From a News and Observer story yesterday
Raleigh owns 80 lots in Southeast Raleigh that have either met the wrecking ball or stand with plywood nailed over the windows, waiting for destruction. That amounts to nearly half the property Raleigh bought in Southeast since 2000, at a total cost of roughly $13 million.
Oh, wait, open space is not the purpose. Community Development Director Michele Grant says, “hopefully, something will come back. That’s the goal — not just having an empty lot.
The city apparently wants to purchase entire blocks, raze them and sell them to developers, but officials (and their cheerleaders) are also focused on remaking Fayetteville Street and on adding greenways and parks among other showcase projects.
Maybe a little less targeting of funds and a little more emphasis on the basics of water and police would help the whole city.
