly in our area. Evidently we're not imagining it. If you like Raleigh now, will you still love it 20 years from now?
The reality is that to adequately handle growth in the area - it takes two main things - density and money. People who are moving here don't want high taxes because that's the reason that they moved here (but you need money to maintain the high quality of life - there's a reason property taxes are much higher in the populated areas of the country).
Current residents don't want any change at all - I live near downtown Raleigh where ideally you would want some more density since it's a major job center - but residents are opposed to any zoning that would "destroy the existing character of their neighborhood" (even though their neighborhood has been around for only 100 years and change constantly happens).
"Habitat destruction" is certainly a problem but if you don't allow for density, that means more destruction of habitat since you'll have to spread people out more. (I read an article recently said that New York City has a much lower carbon footprint per resident than it's surrounding suburban suburbs, despite the perception that cities are dirty and disgusting)
There are tons of other factors as well that fall along similar lines, which is why I'm really skeptical of the area's ability to handle growth over the next few years unless something changes.
^^ Do you think more apartments need to be built or new houses closer together? They recently passed an ordinance in North Hills restricting the lot sizes to prevent developers from buying up 2 or 3 lots to put 4-5 houses on them. I understand this, because they aren't building small houses. They are building 3,000+ sq ft houses on small lots like in Cary. In a more established neighborhood with modest sized houses and larger lots, it does change the character of the neighborhood, and I understand why they voted for that change.
^^ Do you think more apartments need to be built or new houses closer together? They recently passed an ordinance in North Hills restricting the lot sizes to prevent developers from buying up 2 or 3 lots to put 4-5 houses on them. I understand this, because they aren't building small houses. They are building 3,000+ sq ft houses on small lots like in Cary. In a more established neighborhood with modest sized houses and larger lots, it does change the character of the neighborhood, and I understand why they voted for that change.
Yeah the bad thing about the recent revision of Raleigh's Unified Development Ordinance is that while it allows for more apartments/townhomes/duplexes etc.... (which is good), it also means people can build large houses on small plots of land. You want to make it so that a lot more people can live on one plot of land, not for the same family to have a bigger house on the plot of land (that is definitely NOT density and isn't helping with housing costs).
I'm not a housing expert so I'm not sure how best to make that happens but there is a lot of improvement there.
With the influx of new arrivals and population growth booming, the state’s treasured natural areas will disappear. A 2007 report by Environment North Carolina shows that the Triangle will lose 37% of its natural areas by 2027 unless legislative action is taken. Every day 27-35 acres are lost to development in Wake County.
I can't believe how much land is being clear cut for development around where I live (SW Cary, near the Apex line). It's so reminiscent of when I lived in Loudoun County VA (DC suburb), which makes me kind of sad. Yes, I contributed to the growth by moving here in 2006, but I probably would have chosen somewhere else to live had I known the path the area would be going down.
I can't believe how much land is being clear cut for development around where I live (SW Cary, near the Apex line). It's so reminiscent of when I lived in Loudoun County VA (DC suburb), which makes me kind of sad. Yes, I contributed to the growth by moving here in 2006, but I probably would have chosen somewhere else to live had I known the path the area would be going down.
It was well down the path by the time you moved here. I first moved here about 20 years before you did and rapid growth was already occurring then (late 80s/early 90s). It is all about scale... a TON changed around here between then and 2006. Everyone has that fixed moment in time that they remember 'how things were'.
These changes are nothing new having briefly lived elsewhere in the late 90s/early 00s (including Fairfax County, VA). I enjoy the current state of Cary worlds ahead of NoVa both in pace of life and ease and accessibility of the area.
Growth isn't going to stop and hasn't been stopped for decades (and longer). Manage it the best you can. (Although I do joke that nothing West of Davis is actually Cary and even that far is a stretch!)
It was well down the path by the time you moved here. I first moved here about 20 years before you did and rapid growth was already occurring then (late 80s/early 90s). It is all about scale... a TON changed around here between then and 2006. Everyone has that fixed moment in time that they remember 'how things were'.
These changes are nothing new having briefly lived elsewhere in the late 90s/early 00s (including Fairfax County, VA). I enjoy the current state of Cary worlds ahead of NoVa both in pace of life and ease and accessibility of the area.
Growth isn't going to stop and hasn't been stopped for decades (and longer). Manage it the best you can. (Although I do joke that nothing West of Davis is actually Cary and even that far is a stretch!)
Definitely happening a long time. Going back to the 60s. When I was a kid growing up (47 now) Raleigh had about the same number of people in its city limits as Cary does now.
Definitely happening a long time. Going back to the 60s. When I was a kid growing up (47 now) Raleigh had about the same number of people in its city limits as Cary does now.
I was just going back to see what the rough numbers of the area population was when I moved here.
I think Cary was probably around 40,000, Apex maybe about 5,000, and Holly Springs MAYBE 1,000.
vs 06 - Cary 113,000, Apex 30,000, Holly Springs 17,000.
vs today - Cary ~170,000, Apex ~50,000, Holly Springs ~30,000+
Just to show some, that it is all about perspective and that this growth is nothing new. Not saying some of this fill-in isn't unnerving but it isn't new.
I can partially understand a native who has lived most or all of their lives in this area complaining about rapid growth and the inevitable consequences, but what I can't wrap my head around is how some people who consciously elected to move to the area complains about the growth, congestion, sprawl, over populated schools, etc.
I don't know who in this thread fits in either category, but if you choose to move to Wake County, then you also chose to accept if for good and bad. It's kind of like a marriage, you accept it for better or for worse. If you can't accept it, then you have the option of a divorce (which in this case means moving somewhere else).
Either way, if you chose to move here...then don't complain.
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