The Raleigh Tribune

Homeless veterans have an opportunity to receive services and referrals at the 2010 Capital Area Stand Down to be held March 25 at the Wake County South Wilmington Street Center, 1420 South Wilmington Street.

Beginning at 7:30 a.m. through 3:00 p.m. a variety of services will be offered including healthcare, social services, VA benefits, housing and employment opportunities and referrals and vouchers for other services.  Breakfast and lunch will be offered.

The 2010 Capital Area Veterans Stand Down is sponsored by the City of Raleigh, Wake County Human Services, Wake County Community Services, North Carolina Employment Security Commission, Durham Veterans Administration Medical Center, United States Department of Labor, Healing Place of Wake County, and the Raleigh Veterans Center.

Popularity: 8%

The City of Raleigh is revamping its development code in the form of a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). The UDO will support goals and policies in the City’s Comprehensive Plan, which was updated and approved by the City Council last fall.

The City is preparing a UDO that addresses contemporary development and zoning practices, and is easily understood by administrators, the public and the development community. The recently released Diagnostic & Approach Report identifies inconsistencies and gaps between the City’s current development code and the new Comprehensive Plan.

It proposes different approaches and potential solutions for the new code. The public is invited to review the report and participate in any of the three learning and review sessions the City of Raleigh is holding. Citizens and representatives of the development community will be able to ask questions and offer suggestions on preparing a UDO that facilitates quality development throughout Raleigh. Interested parties need to attend only one of the sessions as they will have the same format, though they will be held at different locations.

The learning and review sessions will be held: · Monday, March 15 from noon to 2 p.m. at All Saints Chapel, 110 S. East St.; · Monday, March 15 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Fletcher Opera Theater at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, 2 East St.; and, · Tuesday, March 16 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Providence Baptist Church, 6339 Glenwood Ave.

To register to attend any of the learning and review sessions, email Newcode@ci.raleigh.nc.us. For more information, visit www.newraleighcode.com.

Check-in will be held 30 minutes prior to the start of each session. Light refreshments will be served. In compliance with the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Raleigh honors requests for accommodations at public meetings for individuals with disabilities. Requests can be served most effectively if notice is provided at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.

To request special accommodations, call the City of Raleigh Public Affairs Department at 996-3000. To download a copy of the Diagnostic & Approach Report, go to www.newraleighcode.com. Citizens can offer written comment on the report through March 31 by visiting http://raleigh-consult.limehouse.com/portal. For more information about the UDO preparation process, including the three public learning and review sessions, contact Christine Darges in the City of Raleigh Department of City Planning at 516-2634 or Christine.darges@ci.raleigh.nc.us

Popularity: 12%

The Raleigh Historic Districts Commission (RHDC) is hosting a community forum to discuss the potential nomination of the Battery Heights subdivision to the National Register of Historic Places. The community forum will be held on Monday, Feb. 22 at 5:30 p.m. in the Roberts Park Community Center, 1300 E. Martin Street.

The event will include a brief presentation on the historic significance of Battery Heights and an opportunity for public comment on the National Register nomination draft. Citizens may visit RHDC’s website at www.rhdc.org to review and comment on the draft, which was recently submitted to the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office for its review and comment.

On Aug. 10, RHDC hosted a community forum to discuss the historic significance of four Raleigh subdivisions built between 1945 and 1965 and the benefits of designating these neighborhoods as National Register historic districts. In addition to Battery Heights, the subdivisions under study are Capitol Heights, Longview Gardens, and Madonna Acres.

For more information contact Martha Hobbs, Department of City Planning, martha.hobbs@ci.raleigh.nc.us or 516-2649.

Popularity: 70%

The Raleigh City Council, on Feb. 2, approved sponsorship participation for the second annual Run for Our Heroes 5K Race to be held Saturday April 24.

The run/walk is an event to honor the men and women who have lost their lives while serving the Capital City. The proceeds from the race will benefit the Raleigh Police Memorial Foundation and to assist officers participating in the Ride for Hope Bike Ride.

A memorial wreath laying ceremony in honor of the City of Raleigh Police Department’s fallen police officers starts the day off at 8:30 a.m.. The 5K Road Race kicks off at 9:00 a.m. and at 10:00 a.m. the McGruff “Crime Dog” Kids Dash will be held. For more information visit the Run for Our Heroes website at www.runforourheroes.org.

Raleigh Police Officers who lost their lives in the line of duty are:

Officer Thomas Crabtree            Officer Robert E. Sparks

Officer James G. Lee                Officer James W. Allen

Officer Delma D. Adams Officer Denise Holden

Detective Paul A. Hale   Officer Charles R. Paul

Information provided by the City of Raleigh

Popularity: 4%

The Raleigh City Council voted unanimously to approve a special use permit and preliminary site plan for a City-owned outdoor amphitheater and festival site in Downtown Raleigh. Council members also awarded a construction bid for the venue.

The outdoor amphitheater and festival site will be constructed on City-owned land bounded by McDowell, Cabarrus, Dawson and Lenoir streets, just west of the Raleigh Convention Center. The amphitheater and festival site will have seating capacity for up to 5,000 people, and is projected to attract up to 225,000 visitors annually. The amphitheater and the festival site will be used to host concerts and musical festivals, cultural festivals, comedy shows and other special events. The venue is scheduled to open in late spring.

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Popularity: 14%

Fur, Feathers, and Scales
Join a nature instructor to discover the texture of wildlife.  Learn that snakes aren’t slimy and not all mammals are soft.  We’ll have live reptiles, furs and other items to touch and see.  This program is open to participants ages 3-5 and the fee is $3.  This program will be held at Brier Creek Community Center on Tuesday, January 19th from 9:45-10:30 a.m. and held at Optimist Community Center on Thursday, February 4th from 10:15-11 a.m.  Pre-registration is required four days in advance.

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Popularity: 20%

Can you sing?  Can you dance?  Do you have other talents?  Raleigh Parks and Recreation is holding an open call/audition for anyone who would like to showcase their talents at the July 4th Celebration at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds.    Auditions will be held February 6th at Greystone Village Community Center from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. and February 20th at Biltmore Hills Community Center from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.  Greystone Village Community Center is located at 7713 Lead Mine Road, Raleigh, NC 27615 and Biltmore Hills Community Center is located at 2615 Fitzgerald Drive, Raleigh, NC 27610.

For more information, please contact Kaylah Nance at 919-831-6895 or Kaylah.Nance@ci.raleigh.nc.us or Daniel Price at 919-831-6640 or Daniel.Price@ci.raleigh.nc.us.

Popularity: 15%